Another pistachio day (Scott City, KS)

The weather was supposed to be better today, but it turned our to be worse. Colder and higher wind gusts mainly out of the east, the direction we've been trying to go. We actually got the bike loaded and ready this morning, but then a couple of blasts from the wind wiped away our verve. So it was back into the B&B for another day of reading and eating pistachio nuts (I am an addict).

Some of you may wonder why we are reluctant to ride into strong head winds. The answer is that it's because it is about as much fun as getting gum stuck in your hair. Most cyclists would rather ride uphill and/or in the rain anytime rather than ride into a significant wind. There are the physical aspects, of course - having to pedal harder and longer (including downhill often), wind burned skin, having to shout to communicate, etc.* More significant is the toll a strong head wind. It just wears your spirits down like a constant string of bad news delivered by someone you didn't like to begin with. Before long you start thinking about "Plan B", which may include trying to find a dumpster to heave the bike into. So that's why we are still stuck at mile #289. (As the character played by Jeff Goldblum in The Big Chill said: "nothing beats a juicy rationalization").

*I read somewhere that 60% of the work riding a bicycle is cutting through the wind. That figure actually seems low to me.

Pic of the day

The food's not bad, but why do they have to smother everything with brown gravy?
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

No ride today (Scott City, KS)

The weather this morning was misty with wind gusts up to 35 mph, so we bagged it. By early afternoon it had improved, but by that time it was too late to start the 55 mile trek to Ness City, our next stop.
So we walked around town some more and toured the local history museum (El Quartelejo). It was great. The museum is located in a new building and covers everything from fossils of the animals that inhabited the inland sea that once covered this area to the history of local indian tribes, the lives of the pioneers, farm equipment, barb wire types,* etc. They are adding a new wing to showcase the paintings (wildlife and western art) of a local artist who apparently has done very well. And best of all for you cheap skates like me - it is free.

*For reasons I do not understand, barb wire is a big deal in the west. There are hundreds, maybe thousands, of different varieties. In LaCrosse, which we plan to pass through two days from now, there is an entire museum devoted to barb wire. As hard as it must be to make a living ranching/raising livestock, you would think those guys would have better things to do with their time than fiddle around trying to create a better mouse trap?

Tribune to Scott City, KS

49 miles. Our shortest ride thus far proved to be one of the best. The weather warmed up to nearly 80 degrees, and while we had a brisk cross wind the entire day it was more of a nuisance than a real problem. The ride itself was pretty uneventful. There was a lot more traffic, particularly BFTs (Big Friggin' Trucks), than in any of the past several days. But the truckers and other drivers have been great about going out of their way to give us plenty of room when passing.

As usual, we stopped along the route several times to take breaks and enjoy the scenery (yes, as you can hopefully see from the pictures, there actually are some things worth looking at out here other than the horizon.) We saw several dead pheasants in the road, evidence that the grasses in this area provide enough cover to support the birds. Speaking of birds, despite the wind we again heard what sounds like millions of them. But Penny observed that they generally stop singing the minute the sun goes behind a cloud, then rev up again once the sun comes back out. Does anyone have any idea why that is so? Perhaps we should contact Doctor Science to ask him.