(written June 11th, 2018)
It’s pretty amazing what you can see when you take the time to look, what you can experience when you don’t design barriers for yourself, and the people that you meet when you decide to let everyone in. Life on the road is not a glamorous one, you’re often very sweaty, you’re butt never really stops hurting, and the bugs never really stop bugging you. Although it allows you to see things in a much clearer way, puts things into perspective and allows you to laugh at the troubles you once let ail you. You know what is important, you know what you need to survive, and you’re able to sort out all the extra stuff that tends to bog us down with unnecessary worries.
It’s June 11th as I write this and day 30 of pedaling across america. I am in Kansas now and have pedaled a little over 1800 miles. The weather has noticeably dried up which means plenty of sun for me to work on perfecting my tan lines. Jenny and I are still averaging about 70-80 miles in a day, sometimes less and sometimes more. Our highest so far has been 96 miles, stopping short of a 100, I should add, because we had a shower and shelter in the town we arrived in.
I had my first spill two weeks ago pulling into a fire station where we were to camp that night. There was a two inch curb that I just took at the wrong angle and I went tumbling off my bike in a very comedic fashion. I was alright besides a bloody knee as my helmet did its job perfectly. More importantly my bike and my kitty litter tubs held up as well. There was a camera out front so I hope the firemen are able to get a good kick out of that when they see it. Maybe I’ll even become one of those YouTube sensations!
The following day Jenny and I blindly ignored the signs saying that the bridge was closed up ahead, thinking we could just take another road to get by. Upon reaching said bridge, which just 5 miles on the other side was our lunch destination, we realized that that was the only way through without a 30 mile re-route with 15 of those miles being the ones we just did to get there. As we headed back towards where we needed to go, we ran into a couple of other cyclist whom we had camped with the previous night. We were able to save them from having to do too many extra miles. Right when we got back to where we should have turned to avoid that whole fiasco, Jenny’s derailleur cable snapped for the second time. She was able to repair it but there was something else that was going on that needed to be addressed since this was a reoccurring issue. We were able to get hitch to a bike shop that was a bit closer to where we needed to be and they fixed her whole shifting compartment that was far too outdated and would have caused the cable to keep snapping. My front hub turned out to be pretty loose so they tightened that up for me and we were again on our way! We had to take a bit of a busier road to get back to where we needed to be, the shoulder was big enough but the lack of shade was annoying, but in hindsight it was good preparation for Kansas.
We made about an 80 mile detour from the Trans Am that led us down to Mammoth Cave National Park. It’s a very neat park with these huge cave systems that all connect underground. Apparently though, you need to buy tour tickets if you want to actually go down in the caves and they sell out quickly. We weren’t able to get tickets the day we got down there but we stealth camped in the National Park campground and stood in line early the next morning to get two of the ten that they release each morning. We toured a cave called Frozen Niagara, it was my first time being that far underground and it was a very jaw dropping experience. It’s quite amazing to think of the people who found these things and explored them without any knowledge of what was down there.
After the tour we headed back towards the Trans Am, where my mom and grandma were coming to swoop us away from our grimy existence of biker trash to a lovely hotel with air conditioning, a shower, a pool, and free continental breakfast! John met us in Elizabethtown, where we were staying, to give my mom his 10 lb slackline that he had been carrying around so he didn’t have to spend the money on shipping it home. We made sure we got some good use out of it as we all took a rest day there the following day. It was awesome getting to see my mom and grandmother while spending a day not on the bike. I also got to eat plenty of food to get ahead of the calorie deficit that would await as soon as I returned to crushing miles via bicycle.
My mom and grandma sent us off in the welcoming rain and took any and all comfort back with them to Michigan. We hit 1000 miles that day and shortly after a Schwan truck pulled over and gave us a couple of fudge bars, making up for the fact that he had nearly hit us while passing.
The terrain in Kentucky, although still tough, was much friendlier than the Appalachians of Virginia. There were many beautiful sandstone cliffs that the roads just cut right through. There were a lot more rolling hills as opposed to miles of climbing. We crossed into Illinois after taking a quick dip in the Ohio River to cool off. I wasn’t aware of the treacherous mud that guards the river and got my right leg stuck in it up to my hip when approaching, bike shorts and all. Lucky for me Jenny was near by and could come help get me out. There was a restaurant on the river and I’m sure all the locals got a kick out of the biker stuck in the mud. Illinois’s relentless hills caught me a bit off guard when we first crossed the border. As the miles went by, there were some flatter sections, yet the hills never really ended.
