RecumBum

Friday, June 13, 2008 – 51.30 miles, 03:56:13, 13.03 MPH average

There was a bit of rain again just before morning, and tents were packed up wet. Anticipating a short day, we were nearly the last riders to leave camp, rolling out around 8:00am and taking breakfast in the cafe downtown, where I encountered my bike’s twin parked outside.

Twin Djangos

Outside of a few details such as tires, rack, and bags, the two bikes were nearly identical — same year, same color, same seat, same partially-scratched-off decals. I didn’t run into the owner at the cafe, but talked to her later on the road. It’s amazing we didn’t find each other until the next-to-last day of the trip!

Once on the road, about 9:00am or so, we took it easy, just enjoying the sunshine, light breeze, light traffic, and beautiful countryside. There were plenty of hills, which continued throughout the day, but they were all manageable without resorting to the small chainring. For awhile, it seemed we were the only ones on the road, as there were no cyclists visible in front or behind, but eventually we started to reel in some of the ones ahead of us, even though were were cruising at low speed.

Rolling Countryside of Northeast Kansas

There were a couple SAGs between Sabetha and Hiawatha, then the best SAG of the day just as we entered the town. It was a fun stop, with the SAG hands sporting patriotic hats, and the American flag flapping in the breeze.

Hiawatha SAG Stop

After tooling around Hiawatha for a bit, and visiting the Davis Memorial. we were off again, heading east for awhile, then south, with a nice long downhill as we passed under US-36 and on into the town of Robinson, home of the Sprint de Robinson race that takes place each August.

Taking a Break in Robinson

The final few miles were on US-73, going west (the wrong way!) into Horton. Things in Horton were a bit confusing, with the school and campgrounds separated by a considerable distance. We stopped in the school (parking near the “No Bicycles” sign – ha!) to sort things out, then found our gear, showered, and settled in.

Parking Beneath the ‘No Bicycles’ Sign

Local vendors were selling food, and I snarfed down a bowl of Minestrone soup, and a huge piece of chocolate pie. We then adjourned to the local pub for the last night of our Beer Across Kansas tour. I had one beer and a slice of Gooseberry pie before slipping away after a few hours. Reed, meanwhile, closed down the joint, reporting the next day that he stayed till about 1:00am. Crazy!