188 km (116 miles) - total: 2408 km (1496 miles)
Marshfield, Mo to Pittsburg, Ks
Dorothy says: "A place where there isn't any trouble. Do you suppose there is such a place, Toto? There must be. It's not a place you can get to by a boat or a train. It's far, far away".
What a day! The longest distance covered and I entered Kansas!
Today has been a day of two halves. I left the hotel at 7.30 feeling psyched for the flat open spaces which I assumed were within reach but clearly I was wrong. No sooner did I leave town than I was back in the rollers and for the first 100 km it was all hills. Just when I thought I had dealt the fatal blow to the Ozarks, here they came charging back with a vengeance with some short but steep grades. A lot of slow, hard work this morning, again I don't think I saw flat terrain for several hours. I worked hard to put some miles in early on, passing three ghost towns with very brief stops just to sip water while I had my first taste of solid food since breakfast, power bar, fruits and ice-cream, after 80 km. The best meal of the day (I have several) is actually not breakfast but the 'second breakfast' which takes place at around midmorning when the food eaten earlier has already being burnt and real 'cyclist starvation' sets in. At that point I can eat anything; I am a sort of garbage can that absorbs all sorts and tastes. It is the most satisfying meal of the day. After dinner that is! Well actually I think all the meals are satisfying so forget what I just said! Just before reaching Golden City, at a crest of a hill (which turned out to be the very last steep hill of Missouri) I bumped into a cyclist going East, Lindsay Petrie from Scotland. Two Europeans meeting on the US cross-country bike trail! We chatted briefly, exchanging pointers going into our respective cardinal points, as for Kansas he said to watch out for the winds and of course I mentioned the hills both of the Ozarks and later on of the Appalachians. I could not believe when I saw attached to the underside of the down tube of his bicycle a bottle of wine!! Yeah, he is Scottish all right!! I gave him the link to the blog so Lindsay if you have made it to the Ocean and are reading this give me a shout!
I continued with my journey, realizing to my delight that the terrain was getting flatter and wider with huge crop fields, cattle fields, and sunflower fields all around. After about 105 km of serious cycling I reached the beginning of the Great Plains. However, my joy for this new achievement was quickly overshadowed by the realization that I had a new foe to contend with and just as fierce and unrelenting as the hills: the wind! As soon as the terrain got flat and devoid of hills and trees the wind picked up immediately blowing from the North, slapping my light bicycle over and over again and making my course skewed to the middle of the road. It was really tough going. At one point I turned North bound for 7 km and it was pure hell as even on a slight decline I could not go faster than 22kmph. I turned my bicycle around in the opposite direction just to see what it felt like to have a tailwind and the strength of the wind literally carried me up the hill without me pedaling at all. Unbelievable! Luckily the wind gently subsided but it was still a tough 33-mile ride into Pittsburg. The approaching state limit was a good motivation to pedal hard and I felt pretty good at sighting the Kansas sign. I was keen to find a motel and rest.
I am now in my 5th state and I am happy to leave Missouri, just for the hills because other than tough climbing I had a very special time cycling there. I rolled into yet another America small town where the fast life exists only by big Wall-Marts and Mc Donalds. Under the skin of small town America lies the truth, revealing, appalling, frightening where time is divided between soap-operas and supermarkets. However, there is more much more to it, the hicks, the rednecks, the hillbillies and the silent Midwesterners have a way for keeping away from the big fuss and the senseless rattle of elusive, big town America. Pragmatic, balanced, honest, friendly, vibrant, engaging, complex, diverse (economically more than ethnically) are just a few descriptions that spring to mind when I look at the places I have seen. Gosh, I could write a whole book about uncovering the truth of MY America but I really came here for the scenery and after 116 miles I don't want to think so I am gonna rest.
