491 miles / 1771 miles ( 2835 km) total 

We have traveled the green, and have the red to go

 

After the rest day in Booneville on Monday we started the next day out with gray skies. We were back to regular roads, no longer the bike-only Katy Trail. The wind from the Northwest was still a concern for us. The hills were barely rideable. Our problem on the road was: when you exercise on the bike you sweat and - Gore-Tex or not - your clothing gets wet. Once you stop you immediately start freezing. That day we made it only to Marshall via Arrow Rock.

The Wednesday was much the same. We only made it 33 miles straight against the wind (but with sunshine) to Higginsville. During these days the air conditioning in the motel rooms became very important to warm us up and dry our stuff overnight.

Thursday was even worse. Grey skies, some sprinkles, still windy and cold. We made it only to Lexington where again we had a rest day on Friday to wait out a rain front coming through.

On Saturday our route was only partially against the wind. We had some more pleasant stretches. In the morning with blue skies and sunshine we made it easily over the Missouri bridge to Henrietta (breakfast at the Red Barn), Richmond, Wood Heights, Lawson to Holt (at I-35). Many steep hills but the wind did not wear us out.

On Sunday morning we rode back from the motel to a little gas-station/supermarket/cafe in town. We had a breakfast there and were surrounded by many friendly people who seemed to be very interested about our trip. That caused a delay in our departure. Via Smithville we made it to Platte City. Still strong winds. Many of the previous nights have been unusually cold so we did not camp. But the Weather Channel predicted a general improvement of the temperatures which have been way below the normal for the last 10 days. And they also predicted a shift of the wind to the South after Tuesday. So that was good news for us.

 

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1) Main street, Weston, MO          2) "John Deere" tablecloth, Weston, MO cafe

On Monday we wanted to make it via Weston into Atchison, Kansas. After leaving the Katy Trail it was the first day that we had mostly flat terrain. During a breakfast stop in Weston, MO a young man came into the cafe with the bicycle maps from Adventure Cycling. But his outfit was not for biking. He introduced himself as Jim Baker from Washington State. He had started the Lewis & Clark Trail some 10 days before in Hartford, IL all on his own. The bad and cold weather (he had camped most of the nights) had discouraged him and had forced him to quit the bike trip. The day before he had rented a car at Kansas Airport to drive home. Unfortunately we could not convince him to join us and wait until Wednesday, when the temperatures should warm up and the wind shift. It was very sad for us to say 'Goodbye' to him. We made it over a very narrow and dangerous bridge into Atchison and Kansas. We wanted to wait for the wind to shift, so we had again a rest day on Tuesday.

On Wednesday finally we had a light southerly wind. It was mostly overcast with a few sprinkles but in the afternoon it was fine. In Troy, KS after a lunch break we were surprised by the waitress with some extra cake "to have energy for the hills". This warmed our hearts. We had planned to camp primitive in White Clouds (239 people). But we arrived there so early that we could wait out a thunderstorm and made some more miles into Nebraska and Rulo to Falls City. There we camped in the pretty City Park. In the evening and during the night it was very cold so we had to zip our sleeping bags high up.

 

 

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1) Pavilion by the river, White Cloud, KS

2) Nebraska state line

3) Camping in the city park, Falls City, NE

4) Farmland, rural NE

Thursday morning found us very early on the road. It was sunny but our tent was still wet, and we needed a warm breakfast. The southerly wind was steady and had freshened up considerably and we had it at our back for most of the day. No serious hills challenged us so we could ride mostly in big gears. Lunch break in Nemaha and then to Brownville. That is the starting point for the 'Steamboat Trace', an abandoned railroad trail like the Katy Trail, which goes from Brownville to close to Nebraska City. It was mainly good but did not seem to see many visitors. During our 20 miles on the trail we had to make it over a construction site for a new bridge and over a fallen tree. At the end of the day we were confused by the map and probably rode some extra miles over hilly terrain. But we made it into Nebraska City.

 

Steamboat Trace, NE

 

Morning sun on the Missouri River near Nebraska City, NE

On Friday we crossed the Missouri river again on a broad bridge into Iowa, then onto small country roads paralleling Interstate 29, strong tailwinds with no hills. That made for a good average speed. The last three miles into Council Bluffs were tricky, because the budget motel we had chosen from the coupon books was situated at an intersection of the Interstate. We were proud: We had made the first of our maps of the Lewis & Clark Trail. And so we had a Bud.

Saturday morning with brilliant sunshine (thunderstorms and overcast were predicted) and an even stronger tailwind found us navigating through Council Bluffs. We pushed the bikes for 1 mile through downtown, then it was easy for us to follow the map. After Crescent we had to take shelter for a small storm front passing by and sending us a few sprinkles. We stopped in Missouri Valley for the night. In the meantime the force of the southerly wind had increased. For the last mile to the motel we had to make it against the storm over a little railroad bridge. Although we were pushing our bikes the wind stopped us from walking. Even down the hill we had to push the bikes because we feared the wind would force us to steer into the ditch. Against that storm you cannot ride your loaded bike!

Sunday (Mother's Day) saw us early on the road. It started with overcast (and still stormy winds) but we had mostly tailwinds. No hills except two overpasses of the Interstate. Second breakfast in Mondamin in a little cafe. Everybody was interested, when we showed up. But nobody wanted to ask us where we were heading. Just the moment when we were ready to leave the room one elderly man asked us: 'How many miles you guys ride on a normal day?' After our answer (35 - 55) nearly everybody in the room had questions. So someone had to break the ice. We arrived in Onawa at 12:30. That was too early to stop. And we knew from the TV that a shift of the wind was predicted for tomorrow. So after a short break we climbed on our bikes and made it until into Sloan. The Mother's Day ended with a can of beer each to celebrate our second 100 km.

The wind had shifted to Northwest and the temperatures had dropped considerably when we hit the road on Monday to make our way to Sioux City. Due to the help of our friendly landlady in the Rip van Winkle-Motel in Sloan we were equipped with a good map of the town. We arrived downtown in a good motel by 1 PM. We filled the washer and dryer twice that afternoon. We sent home a German report.

Today I did some maintenance on my bike. It seems that the tube of my rear tire is not good. After that we went into the nearby Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center (The one in Great Falls, MT is better.)

Tomorrow we are heading for Pierre, South Dakota. We are still in good mood.