Rusty Crank Coast to Coast Bicycle Tour across the USA on the ACA TransAM Route

TransAm Day #23 June 17, 2018 Golden City, MO - Chanute, KS 92 Miles Ride Time 6:46 Hours Tour Total  Miles 1679 details at: https://cyclemeter.com/4b2d99e24f1383f2/Cycle-20180617-0515-82423 Last night I slept in my hammock slathered in Deet, with no silk bag or insect netting until late in the night, when it got chilly. At 3am we were all rudely awakened by teenagers playing basketball in the adjoining pavilion. Becky was up before any of us, incredibly irritated yet achieving a new personal wake-up time record. Steve and I were on the road shortly after 5am. Becky packed up her things and headed over to Cooky’s, which opened at 6am.  Last night Becky told us about another TransAm cyclist who had been hit by a motorist. Apparently he’s in pretty bad shape with numerous severe fractures. Stories like these cut me to the bone.  There was a colorful sunrise to our backs as we rode towards the Kansas border. Our breakfast stop was a thirty mile ride...

TransAm Day #24 June 18, 2018 Chanute, KS - Cassoday, KS 99 Miles Ride Time 7:38 Hours Tour Total  Miles 1779 details at: https://cyclemeter.com/4b2d99e24f1383f2/Cycle-20180618-0358-52807 I slept like a corpse in a morgue last night at the Knights Inn in Chanute, as Steve likes his hotel rooms below freezing. I had to chip ice off my laundry line this morning.  We had agreed that the only way to deal with this ridiculous Kansas heat and 28 mile an hour winds, was to start our rides at 4am. We got up at 3:30 and I, at least, was on the road on schedule. It was still dark, but I had my front and rear lights blazing. It wasn’t chilly. The temperature was perfect. Up above, the stars were twinkling and I could even see the Milky Way. I was unable to see my maps or anything on my bike, but it’s second nature by now and I could access my water bottles and gear shifters by feel. The route was basically a straight line. I just had to watch for potholes, and the...

TransAm Day #25 June 19, 2018 Cassoday, KS - Nickerson, KS 91 Miles Ride Time 6:55 Hours Tour Total  Miles 1868 details at: https://cyclemeter.com/4b2d99e24f1383f2/Cycle-20180619-0428-64223 I slept in my hammock stretched out in the Cassoday park gazebo last night as freight trains blared through town every twenty minutes. It wasn’t the most restful night’s sleep. I got cold in the middle of the night and had to pull out my sleeping bag. My alarm chimed at 3:30am, but it took me an hour before I was ready to ride. There was an issue in the outhouse trying to squeeze out what felt like a brick.  My map warned me that there were no services for the first forty miles. The ride was a perfectly straight line on a small county road. It was a smart idea to ride this in the early morning, and not under the blazing afternoon sun. The flatness, emptiness, and light spill from far away towns in the distance reminded me of my Sahara desert crossing in 1993. I’ve de...

TransAm Day #26 June 20, 2018 Nickerson, KS - Rush Center, KS 93 Miles Ride Time 8:29 Hours Tour Total  Miles 1961 details at: https://cyclemeter.com/4b2d99e24f1383f2/Cycle-20180620-0414-77004 I slept like a baby last night in my comfy bed under the thatched canopy in the giraffe room at the Hendrick Exotic Animal Farm B&B. The weather forecast called for severe thunderstorms, and it did indeed kaboom and shower during the night. Steve and I were unsure as to how to proceed. The forecast called for continued storms throughout the morning. We both set our alarms for 3:30am. When I awoke, I stuck my head out the door and it seemed do-able. Steve decided to get a few more hours of sleep.  When I left, it was pitch black and drizzling. I was gambling. I prefer rain and darkness to hot sun and wind. The first part of the ride was a fifty-eight mile stretch with no services. If a severe storm came along it could be life threatening. My sense was that it wou...

TransAm Day #27 June 21, 2018 Rush Center, KS - Scott City, KS 89 Miles Ride Time 9:09 Hours Tour Total  Miles 2049 details at: https://cyclemeter.com/4b2d99e24f1383f2/Cycle-20180621-0559-79717 Last night I slept in my hammock suspended underneath the swing set in the tiny park at Rush Center, which boasts the largest St. Patrick’s Day parade. There wasn’t much here, but Steve and I were fortunate to have a restaurant next to where we were camping. I had the fried catfish, and fellow westbound TransAm cyclist Eileen arrived as we were finishing dinner. Steve had met her earlier in the day, and had ordered her a hamburger in case she arrived late. She camped alongside us in the park. It was really windy when I went to bed and I felt as though I should secure my gear and tie everything down. It was chilly and I used my silk liner and sleeping bag. Because there were no bathroom facilities in the park, I neither showered nor washed my clothes. It was the first time ...

TransAm Day #28 June 22, 2018 Scott City, KS - Eads, CO 104 Miles Ride Time 7:13 Hours Tour Total  Miles 2151 details at: https://cyclemeter.com/4b2d99e24f1383f2/Cycle-20180622-0416-92501 I slept reasonably well on the gymnasium floor at the Scott County Fitness Center. I got up at 3:30am, and in the darkness, badly stubbed my right middle toe. It bled, and I was pissed off. I paid $15 to stay at this crappy place, and it was ghetto compared to the athletic centers Steve G and I had visited in Virginia. For example, the light switch for the gym where I was sleeping was located up above the exit sign over top the office door. Only a giraffe like myself could reach it. More to the point the stupid two inch threshold to the gym. WFT? It really hurt and could have jeopardized my trip. I cleaned my wound and smothered it in Bacitraycin. It remains badly bruised, but it didn’t effect my cycling.  All my laundry was dry, as moisture evaporates quickly here. I pa...