Day 41, Rest day, Pittsburg, Kansas,

This book store had everything except what we wanted. They even had Surfer magazine. We spent over an hour in there escaping the heat.

If you've been to one Wal-Mart, you've been to them all. This one was no different. It had what I wanted, but I forgot what I needed.


Sunday, June 21, 2009

Day 41, Pittsburg. Rest day.

Sorry I didn't take more pictures today. I really wanted to, and was planning to. But the heat was so bad, that being inside was much more inviting. The town of Pittsburg is quite large. With a population of about 20,000, it boasts a variety of services. It is one of only four towns that we’ve been to that has a bike shop. And one of only a handful that has a movie theater. The only problem is, that this town is so spread out, that everything is too far to walk to. From one end to the other, it’s over five miles. Even on a bike, it’s a bit much to get around.
Today Lisa and I opt. to stay in the South Broadway area where our motel is. There are several eateries in the area, as well as a Wal-Mart, and a variety of shops and chain outlets. The heat was on again today. But since we were not riding, we were able to seek shelter from the heat in various locations. Wal-Mart is always a treat to browse through. There is so much on display, and the prices are always a bargain. The trouble is, we can’t get anything, cause we don’t have any place to put um, let alone take it with us all the way across the country.
The wind here in Kansas is a bit on the strong side. I’m not sure if this is normal for these parts, but it’s much stronger than on Molokai on a normal Trade wind day. I’m wondering how this is going to affect our ridding tomorrow. The good thing about the wind is that it will make the ride a little cooler, the bad thing is that we’ll be fighting the wind constantly the whole time. The heat index tomorrow is forecasted to be 102 degrees. I’m praying for cloud cover for most of the day.
We’ve heard from riders ahead of us, that the wind is so bad, that they are only doing about 30 or so miles a day. Our plan is to see how we feel by mid afternoon, and decide weather or not to go on. Hopefully the wind will either die down, or change direction as the days progress. As the day heats up, I’ve been taking my back pack and strapping it on top of my trailer. It makes it a little cooler, but the added weight can really be felt. I keep things I need handy in my back pack. Such as my computer, jacket, baggy shorts, first aid kit, I-touch, cell phone, sun block, and soon, my water bladder for the camelbak. It weighs about 20 pounds. I’ve been able to stuff all my other stuff into the water proof duffle bag. It takes careful organizing to make everything fit. All I have left is the cooler with our food that’s strapped to a modified bike rack at the rear of the trailer. The whole thing including the trailer weighs about 55 pounds. My bike also has a handle bar mounted bag that houses my DSLR, snacks, mini tripod, and other small items I can easily reach when needed. I also have a trunk rack mounted to my seat post that contains my arm warmers, leg warmers, bicycle pump, spare tube, bike lock, repair tools, energy drinks, more snacks, sun block, extra gloves, and some emergency stuff that I can get to with out too much trouble. On my handle bar I have my GPS unit, head light, cyclometer, a bear bell, pepper spray, and my I-pod nano. I’m guessing that whole thing weighs close to 40 pounds. I really is a chore loading everything up, and a big deal trying to park the darn thing. But some how we manage.
Since arriving in Yorktown over six weeks ago, only one person recognized the Hawaiian flag I have mounted on the rear of my trailer. Everyone thinks it’s a British flag. How depressing. I was hopping that it would be a beacon letting people know that we are from Hawaii. So much for that. Good night for now, I miss you all. Aloha, Ted.