Kansas will provide a completely new challenge. Topography and climate will be different. Lots of fields, lots of sky, lots of space, and lots of wind. Population will be sparse, the cities will disappear, only isolated villages show on the map, the roads are flat, long and perfectly straight, traffic will be very light, the wind will blow and the sun will shine, there are not going to be bike shops for the next 700 miles. And there are stretches of road with no services for 35, 50 and 70 miles. Kansas will take stamina and good planning. Let's keep going West!
Supesized cows
It's a busy Tuesday morning in Fair Grove Missouri
"What are you looking at?" he's thinking.
More hills before I can even think about Kansas
and more!
What a beautiful specimen
And a scary one!
I climbed the last hill and I turned around to say goodbye to the Ozarks
Lindsay from Scotland! He's been on the road since July 14, good luck mate!
Golden City, diner and post office.
Super heavy duty farming artillery
No more hills, it must be Kansas coming up!
Pittsburg downtown
Taking off my rucksack I saw this butterfly on it. My Lady Luck!
Un ciclista, due cavalli, un buffalo, un gruppo di mucche al pascolo e persino una farfalla: che lusso le foto di questo report! (...sarebbe stata carina anche una foto dei 2 ciclisti East-West insieme....)
ReplyDeleteGrande Luigi, la tua e' proprio una bella avventura! Keep going...noi continuiamo a fare il tifo a iosa...baci, Amanda
se ce l'ha fatta Lindsay con quel carriolo e quella faccia...
ReplyDeleteSai perché i cinesi sono gialli? Te lo dirò forse un giorno accanto a un caminetto ma intanto ti anticipo che in qualche modo il Kansas c'entra. La mia partenza x la Georgia, next week, si avvicina: Melly è ormai fuori come un copertone, poraccia, Ashley è sempre più sordo e rimbambo, dovrebbe arrivare anche Sue Ellen da Honolulu, Prissy ciarla senza costrutto come al solito e Rhett va a Milano Marittima lasciandomi come sempre gabbata. Però ti seguo e ti traduco tanto. Un bacio Scarlett
Forza Luigi, tifiamo per te!
ReplyDeleteI genitori di Amanda
Who knew. So you had Lindsay as company for the moment. A bit o' bonding. That is awesome though. I am thinking you should have done like Lindsay and taken a bottle of wine with you. Smart man. He is still enjoying the comforts of home, whilst even on the road.:)
ReplyDeleteIt is quite interesting what you say about places like Kansas and Missouri. Although life has evolved in these places, they still seem to be in a bit of a stand still. The mere fact that the towns are not huge, these are places that are still inhabited by farmers who still toil the land and they have not been tainted by the hustle and bustle of a big city life. To me, it seems as though where you are travelling thru is the "real America" because it is a reminder of its simplicity and humble beginnings.
Judging from what I read, you worked hard today. I will keep my fingers crossed that tomorrow will be a more favorable day for you. God bless!
Quando ho visto la foto della mucca, io, che nel dna ho un po' di agricoltura, ho avuto un sussulto, peggio che vedere una top model in bikini. A parte gli scherzi, il vento è una cosa seria, e ti accorgerai che è sempre contrario: anche se a un certo punto cambi direzione, anche il vento gira per soffiarti contro, però hai motivo di essere ottimista, se hai la fortuna di metterti in scia di un trattore casomai con un bel rimorchio, vivrai di rendita. Posso dire che sei entrato nel cuore agricolo dell'America, che io ho sempre sognato ma non conosco per niente, e aspetto con "ansia" i tuoi racconti, per iniziare finalmente a conoscerla. GOOD LUCK Micio
ReplyDeleteI find I am seeing a lot of this bicycle in the photos. Can't you find someone to take a pic with you on it? We haven't actually seen a full pic of you on the bicycle for a while now (smile) Camera shy, are we? Not that I'm complaining about the scenery. It is beautiful. Lindsay'll probably enjoy the.blog and drink a toast for ya!!
ReplyDeleteDay 21: belle pagine.
ReplyDelete