After the climbs in the Rockies, the flats of Kansas, now I am getting used to the 'undulating' Missouri hills. Actually steep up and steep down. So far, I was only twice running out of gears when the gradient became too much and I had to get off the bike and push. However, already after the second day of this, I think, I am getting it. It's becoming normal rather than annoying.
On Tuesday, along the road I came across a disused forest fire observation tower and couldn't resist climbing it. I was thinking of the 2022 film Fall, but it looked in OK shap and nowhere near 2,000 ft high. I suppose the weather is a bit kinder to structures here than in Scotland. The wooden steps, although well weathered showed no rot. I had a picnic at the top and the view was amazing.
After three weeks, finally some East to West TA cyclists, Mat and Mark. It had taken them 24 days to get here from Yorktown, and they weren't doing particularly long days. So Hilary, I think I should be OK with the 21 October. Being rather late in the year, they were off to buy some warm clothing before hitting the Rockies, as they definitely will get sub-zero temperatures up there. I, on the other hand, brought a lot of warm stuff and never needed it.
They also told me that Adam, who I first met on Day 35 in Eads, KS, and then in Hudchinson, was just a few miles ahead of me. But, with the rest day coming up, he will pull away, but I might catch up later. We will probably shadow each other for the rest of the trip.
It was an 80 mile section today, with a lot of short, but steep climbs. It was a bit of a push, and going on from here, I will keep my days down to an average of 60 miles. Anyway, it's a motel in Eminence, MO, rather than City Parks for the next two days.
Looking ahead, I think I will cross the Mississippi on Saturday! It feels a bit like getting to the top of the Hoosier Pass, a major milestone. I am looking forward seeing it.
On Monday, I had my first detour due to a closed bridge. I saw the sign but had to check if it was also closed to cyclists. Yes, it was. They were just putting down the rebar, so no dragging my bike over that. A detour in a car is not a big issue, but on a bike it's another matter. It add almost 10 miles and a lot of climbs to the day, but I got it done. In addition, I made my first, and hopefully, only navigation error which added another couple of miles to my day.
On Sunday, it was goodbye Kansas and hello Missouri. After that it will just be Illinois, Kentucky and finally Virginia to cross. With only three states to go after Missouri, it does feel as if I can start thinking about the finishing line.
The landscape is much hillier now, with some rather steep, but thankfully short climbs. Whilst I got used to the flat roads in Kansas, I think this now is more my scene.
Currently I am about a day ahead of schedule, so should make it to Yorktown, VA by 13th October. However, speaking to Arlene and Kris, her gears got mangled just before the end in Oregon and they lost 4 days getting them repaired. So, let's just wait and see. One day, one climb, one mile, one turn of the wheel at the time.
The camping arrangements today have probably been the most confoluted to arrange to date. After a 70 mile cycle from Pittsburgh, KS to Ash Grove, MO, I planned to check in with the police and camp in the city park. However, when I spoke to Mike, the policeman, apparently just the week before the city council had passed a resolution about camping. After a number of phone calls, he confirmed that there was no more camping in the park but there was now a building I could use. Next, hunting for the key. Again, after a numerous texts and calls, nobody knew where it was. Finally we checked the city hall. No luck. Then he called the police department in the neighbouring city, because he had heard that they were setting up a hostel. It wasn't ready yet. It seemed no accommodation for the next 40 miles. Well, if all else fails, he could have put me up in a cell in the police station.
Luckily, he remembered that the 7C's Winery had offered cyclists accommodation in the past, so he called them, and yes, they still did. What a relief, I preferred that to a police cell. I, of course thank him for all the time he spent on that. It turned out he probably had been rather happy to help me out for an hour or so, as his plans for the afternoon had been to write reports and review training manuals. I could empathise with that.
The people at the Winery were very welcoming and accommodating (don't worry, I didn't fall off the wagon). They even had an open air shower, but since it was way out in the country, there was no problem with modesty. They also let me camp on the porch, which means no outer tent needed, therefore no condensation on the inside of the tent in the morning.
