Day 51: Larned to Hutchinson, KS (October 19)

Kansas...wide open

Cold start to the day so I retreated until it warmed up a bit…at least to freezing.

Somebody I met at my friend’s place in Colorado told me that anyone biking across the US after me would be stupid because it would be cold. The other day I was thinking about that and broke out laughing. I thought, “It must follow that I am a bit stupid for going so late, but the next guy is even stupider. But what if there is no next guy? That would make me the stupidest.” So I figure I could be the stupidest person cycling across the US this year. (Hoping to hear there are others out there so I don’t hold the title…)

Kansas farm house

Once I got going it was not bad and warmed in the sun. The wind was north northwest so a tiny bit of a tailwind and fortunately not the 20+ mph forecast. It was probably only 12-15 mph. Starting following highway 19 south then east out of Larned the countryside was more wheat farms with gently rolling hills. There were more trees than before. Long wind breaks of trees and more creeks with trees.

Last night I purchased an audio book. It was great for distracting me from looking the bicycle computer to check my distance or speed. I don’t really remember what the guy was saying but it made the time go by faster. When I arrived at the bicycle hostel in Hutchinson, I looked over the last 14 years of the sign in book. Only one person stayed at the hostel after October 19 in the last fourteen years. So pretty much for the last fourteen years I would have been the stupidest person cycling across the US.

I plan on taking a day tomorrow in Hutchinson to visit the Cosmosphere, post office and library. The Cosmosphere has the largest space exhibit in the USA outside of the Smithsonian. I have no more memory cards so I have to transfer the data off them; should be a few hours at the library.

Kansas...a variation on a theme

Start: Larned, KS
End: Hutchinson, KS
Today’s mileage: 74.4 miles
Total miles so far: 1915 miles
Average speed: 12.8 mph
Max speed: 23 mph
Travel time: (10:00 to 16:15) 6.25 hours
Total travel time: 249 hours
Weather: partly cloudy, 35-55 F

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