Trans-Am Five - 5.5 - Langley to LaCrosse, Kansas: Warmshowers Got Nothin' On These Guys
5.5 - Monday July 12, 2021, 81 miles - Total so far: 319 miles
"When I hit those white lines, I'm gonna be gone like a Greyhound down the road." -- Kansas, "Down the Road"
Monday, Monday... Even if you like your job and what you do for a living, it's always good to be anticipating pedaling down the road on a Monday morning rather than anticipating going to work! Kanapolis State Park was a good stop for us. Clean, quiet, good showers, and a nice campsite. We packed up, made and ate breakfast, then headed out. This would be the longest mileage day yet. It was going to be sunny and warm, so an early start was essential. We were riding by 0730 hours.
K-4 continued, much as it had done since we got on it yesterday morning. There was not much traffic to speak of, perhaps a few more trucks than on Sunday, but really quite calm. A few miles to the West, the road had been resurfaced. The asphalt was quite black and very smooth. It was good we were riding this section before the sun strengthened.
A bit further down and closer to Bushton, flagmen had traffic stopped because one lane was torn up and being resurfaced. They let us ride along with the line of cars being let through. Motorists were largely understanding and there were no negative events. There was some dust from the old road surface being ground up and a strong oily smell from the new asphalt being rolled. Everyone made it through and moved on toward Bushton.
Bushton was a little larger than some of the other grain elevator towns we had passed. It seemed to have some sort of processing plant and more activity. But there were no services out on K-4 associated with the town. These little grain elevator towns are located a mile or two to the North or South of the state highway and usually on dirt roads. Because they didn't have anything obvious, in the way of services, it wasn't worth the time and effort to go looking. This is in contrast to 43 years ago when I rode this same route. Back then you could count on all of these places having had at least a soda vending machine. I drank countless RC Colas. Some had a cafe or a store where a hot, hungry, and thirsty cyclist could replenish losses on the day. An added benefit were the friendly people who either worked there or were patronizing the places. I had many a good conversation that usually led to learning a little about life in the area. Today, much of that seems to be missing. Most of these little towns seem like ghost towns. Automation has eliminated a lot of jobs. Since nobody is around, a soda machine is not necessary. Perhaps some services are there but the gamble of riding a several mile round trip on a dirt road on the off chance there would be a cold drink waiting didn't seem to be worth the time and effort.
We were making good time this morning, covring the 40 miles to Claflin by around 10:00 AM. This community has a very distinctive grain elevator that sits right on K-4 and seems to tower over the town. It also has some businesses and a nice supermarket. We took a break and did a little shopping before moving on.
With another roughly 40 miles to go and the heat rising, there was no time to be wasting, so we left town and continued Westward. Needless to say, there is a lot of agricultural land out there stretching as far as the eye can see. An anomoly is a wetlands in a valley called Cheyenne Bottoms Wildlife Area. There is an informational kiosk and observation area on the East side of K-4. Quoting from various informational sources, "Cheyenne Bottoms is the largest marsh in the interior of the United States. It is situated in a natural geologic depression about 60 square miles in size."
Pretty amazing stuff because it has a lot of water where the surrounding area is relatively dry in comparison (my comment).
"Because approximately 45% of American Shorebirds stop here in the Spring, it is considered to be one of the most important migration points in the Western Hemisphere."
Pretty cool that this is here. This would be an interesting place to stop in the Spring when the birds are taking a break. Besides birds, the area supports many other wildlife. I was happy to be able to see this place, even if only from a distance.
Speaking about the increasing dryness of the area, Kansas was a lot greener this year than it usually is at this time. The state got a lot of rain in the Spring and some occasional precipitation was still falling during this part of the Summer (as evidenced by the heavy rain we tried to sleep through in Admire on this past Friday night). So, we and the local residents were catching a break of sorts. Water was more abundant than usual and day time temperatures were lower than they might have been at this time of year. We were counting our blessings and enjoying the greenery.
