2014-07-26: Day 31 Heat Wave! - A Day Off the Bikes

The wind blew hard yesterday all day from the south directly on our left side. So we spent a good part of the day on the bikes leanimg to the left while attempting forward progress to the front. That wind kept our pace down across 33 miles of absolutely nothing. No towns, no gas stations, no convenience stores, no nothing. Only grasshoppers and an occasional collection of cattle standing under trees. To provide some variety, we would pass a cross road every 5 miles or so heading off to the horizon line to the right and the left. Meanwhile, western Missouri and eastern Kansas were put under a heat advisory. Temps yesterday in the lower 90(s) with a heat index of close to 100. Wind gushes at 30 mph. Teresa and I did not want another "demast" event. (See the log from 2014-06-18) . So we planned to check into a hotel.

So while the heat and the winds really started to crank up, we pulled in at the Super 8 motel. That's when we saw the ominous sign on the door - WELCOME SHRINERS. After inquiring about a room, the clerk informed me that thousands of Shriners have descended on the small town of Pittsburg, KS and filled every room in town. We started to make calls and did find 1 room in the 7th hotel that we called. So we defeated the heat and defeated the Shriners by finding a room. The rest of the story is that Hiedi and Dustin were meeting us last night in Pittsburg, so I called and warned them about the Shriners. They had Teresa and I go smell and then reserve the last room that I could find - a smoking room in the same hotel.

Today's forecast calls for 98 degrees with a heat index of 104. The national weather map shows our southeast corner of Kansas is the highest spot in the nation today. We have opted to be smart and settle in to our hotel for another day. The AC is very nice. Tomorrow we ride again. Although it is still about 700 miles to the west, Jon and I are both starting to feel the pull of the finish line in Pueblo, CO. We will likely pick up our pace for the rest of the trip.