Photo 1: Elkhart main street just before dawn.
Photo 1: Elkhart main street just before dawn.
Photo 2: SR 27 was closed nine miles further.
Photo 3: Sunrise over a cornfield near Elkhart.
Photo 4: Grain elevator and train in Elkhart.
Photo 5: Leaving Elkhart behind on US 56.
Photo 6: Abandoned grain elevator being used a pigeon roost in Rolla, KS.
Photo 7: Grim, cold, cloudy weather along SR 25 north of Hugoton.
Photo 8: Sign in the Sands Motel in Ulysses, KS.
Last Modified on 9/19/1999 at 21:01:43
Day's Narrative: The weather forecast for today predicted 10-15 mph winds from the Southwest (tailwinds) until about noon, then gusty winds from 20-25 mph from the North (headwinds). Thus it was important to cover as much ground as possible before noon. It was hard for me to judge the time of dawn. We had come almost 400 miles east, making dawn earlier, but the time zone had changed to Central, making dawn later. I guessed it might be about 6:45 am when it would be light enough to ride. The restaurant next to the motel opened at 6:00 and I went there at 6:05. It was dark outside. When I finished eating at 6:30, it was still dark. It was barely light enough to ride about 7:15 when I went through town on SR 27 (Photo 1). Two miles outside of town there was a sign saying that SR 27 was closed nine miles down the road (Photo 2). I stopped and looked at the map. There was an alternate route using the more heavily traveled US 56 to Hugoton, then North on SR 25 to Ulysses. So I pedaled back through town to the motel, woke Connie up, and showed her the new route. It's always dangerous to wake someone from a deep sleep and discuss route changes, so I worried about her finding me if the weather turned bad. I finally got off again at 7:40, having lost precious time. It was cool, beautiful weather riding 40 miles to Hugoton, and I had a tailwind as predicted. There was very little traffic on this Sunday morning. A couple of miles outside of Hugoton, about 10:00 am, I could see a band of clouds on the horizon to the north. It looked like a dust storm approaching. This must be the cold front, I thought -- and two hours before I expected it. In less than 15 minutes the clouds were upon me and the temperature started dropping as the clouds covered the sun. By the time I got to Hugoton the wind had moved around to the North and had become a lot stronger. The temperature had dropped from 58F (14C) to 55F (13C). I stopped for a cup of coffee at a convenience store in Hugoton and thought about the weather changing so soon. This meant a long, slow ride into Ulysses (30 miles -- 48 km) with the distinct possibility of getting wet. A long ride is not so bad, but if I got wet at these temperatures, and with this wind -- even with the waterproof jacket I had --I would be seriously cold. Still, Connie should be only an hour behind me at most, so I decided to push on. I resolved that if a drop of rain hit me I would turn around and head back instantly, and look for cover. As you can see from Photo 7, there's not much cover out on the Plains. Going back was the only choice as I rode North on SR 25, since I could only pedal at a speed of 8 mph (13 km/hr) with the stiff headwind. The sky got darker and darker as the clouds became thicker. What few cars there were on SR 25, were mostly driving with their lights on. It really looked like it would begin to rain any moment. Connie caught up with me about 6 miles outside of Hugoton. I hugged her. We discussed the rain problem. I agreed to ride on some more, as long as it wasn't raining, and she agreed to turn around instantly and come and get me if even one drop of rain hit the windshield. As Connie drove off, I felt the wind and the cold again, and decided this was really insane. The weather would only get worse. This was supposed to be a fun ride. I waved to Connie and she stopped. As I got on the bike to ride to the van, she thought I had been waving goodbye and drove off down the highway. What could I do? I rode on. A few minutes later I realized I had a cell phone, stopped and called her cell phone. When she answered I told her I was giving up today and for her to come and get me. I rode in the van for the remaining 25 miles to Ulysses. Connie and I now have an agreement that I will never wave goodbye. If I wave it will mean she should stop. Strange, with all the trips we have been on, we have never had a problem with this before. Tomorrow's weather forecast is for a cloudy day with a temperature of 55F (13C) all day and 60% chance of rain. I suspect we will layover in Ulysses. © Ray & Connie Poore, 1998
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