Cycling Across America #37
Part 37 of the Cycle-Across-America series relayed day by day, exactly ten years after it happened. (Read from the start in Boston)
Ten years ago today I was cycling in Oklahoma, heading north to Kansas - which is not the quickest way to the west coast:
Where’s Slivver? Yes, I woke up to the sounds of people looking for the snake. She doesn’t always stay where she’s put. Found her in the closet in my room eventually.Biscuits and Gravy. And loads of eggs. And loads of hash browns. And loads of sausages. Bicycing is great for breakfast. And my host, like last night, again made me hot tea - in a quart-sized mug. Two pints of tea in one go. Heaven.
Took Slivver outside and played with her on the grass. Held this eight-foot red tailed boa constrictor around my neck, and she really is big. Cold and alive. A passing truck driver slammed his brakes and roared out, What the heck have ya’ll got there? My hosts asked if he meant me or the snake.
Left close to half-eleven taking the same route as yesterday’s rest day cycling along the shoulder of US 62. It was even hazier than yesterday. Stopped at the same Conoco garage for more of that ice tea. When you go past somewhere three times it becomes almost like a home.
At Tahlequah I turned onto Scenic Highway 10 along the Illinois River. The road was mostly half a mile or a whole mile even from the actual river, which was a pity because the few times when it was right beside it you got to look straight down into the river and that was great. When that happened the rocks were cut into to make room for the road so you had overhanging rocks.
All along the river there were camps, recreational camps with canoes. A lot of the passing traffic had canoes on it. This stretch lasted twenty miles.Today I was hoping to get to Miami with plan B being Grove. When I reached Kansas - the tiny town of Kansas in the state of Oklahoma that is - they call it Little Kansas - I decided to eat. And I sat down and ate a pizza, which is not the usual way to spend time when you’re aiming for a big distance. Luckily somehow I managed to eat fast, and get back on the bike and peddal fast, without getting cramps.
The river scenery was mostly small steep hills on the far side, like a ridge, and the same on the left hand side, the near side, when you weren’t underneath overhanging rocks. Away from the river there was a lot of cattle and also horses.
After Little Kansas the road got a little bit rolly-polly, and I was on a two-lane, no shoulder highway crossing a bridge, a dangerous bridge given how narrow it was, when…bing! I broke another spoke. And it started to rain. The wheel immediately jammed into the stay and I had to walk off the bridge.
Used the spoke key to loosen and tighten various spokes so that the whel could rotate. The broken spoke was in the same place as the previous one i.e. on the back and on the freewheel side, the one place I’m not equipped to replace myself. And again it broke at the nipple and not at the hub, which was odd, as all spokes I’ve broken prior to this trip - about ten - have been down at the hub.
I wrapped the flopping spoke around another one and cycled on. Having to now go slow I scrapped Plans A and B, and now aimed for Jay. This was t the Spavinaw Creek which, like the Grand Lake o’ the Cherokees, runs into the Grand River - one of the three rivers that Fort Gibson was built at. The Fort was built where the Arkansas River, the Grand River, and the Verdigras meet.
Up the hill to Jay and with it being fifteen miles to Grove in the greyness of the rain I asked myself what the rush was and called it quits. This should leave me two relatively easy days to Elsmore in Kansas and then a huge day into Kansas City, places where I have people to stay with.
Although I’ve enabled the wheel to go around it does wobble and you feel it. I can get it fixed in Kansas City but I am concerned - not about the next few days but if spokes are breaking only four or five days after having the last one replaced and the wheel retuned - how will it do when I am out in Utah and Wyoming and nowhere near a bicycle shop?
Decided to finally cycle to a Sonic drive-in that I had passed on my way into Jay, for dinner, but in the dark via the back roads I couldn’t find it so settled for rubbish from a seven-eleven. Breakfast Burrito, Chimichanga, chocolate, and hot Mexican nuts.
A good day for waves today. Got a lot from the river, from people in canoes who would shout up to me and wave. and from cars I finally crossed the gender gap. Women are now waving. Lifting the whole hands up - the men are still doing the slight gesture with the barely lifted finger - and they smile. The women are smiling at me as they wave. Of course I am usually singing when they do this.
Today, with a very late start and a broken spoke, was just a sixty-nine mile trip. I’m nearly ready for Kansas City and a big rest.
Read the Next Entry in my Bicycle Trip Across America
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