Today was a day to make up mileage. Today’s goal was to ride to Timber Creek State Park where there were a series of camping areas. It also meant riding for more than 100 miles again. The route was almost due east and then due south and then due east again. Lots of nice straight lines on the graphic. The route was relatively flat to start and then it dropped in elevation.
On the way I came across two east bounders with tire problems. They blew the inner tube. It was their third flat tire in 3 days they said. That is pure bad luck. They left Astoria, Oregon on May 26th and I had been chasing them for days. I must have passed them at Ness City, KS when the storm hit and they must have passed me when I took a day off in Hutchinson. Not sure if we will see each other again. There were no west bound riders and not sure how many more I will see.
Today was a day with SES winds which were advantageous at times. It was also a day of encountering some very photogenic cows.
Outside of Toronto there is a small gas station with a dive restaurant called the Leaping Lizard. It is a place where many cyclists stop because it is the only place to stop. But after riding 90 miles a BLT certainly sounded good. Once done it was time to complete the day’s trip and pass through Toronto. A very small town. However I did come across a peloton of riders. I don’t think they will make it across the country because they look stuck in place. There equipment was dated and they needed something to get them going again.
South of Toronto is a state park and man made lake which includes 4 campground areas. I wanted to take the one furthest down the road to get me closer to the next day’s destination. The first camping area that I went to was closed. The second was weird. There is was no one there except for converted school bus but no people. Now it is was after 7 pm and I couldn’t go any further. I found a good site and by the time I showered, set up my tent, cooked dinner, cleaned up it was dark, and the mosquitoes were veracious. By 9 pm I was in my tent and it was a cooker. Very hot and humid inside the tent. It was not the best night of sleep..
Today’s stats: total mileage 103.0; average speed 13.6 mph; max speed 26.4 mph; total elevation gain 1631 feet; total elevation descent 2198 feet.