The End of the Ride

Hello all of you who have begun to follow my ride to Winnipeg. My apologies, and I am sad to announce, that today was my last day. I hate to quit anything I start, so this is embarrassing and sad for me to have to say, especially after only three days on the road. A German saying I learned in high school states: "All beginnings are hard." This one was particularly so.

It was naive of me to think that I could jump on my bike and pedal off with no training behind my behind, which is the reason I must quit. The hip held up but the behind didn't. Painful saddle sores have ruined the ride.

Today I got two fast-forwards. The first I asked for after cycling to Milford SP (where I was to spend the night last night). The entrance to the park was only 8 miles or so from Junction City but, because I am in the Flint Hills, very hilly and shoulderless in places.

From the entrance to Milford SP, I hooked a ride with Rex, who drove BOB and me to Riley, KS, in his pickup. Rex was a retired farmer and told me all about Fort Riley and how much land they were on--some of it taken from his family farm. Seemed like we passed it for miles and I guess we did. There were tank fields, several entrances, and a crew of military earthmovers making a runway--for drones(?), Rex thought. 

Rex dropped me at a little convenience store at the Riley crossroads. I drank a Yoohoo there and then pedaled very uncomfortably and walked a good deal of the 32 miles to Waterville. In between, I stopped in Randolph at a bulging hunting, fishing, everything-you-can-imagine convenience store for lunch. Sat at an outside picnic table for at least 45 minutes watching the seniors come and go from a Senior Center and thinking that if I quit I would soon be amongst them.



An interesting twig and wire fence

Couple of curious Texas Longhorns; note the eastern red cedars. I was riding through an area very like OK with its proliferation of eastern red cedars roadside

From Randolph, I had 18 miles or so to Waterville. They were not fun miles, but I finally made it only to find that the Weaver Hotel was booked for graduation as had been the Herrington hotel. I'm ashamed to say that I burst into tears.  

Weaver Hotel in Waterville, KS. Though it looks large, this hotel has only 10 rooms, and unfortunately they were all booked for this evening--graduation again. It is too bad because I would have liked to stay at this renovated 1909 hotel. This pic is from the Internet as I was so disappointed that I neglected to take one.

The next little town, Blue Rapids, was only 5 miles away, so I started for it. As I was stopped on the shoulder hanging over the handlebars on the up-side of a hill, a man named Dennis pulled over and asked if he could help.

But of course he could help. He pulled across the road into a better spot and we managed to load BOB and the bike into the back of his SUV, which already had his wife's wheelchair in it. He was returning to Marysville from Manhattan, KS, where his wife was in the hospital dying of cancer. Dennis was about my age, had two sons, one an oncologist and the other a mechanical engineer I think. He drove me the fourteen or fifteen miles to Marysville where he knew the owner of the Heritage Inn, the motel I am in. A very nice man whose life has become a trial.

I've called Jeff and he is planning on driving up tomorrow to pick me up. I am sorry to disappoint all who expected to follow the intrepid adventuress. When I get home I will have to think up some other excitement to keep me going. Below are several photos I took today.

The layers of limestone, flint, clay and other stone in a roadside cut

A cemetery where BOB and I took a rest stop in the shade; inside the pavilion were benches, a picnic table, and a directory of all who were interred there, both by name and by site location

A nice downhill near the road cut; you know my tail hurts if I am off the bike on a downhill!

This sign can be seen in the distance in the photo above. You can see the short intervals that I am able to pedal.

This is Fancy Creek. It appeared to be very Plain Creek to me and was also very low as the field beside it showed signs of having once been under water.

A purple field of henbit; Ill bet the farmers don't like it a bit

A pretty old barn that is gradually returning to nature; note that I am early enough that some trees
are just beginning to leaf out