Jim's Ride Across America: Day 34 Modoc, KS to Eads+, CO

Yorktown, VA to Eads, CO Completed 2,105 miles

Biking Detail Modoc, KS to Eads, CO +10 mi

Day 34 Sunday, June 14

Left motel at 6:15 to head to Modoc where my ride will start. Nice to have ten miles already under my belt. Off on my bike at Modoc at 6:40. Conditions good...cool, low clouds, no traffic and nice shoulder. By 7:30 had reached the HALF WAY point in our cross-country journey!!! Stopped to capture the moment on camera. Also got a shot with a hay bail as will probably start seeing less of them as we hit Colorado. Such a familiar scene for most of Kansas.

Got to Leoti and Route 96 road conditions turned not so great. Shoulder overgrown and unusable and road bumpy...must have crossed a county line there!

Just before Tribune met Bob, school teacher from CO, heading East then South along Mississippi to New Orleans. Got to Tribune at 9:50....last stop before CO! Took a quick break at the local gas station/mini mart. Have to love the locals. Pretty consistently they like to tell you about the bikers that got knocked off the road by trucks/cars passing too close. Bikers ended up in the ditch then off to the hospital. Heard the same stories a few times now....stories that go back year or two! Not the kind of table talk you want as you get ready to go back out!! They mean well though and wish you a SAFE trip as you leave!!

The road condition improves once you leave Tribune. Shoulder useable and pavement better. Just as we got to the Colorado border met Kota from Japan going W to E. Took his picture near the Kansas sign and he took ours under the Colorado sign. Perfect timing. Can't do selfies and get us and sign in! Kota is going from San Francisco to NY. On day 31.

Was looking forward to a lunch break in Sheridan Lake at the convenience store as indicated on the map. No go...closed. Not sure if just on Sunday or permanently??? Nothing posted other than closed. Stopped in Brandon, population 21, and had picnic lunch in the car. Too many biting flies to eat outside. They have been a real nuisance last several days. Small flies but mighty bites!

Was nice to get to CO but their road maintenance on Rte 96 is awful. Worst roads of the trip. Aside from overgrown non-useable shoulders the road has frost heaves some repaired with tar others not making it extremely rough riding. Constant bumping. The trade off...no traffic! Few spots find newly paved road and shoulder but only lasts couple hundred feet.

Caught a tail wind last 10 miles entering Eads (one of few on trip). Got to Eads about 2:00 and decided to push on an extra ten miles even though we will be staying in Eads. Will have another jump on day tomorrow. Gives me a chance to enjoy a short ride back in the car with my favorite SAG lady, my wife of course. Margie was renamed Super Awesome Gal (revised version of Support And Gear) by Laverne whom we met back in Kansas by the Cowboys! Laverne and Leon provide the support for Dorothy and Barb, going W to E.

On the extra 10 miles met three additional W to E riders! Paul, riding solo, from Fulton, CA going to New England; and Bob and Len, two seniors riding from San Francisco to Savannah, GA raising money for Habitat for Humanity...Cycle of Hope III. They too have a support vehicle.