Day 40: July 31, Cope, CO to Atwood, KS 102 miles

Colorado turkeys

Friday, 7/31/91
Atwood, KS

Very good day today I set a new personal record: 110 mile. And this was without a tailwind. I left camp at 6:30. I got a flat just before the Kansas line. It was a thorn. I replaced the tube with my thornproof.

Rainstorm near Anton

Entered Kansas and Central Time Zone at 10:20 thus, 11:20. At St. Francis (65 miles) I showered and did laundry for 60¢! The rest area had free showers and the laundromat had old 30¢ machines. Fantastic. Spent 2 1/2 hours there avoiding 95° heat. 45 miles further, I'm camping at Atwood beside a dry lake bottom in unmown grass. They didn't have postcards here. I'm tired but I've been worse.

That night over that dry lake bed (which was plowed and planted), was the first time I ever saw fireflies. I was completely fascinated and intrigued by the little guys.

--> The only trouble was that there were 6,000 other species of bugs about, also, forcing me to eventually try to sleep on top of a picnic table. This put me directly in line with the headlights from cars traveling up Main Street. It was also very humid, so that the sweat on my skin would never dry, causing my sleeping bag to stick to me in a most uncomfortable manner. This might easily have ranked as worse than the night of the sprinklers.

Day 39: July 30 Bennett, CO to Cope, CO 86 miles

Thursday, 7/30/81
Cope Park, Cope, CO

Good Mileage today. A slight tail wind did it, I guess. 45 miles at 10:30 AM, stopped at Last Chance for lunch. Nice couple in park gave me ice. Water was a problem, though. Well water gave diarrhea, but no one would sell bottled. Finally got some at a nice drive-in.

20 miles further, I stopped at 12:30 in Anton to avoid mid-day heat. Ended up sitting out a thunderstorm, too. Caught up on journal and postcards in a cafe. Ride out of Anton was weird. Winds came from all directions. Thunderstorms ahead and behind me, dust storms, too. Stopped in Cope Park for the night at 4:00 PM. 87 Miles! Two guys just left to ride at night and avoid the heat.

My bike in Last Chance, CO

Ubiquitous oil derricks

Day 38: July 29 Denver, CO to Bennett, CO 40 miles

Wednesday, 7/29/81
Bennett Rest Area, I-70, CO

I was going to get up at 4 AM and watch the royal wedding (Prince Charles and Lady Di) but I couldn't drag myself out of bed so I missed it. Got up at 8 and ate breakfast with Kathy's friends. Went to the bike shop twice before I got all the stuff  on the bike. It got so late, I had lunch, then called Kathy and said good-bye, then I left. 2:00 PM.

Rode through Denver from west to east for two hours. Rode frontage roads next to I-70 to Bennett rest area. Camped there. Hardly slept due to freeway and semi noise and off sleeping schedule. Stars and Milky Way were pretty.

Day 37: July 28 Denver CO 0 miles

Tuesday, 7/28/81
Denver, CO

Got my new bike today. The rear wheel was badly out of true and the pedals squeak. Gear cluster is 14 to 30. I haven't figured out the combinations yet. I found a bike path along Cherry Creek and followed it almost all the way home. T-bone steaks, compliments of Kathy's friend, were waiting for dinner at home.

Day 36 July 27, Denver CO 0 miles

Monday, 7/27/81
Denver, CO

My girlfriend called this morning. Couldn't send money by Federal Express, so she sent me $70 by Western Union. I took her $150 check downtown to Kathy so she could cash it. I forgot it, of course, so she just loaned me the money. We went out for a great lunch. Then I went to a bike shop and bought a pump, Y wrench, spoke wrench, water bottle, and chain tool. Then walked one mile and bought a handle-bar pack and a rear rack. Spent $140. Western Union didn't have my money, so I went home with Kathy from work. Her Canadian friends came over and we had a spaghetti feed and listened to Neil Diamond.

Day 35 July 26, Denver CO 0 miles

Sunday, 7/26/81
Denver, CO

No pictures today. Wrote postcards and read and watched tv all day. We had nachos for dinner.

Day 34: July 25 Denver, CO 0 miles

Me with a tree growing from solid rock

Friday, 7/24/81
Kathy's house, Denver CO

I called and located a 28-inch Panasonic bike this morning to replace my stolen one. Kathy and I decided we still had time so we drove to Cripple Creek. Stopped at Garden of the Gods, a collection of upright red sandstone monoliths outside Colorado Springs.

Garden of the Gods

Garden of the Gods



That's me holding up that rock

At Cripple Creek, we descended 4,000 feet into the Mollie Kathleen gold mine. Tunnels, dynamite, tracks, ore cars, and everything. Cripple Creek looked like it should, but all the old buildings were full of gift shops. Had dinner there and talked with a burro. Visited Cave of the Winds on the way home. Very interesting.

My paternal grandfather lived as a boy in Cripple Creek during the boom years, so we had to make a pilgrimage there. He used to tell the story of being high on a step ladder, changing a light bulb, when a confrontation took place below him. As he gazed down, neither man drew his gun till you could cut the tension with a knife. When he couldn't take it anymore, my grandfather said "So shoot him!" or something like that and they did!

Cripple Creek Railroad Station

Kathy & friendly burro

Cripple Creek postcard

Cripple Creek, mine tailings everywhere

Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine