Wednesday 14th July 2004
Eureka Carriage House Motel to Newton Athletic Park, 74 miles. Although
motels are nice enough places to stay, they have the disadvantage that you
have to leave all that delicious air conditioning when you step out to go
cycling. So we were not very quickly off in the morning. Along a busy-ish
road to start with, then turned off at Rosalia to go along a very quiet
road. At Rosalia I went into a store and discovered a biker's log! There's
a lot of people who care about the bike route, even if they've never been
on a bike, which is very touching. Signed it - and was adopted by the store
dog, who sat by us as we got through our heap of sugary goo (Ice lollies
plus orange juice). The scenery is not very memorable - flat to undulating
(at its most exciting) and consisting of fence posts, cattle, crops (maize
mostly I think) and telegraph poles. Fence posts are interesting things
when there isn't much else to look at. Apparently there've been bloody feuds
over them around here - when 'the range' was enclosed the farmers enclosed
'their' land and tempers heated up. Fence posts can be stone, metal or wood
- the earliest ones, apparently, are stone. Barbed wire seems to be an essential
commodity too! On the road we met three very strong looking cyclists (heading
East, opposite way to us) who were cycling for charity - swapped recommendations
for places to stay and eat. See their Web
Site. They'd been cycling with two other lads, but had been sprinting
a bit too fast for the other two. We saw the other two cyclists later on,
carrying one bike trailer between them, alternating who was pulling it each
day. A bag of finest white bread was perched on top of a heap of possessions.
A recipe for a row, I'd say, pulling the trailer each alternate day. I'd
get it whenever the day was hilly, if it was me and Guy...!
Eventually got to Newton, Kansas, and had a swim! For once, we'd arrived
before pool closing time. It was lane swimming apparently, though I didn't
see anyone in the pool doing that, it was full of ladies dancing to music
- water-robics. The battle against obesity no doubt. We met a cycling
enthusiast who told us of how she was part of the bike across Kansas week
- lovely to see such enthusiasm for the bike. Apparently they always include
a 100 mile day ("knock in a century") - but they aren't carrying panniers.
Finally went to Mokas cafe, on Main Street in Newton, which is a lovely
haven of very nice coffee, and similar, cheap eats (including some vegetarian
food - a rarity in these parts), and some free (if you're drinking) internet
access. Finally camped in the City Park - and tried a couple of imported
wheat beers from a local liquor store. Beautiful after Coors Light!
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