By the time I reached Hoisington, we riders were spread out pretty far apart and I was alone. Another grocery store popped up right along K-4, so I stopped briefly to get some cold liquid and take a break. The name Hoisington was in my memory from the 1978 trip but my memory was faulty and was not jogged by anything I saw today. My impressions after passing through again were of a clean and neat town with friendly residents and ample services. Make this one of your stops, if you're biking through.
Further West, the countryside really started opening up and K-4 became a long ribbon of blacktop winding through without much of anything to distract a person. If you're driving, get some coffee in Hoisington first. For the cyclist, this is what you dream about sometimes... a long open road, little traffic, maybe a few rolling hills, no headwind, and expansive vistas to the horizon. I settled into a nice pace, enjoying the sights and sounds.
K-4 continued to an outpost called Otis, Kansas. It was there that a jumbled 43-year old memory got straightened out. In my mind, I seemed to remember that Hoisington was the place where we had come to a rise in the road and a weigh station or checkpoint for trucks. Back then, a few trucks were stopped there while others were continuing on, belching black diesel smoke from their hot motors on what was a very hot day. However, when I got to Hoisington on this day, I didn't see anything resembling the trucking area. So, I initially surmised it was either not as I remembered or perhaps completely different due to new construction that may have occurred since that time.
When I arrived in Otis, the area I remembered came into view (see photo above). It is a little different now, perhaps a refueling area with very little traffic but nonetheless, this was it. There was a convenience store on the opposite side of the street that may have been a little restaurant back in 1978. I didn't stop to find out. I was satisfied to see that this place was still here and I that had straightened out a fuzzy old memory.
Bison is the next small town to be encountered on K-4. Students from Otis and Bison go to the same school, which is located on the outskirts of Otis. Back in 1978, I sat in a small restaurant and read the Otis-Bison High School Yearbook. Must've made an impression on me because the memory stuck with me all of these years.
K-4 meandered on, much as it had been doing since I left Hoisington. Long vistas, endless fenced-off fields, and cattle dotted the landscape. The sun was warm but I was really enjoying this ride. The goal now was to get to LaCrosse, our destination for the day. Barring anything unusual, it was going to happen, hot drinking water in my bottles and all.
Our route for the day had two choices, stay on K-4 or turn off onto a gravel county road. Feeling adventurous, I took Rush County Route 270. The gravel roads in this county were of different and much finer consistency. It had the potential to be a little dusty if a motor vehicle came by. Fortunately, I believe only one vehicle passed me from the opposite direction. The driver gave a friendly wave and didn't kick up too much dust.
There were a couple of miles of dirt road to reach town and pavement. It was truly enjoyable and intersting to enter town from other than the main route. I turned onto County Route 260 (from 270 and also dirt) and was greeted by a cross in the distance. This was LaCrosse, after all. I'm not sure you get that same greeting from K-4.
Once in town, I worked my way over to US-183, a main drag, and to Grass Park where we would be permitted to camp for the evening. After arriving, we got cleaned up and dined at a Mexican Restaurant. Then, we began to settle in for the evening and the story for the day should end here. But later, there was a bit of serendipity... the stuff of which bike tour stories are made.
We were prepared to camp in Grass Park under a large pavilion like the one we "commandeered" in Admire. While talking amongst ourselves, a spry fellow rode up on a bicycle and started chatting with us. His name was Richard, he was from the area, and rather knowledgable about what goes on there. At one point, he mentioned that where we were planning to sleep, some bright lights would be coming on and attracting bugs. We were a little crestfallen to hear this but then he offered us indoor lodging in a house that he and his father owned adjacent to their main residence. I rode the one block over there with him to do some advance scouting. The place was clean and would be perfect for rolling out some sleeping bags. I went back and told the guys, who agreed to accept this offer of local hospitality.
Richard and his father Carl were very good people who couldn't do enough for us. They use this place to store classic cars and also have hosted pheasant hunters there in the Fall for the past 50 years. We enjoyed talking with them, making their acquaintances, and probably got to sleep later than planned. It was worth it. Richard said he and his Dad occasionally extend this courtesy to cyclists passing through. If the offer is made, I recommend accepting it. A bicycle tour isn't complete without meeting some good local folks. I am happy we were able to do so.
https://www.rushcounty.org/barbedwiremuseum/
Comments