Steve's TransAm Adventure

52.4 miles, 2451 ft ascent, max grade 15%, riding time 4:27, elevation 5332 ft. Today we had breakfast at the hotel and then deviated from the TransAm route so that we could ride on a bike path along the Arkansas river for 9 miles. Hardscaping and falls along path The landscape changed dramatically as we rode though the river valley and up onto the high plains.  Rock buttes lined the sides of the river valley. View from down in Arkansas river valley It was nice riding without cars or traffic.   After climbing up to above the reservoir we re-joined Rt 96 and headed west toward the Rockies. View from above reservoir We reached the top of a hill and got our first view of the Rockies.  Today I rose above an elevation of 5280 ft, so I was a mile high.  My maximum elevation for the day was 6115 ft. We had to ride across the high plains before reaching the foothills.  As we were riding, a thunderstorm was developing south of us and heading right for us.  Thunderst...

50.0 miles, 883 ft ascent, max grade 4.7%, 3:34 riding time, elevation 4311 ft. Today we departed from the Hotel Ordway at about 0715 and went to a truck stop for breakfast.  Fresh cooked eggs, hash browns and toast.  It was surprisingly good.  We then continued our journey west with overcast skies, temps in the low to mid 60’s and a tailwind :). We have been REALLY lucky to have tailwinds as much as we have.  Our average speed has been significantly higher the last couple days.  The landscape changed dramatically as we headed west.  Farm fields as far as the eye could see gave way to prairie and rolling low hills.  Trees once again formed ribbons along creeks, roads and around pastures.  The road curves more, so we can no longer see where the next town is at over 11 miles away!   We stopped in the Boone town park for lunch. We reached Pueblo in the early afternoon.  What a dramatic change going from Ordway, which was a depressed and pre...

61.6 miles, 989 ft ascent, max grade ~4%, 4:43 riding time, elevation 4311 ft. Today we ate breakfast at the Cobblestone Inn and hit the road at 0800.  The skies were overcast with temps in the 60’s and a tailwind of about 10 mph! :)  We made great time until about 1100, at which point it started to rain and the wind shifted to the NW, so our tailwind turned into a headwind :(. I was slow to put on my rain gear in the hopes it was just a sprinkle…well it wasn’t!  Lesson learned - put on rain gear before you are all wet.  I don’t have many photos today because the motivation to stop and take photos in the rain was low.  I focused on a spot about 20 ft down the road and just pedaled for the next 15 miles until we came to Sugar City CO.  There was only one place in town to eat, and the curb appeal wasn’t great.   We almost passed it by, but a man we stopped said it was good, so we went in.  It was charming inside and the people were very friendly. ...

57.6 miles, 1181 ft ascent, max grade 4%, 4:48 riding time, elevation 4219 ft.   Today I had a convenience store breakfast because there was no restaurant open.  I am surprised that many of these towns have very little to offer.  We have ridden by many businesses that have closed.  The years since COVID have been hard on this part of the country.  However, yesterday I forgot to tell the story of Tonya’s Toffee.  I was riding into Leoti KS when I saw  sign advertising toffee/coffee/treats.  The building was new and very nice looking, so I went to check it out.  There were cars, but the door was locked.  I cupped my hands to see through the glass and someone came to open the door and let us in.  The business wasn’t scheduled to open for a week and they were training new staff.  They offered to let us sample their coffee and toffee.  Once inside I felt like I had been transported to a coffee shop back home.  It was nicel...

49.5 miles, 1,294 ft ascent, max grade about 2 %, elevation 3,616 ft, 4:46 riding time.  We started out day with breakfast a the Best Western, which was pretty good for a hotel. We continued riding West on the same Rt 96 we picked up back in Great Bend (which was 166 miles ago). Today the wind was out of the South and SouthWest, but the gusts were not as strong as yesterday, so it was not as difficult a day.  I have noticed there are big grain silos spaced at about every 10 miles, and there is often a town at each silo.  However, many of them are small and there are no services.  Bill described the silos as sitting on small islands of trees in a vast sea of wheat.  On a clear day like today you can see the silos from about 11 miles away.  If you see a water tower near the silo, then it is a bigger town with services.  The distances are very misleading because the silos are so large.  You think you are getting close, and it is still miles away. I w...

55.8 miles, 1,214 feet ascent, Max grade about 3%, 5:37 riding time, elevation 2990 ft. Today Johannes, Bill and I got up, ate breakfast at the campsite, and set off for Scott City at about 0815.  Our luck finally ran out and the prevailing SW wind returned.  We were heading directly West, so we had a headwind of about 10 mph with gusts of 15 mph which increased to 15 mph with gusts over 20 mph as the day went on.  The skies were clear and the temperature gradually rose from about 60 to 96 F.   The headwind along with the heat made for a tough day.  Riding into an unrelenting  headwind with gusts is DIFFICULT.  Not only is it exhausting but each time a gust came along , the drag caused by the front panniers would create a twisting moment about the steering tube.  It made it very difficult to ride in a straight line.  In addition to that, Johannes pointed out that my rear rack is not rigid enough and the load on the back is wagging back and fo...