We stayed at a known cyclist stop right before crossing the Mississippi, where an Adventure Cycling group was staying along with a couple of the coolest cats on the Trans Am and our newest pals, Rosie and Kevin. Rosie biked the Trans Am back in 76 with a ten speed bike, has biked all around the world and is back for round two of America. Kevin has thru hiked the Colorado Trail and has done a good amount of bicycle touring as well. They were both incredibly good spirited and very much fun to get to know and be around.
The next day we crossed the Mississippi and entered into Missouri. I had ignorantly lumped Missouri in with Kansas before starting the Trans Am but was informed by other cyclist that the Ozarks of Missouri were actually quite treacherous with it’s many steep hills. I wasn’t too sure what to expect, as it is always a good idea to take other’s opinions of terrain with a grain of salt. Missouri, although challenging, was very beautiful. The climbs were tough but this whole thing has been tough so there wasn’t much change there. We went near and around The Mark Twain National Forest along with The Ozarks, it was very beautiful being emerged in a different eco system. The Ozarks are a smaller version of the Smokey Mountains with their ancient, rolling green hills whose fog rolls through them if you are awake early enough to see it. I have come to the conclusion that Missouri is one of those hidden gems that many foolishly overlook because it’s beauty is not shouted from the mountain tops and it has no ocean view.
We stealth camped that first night in Missouri in Elephant Rock State Park. A park that houses these enormous boulders and an old granite quarry. We slept under the stars that night on a giant boulder. The stars were quite possibly the clearest I have ever seen and they seemed infinite. Yet the mosquitos that night ruined the experience. Sleeping under the stars is a beautiful thing but I think I shall leave that for when the bugs all go and die and stick to my tent for the foreseeable future.
Dave and Patty of The First Assembly of God in Emmens took us into their home and let us shower and fed us dinner the following night. They then unlocked the church for us and let us sleep inside, safe from all the critters. Patty did our laundry for us that night and delivered our clean clothes to us the next morning. It was another wonderful reminder of all the good that people and humanity are capable of, because the beauty truly lies in the small things.
In Ash Grove, Missouri we stumbled upon a gem of a hostel that is right next to the city pool and is free to all cyclists. After a long, hot day of riding it felt amazing to go down a water slide into a cool pool. We had been crushing miles for 7 or 8 days so we decided that this was a perfect place for a rest day. The following day I awoke and made chocolate chip, strawberry, and banana pancakes as well as heaps of coffee for breakfast. I then went and lied down until about noon when I got the strength to get off the couch and make lunch and eat ice cream. After, I took a nap and then woke up and got my exercise for the day by walking .4 miles (round trip) to the Chinese place in town to pick up my carry out. I then ate some more ice cream and later went to bed. It was the perfect day, although I did wake up sick to my stomach the following day from eating so much ice cream. Some good old fashion bike riding exercise fixed that and I was able to sweat out all the junk I had consumed the previous day. It felt amazing being still for a day and the air conditioning was also glorious.
After our rest day we strolled into Kansas. Kansas holds a unique challenge to cyclists as it is relatively flat, but extremely hot. With little to no shade on the road and far stretches in between towns that may or may not have places to refill your water bottles. It is uniquely beautiful in its own way with miles and miles of just space, making it easy to appreciate the vastness of life itself.
Kansas is also known for its hospitality. Preacher Joe, a preacher in Bendavis, Kansas, a town of less than 100 took us into his home the night before last and fed us dinner, cooked us breakfast, and entertained us for hours with stories from his eventful life. Now this is a man whose mission is not yet done in life, he was in the army and the navy, has had four strokes, twelve heart attacks, been clinically dead twice, and has been through much more that no person should ever have to go through and is still kicking. He was an incredibly kind and insightful soul and I was very grateful for our paths crossing.
I am in Newton, Kansas now whose cycling shop and hostel I have heard about for many states now. Unfortunately, I was not allowed in because the first place racer in the Trans American Race is in there getting his bike worked on. I am not allowed in the hostel either without paying $30, but I was cheerfully informed I could look at pictures online if I wanted to see it. All for the best now though because there is a donut shop across the street where I am enjoying my $1 bag of day old donuts and $1 coffee as I wait for Jenny who had to wait for the post office to open up this morning where we had camped.
Peace and love,
Lynne Wummel