On Saturday I stayed in Pittsburgh, KS and called into the local bike shop the get a replacement chain. After 2,600 miles, the old one had stretched to 0.75 and I thought I would replace it and it should last me for the next 1,700 miles.
The guy in the shop mentioned that I was the first cyclists that had dropped in in 3 weeks. This confirm what I had also noticed. Most TA cyclists seem to have started in late May or early June and would have finished by the middle of August. So, I expect the trip to be pretty quiet from now on. I am probably at the fag-end of the TA season.
On Friday morning early I made my way around the Road Closed sign and dragged my bike across 3 track. Of course first checking if any trains were coming. There were men working, but they just nodded and went on with what they were doing. Again, I can't imagine this happening in Britain. Health and safety is viewed very differently here. Thank goodness, because it did save me 5 miles of cycling on loose gravel.
A petrol stations and outside supermarkets people can't miss seeing the bike and it is a real conversation starter. Just about every time I stop, somebody comes up, asking about it. On Friday I talked to David aged 40, in supermarket. I told him about my trip and he mentioned he was a BMX rider. I looked a bit surprised, thinking that this was just for teenagers, but no, even 40 olds do it and he had the tattoos, and a collection of BMX bikes to prove it.
On the whole, it was a pleasant ride of almost 100 miles to Chanute, KS following the C76 mostly along small country roads with very little traffic.
On Thursday I stayed a very small town with a population of 113. I was cycling about looking for water and somewhere to camp. For once the TA maps weren't very helpful and Google Maps was useless. Anyway, a guy saw me wandering around aimlessly and called me from his garden. Luckily, being local, he gave me all the information I needed.
Later he came round to where I was camping and gave me some more vital information. Like, don't follow the detour around the work they were doing on the railway line. It would mean 5 miles of cycling on gravel (a real killer with a fully loaded bike), just drag the bike across the tracks.
He also spoke rather openly about his poor upbringing, too poor to go to things like the Kansas State Fair. About his baby granddaughter, whom he and his wife were looking after because his daughter did not accept her (postpartum depression?), and many more personal issues. It seems that talking to people like me, just passing through, feels safe, as I won't judge, nor go and spill the beans to neighbours or others.
There seem to be lots of wired and wonderful churches, most of them I have never heard of (Cowboy Church, anyone?). However, in the part of Kansas, Mennonite churches seem to be the more common than any other denomination.
The first order of business on Wednesday was the Kansas State Fair. It had the usual amusement arcades which would come to life later in the day. However, what was really impressive was the agricultural side.
There were cows, sheep and lamas. Halls full of very noisy pollutery, rabbits, grain, hay, etc. In fact anything that grows on the farm or garden and in each category there was a winner, marked with a blue tab. Of course, a 1,233 lbs pumpkin is easy to judge, even I could do that, but how about hay, grain, butter, oranges or geese? There must have been hundreds of categories, and each must have been judged by experts in this field. That probably more than anything else impressed me. Maybe I shouldn't have been surprised, since 80% of Kansas is used for agriculture.
Then there were the usual monster tractors, combine harvesters and other farm machinery, halls full of stands for political parties, members of Congress, beds, cooking equipment, Pro Life, facelifts, guttering and many more. Even Kris' firm had a stand there.
Then all morning, all week there were the marching bands from all over the state and by the looks of it, each school seemed to have a band. Difficult to imagine something like that in Britain. Some were OK, others really good.
You can imagine it was a fascinating morning, although I decided not to buy any food at the fair, instead talking my own with me. The reason was that Adam, another TA cyclist, had been at fair the day before and pick up food poisoning.
Prior to my meeting with Paul, I did a quick read up about the Amish faith. The name comes from Jakob Ammann, a Swiss Anabaptist preacher in the 17th century, whose followers became known as the Amish. In the early 18th century may immigrated to the US and particularly Pennsylvania, attracted by cheap land and religious freedom. Up to the second half of the 19th century, although the Amish keep to themselves, they used the same technology as the outsiders. However, with the advance of the motor car and other inventions, there was a split with some, the Old Order Amish, decided to reject them. Others, the Amish Mennonites, felt that they should go with the times.
So the Mennonites, the church Kris and Arlene belong to, use modern technology, but still have very traditional values. More of that later.
Paul picked me up at 2 and we drove out into the country and he showed me around a string of Mennonite owed enterprises. Wherever we went, we met children, grandchildren and nephews of his. It was obviously a very close setup. In some of places there were three generations of a family working there. It all gave family based, yet very industrial and enterprising impression.
He also took me to the local Amish Mennonite cemetery, where he spoke about the personal history of many of the people buried there, including his own family. I was impressed by his memory. Along the way we had interesting discussions about a range of issues, like rules, sex before marriage and many others. On some, with my Camphill background, we would agree. On others, not, but that was fine with him and me.
We then went to his home for dinner, cooked by his wife, Martha. What was fascinating was that she spoke fluent Swiss German, although she had never lived there. The Amish community she grew up in had maintained the language of their founders. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. As you know from your language studies, Hilary, that's only possible in a close knit, shutoff community.
After that, it was off to the evening service. Prior to going to the church, I checked with Paul and Martha if it was OK for me to come in my tracksuit bottoms and cycling top (I had nothing else). They assured me it would be ok. Now picture this: I walk into the church, with about 80 people there. All men wear beards without a mustache and are smartly dressed. The women and girls in long floaty dresses and bonnets, and then me.
I must have stuck out like a sore thumb and got a few puzzled looks. However, the fact that I was with Paul and Martha, with their obvious standing in the church, made it feel ok.
Although there was the normal order of service with singing (no instruments, multi voice harmonies, beautiful), instead of a sermon we heard the life story of one of their members in his late 70’s. He grew up on a farm and from a young age, having to cope with a lot of hardship, loosing his mother at a young age, drought, accidents. It provided a personal insight into some of the challenges faced by members of the church.
At the end I asked Martha and Paul if women ever share their biography from the pulpit. No, never. They probably couldn't imagine something like that.
It was clear that the Mennonites are a patriarchal society, with women expected to stay at home, look after the children and to obey and follow their husbands.
Meeting and talking to the men felt normal, and many of them, including Paul, looked very youthful, a bit like my dad. This life seems to suit them. Talking to the women however, and I only met a few of them, felt as if they were wearing a metaphorical veil. More than any thing else, this was probably the most disconcerting issue of the guided tour. Anyway, very interesting, informative and a lot to think about.
That evening I slept in the hall of the Zion Lutheran Church, who open their doors to all cyclists. I just picked up the keys from the local bike shop.
On Tuesday I took Arlene and Kris up on their offer they made on Day 4, 7 August, when I met them in Oregon. I was then at the start of my trip, just a babe in arms, and they were seasoned travelers, having almost finished. Although by now I feel like an old hand at it as well. It was a bit of a detour to Hudchinson, KS but it turned out very much worth it.
Arlene and Kris were both brought up in Amish communities but now belonged to the Mennonite church, the more liberal wing of the Amish faith.
They had a nice little house in the centre of Hudchinson. He worked in a small Mennonite owed factory, making prefabricated buildings and sheds and she worked one day a week in a therapy centre and the rest of the time was at home.
They were both very accommodating, provided dinner and doing my laundry. Kris even arranged with Paul, a member of the church in his 80's, for me to get a guided tour, both physically and spiritually, around the Mennonite Community in Hudchinson.
Hilary, you know I am not a fan of supermarkets. However, if all of them would adopt the practice of putting up an alphabetical directory of goods with aisle numbers, I would get to tolerate them much better.
The supermarket in Great Bend didn't have one and it became a bit of a problem when I was looking for jam. I asked an assistant for jam, and she looked completely puzzled. I explained, something sweet you put on bread. O, she exclaimed, JEM, and so I got it.
The previous night I got a one-person microwave dinner, but was still starving afterwards. So, on the second night I got a family dinner for four, and a large tub of ice-cream. It got polished off in no time but I know, once I am done with cycling, I will get back to normal portions. For now however, I definitely need the calories.
