will it ever be cool again?  We were on the road at 8:00 after having a breakfast at Sonic Burgers.  It was are only choice.
The first 61 miles were uneventful, arriving in Chanute.  We had lunch at McDonalds then went to WalMart to pick up some supplies.  It was already heating up. 
We put the bikes on the car at Walmarts and tried to find our route.  The main route had a bridge out.  We finally decided to ride South a few miles then catch a rode that went directly into Girard.  We were fine for a while and then the road turned to dirt, not good for skinny tires.  After about 4 miles we came to our direct road.  It was paved.  We had no assistance from the wind and just headed east.  It was a long, hot stretch.  Again, thank goodness for Rod and Sal.
Passing through St. Paul, KS I noticed a sign indicating 100 degrees.  Another 12 miles and I reached Girard at 101 miles for the day.  No motels in Girard so we
Very hot and tired.  A motel, a shower and a really nice steak dinner made the day palatable. 
Thats all I got, going to bed.

The morning began with a search for the route.  We drove north from Hutchinson to get back on our route.  But we couldn't seem to get there.  An important bridge was out and we had to do some back road driving before we could find the the route in Bueler.  We popped out of the car only to be swarmed by mosquitoes.  No chance to check the tires or make any adjustments, just get away from the mosquitoes.
Good morning, reasonably cool, flat road and a gentle wind.
Within the first 10 miles we noticed a plane seemingly spraying crops.  It passed well over us a couple of times and we laughed about getting strafed.  Moments later we looked to our right and it was coming low right at us.  We both waved as it passed about 40 feet above us.  It was like a scene out of  North by Northwest.
As we rode through Newton, Kansas we met a rider heading west.  His bike was fully loaded.  We asked where he was headed and he said San Francisco.  We proudly told him that was where we had started.  Then we asked when he had started.  "Two years ago", he responded.  And then he listed all the places in the MidEast and Europe that he had ridden through.  As we rode off we felt rather insignificant.
As the day continued Pat several times attempted to achieve one his goals.  This achievement is to pet a cow.  We had just
got water from the van when Pat spotted some cows near the road behind a fence.  Pat was off the bike and headed for the fence.  I continued down the road a bit and waited, watched and rolled my eyes.  Suddenly he got the attention of a bull that started toward the fence.  We're not sure if he knows the difference, we've tried to give him some clues.
We we're all pretty excited for him.  But the bull had better things to do then get petted and turned away.
Later, he saw another cow near a fence, dismounted and started to the fence. Two steps toward the fence and the cow bolted.  When we get home I'm taking him to a petting zoo.
A few miles out of our destination the sky turned black and we saw several bolts of lightening.  We stopped and waited for the van.  Nobody jumped out to help us pack up.  Sal and Rod had their cameras pointed to the approaching storm and barely acknowledged us.  All they cared about was getting pictures of lightening.  Once more we felt rather insignificant.
Our wonderful support team turned into storm trackers.
Safe and dry in Eureka.

Pat and I left at 6:30 this morning.  We had a flat road and a cool morning.  But as usual we had a steady wind out of the north east, so instead of cruising along between 18-20 mph we were knocked back to 14+mph.  It was a grind.
However, our objective for the day was to get to Hutchinson, Kansas.  We needed to each have a wheel worked on and get the van serviced.
The bike shop owner was great.  He made us a priority as cross country riders.  Pat's wheel was easily fixed but I had to have a specialty spoke.  He had to send to Wichita for the spoke.  While we waited for the repair we had the van serviced and wheels rotated.
We then drove 20 miles north to Sterling College, where I graduated  in 1961.  I had a nostalgic tour of the old campus and bought a few souvenirs.
Then it was back to the shop.  The owner had the wheel repaired and charged me little for the repair.  Pat and I had our picture taken with him outside his shop to post on our website.
Tomorrow we get very serious.  Lots of miles to go.

Not Pat and I the van.
We decided to get an early start today to avoid as much heat as possible and the winds that were blowing from the south.  They were supposed to increase as the day advanced.  So Pat and I were on the bikes heading east by 6:45am.
About 16 miles out my phone rang and Sal said that that van wasn't starting.  Rod had called a tow truck.  We were only 6 miles from Dighton, Kansas so we said we would go there and stop.
Pat and I stopped at a Kwik Stop, pulled out some milk crates and sat in the shade.  Numerous phone calls were exchanged.  Tow trucks never responded.  AAA did send a person with a portable jumper battery and no particular skill.  We deduced that it had something to do with the security system.
I called my home garage and was told to disconnect the battery for about 15 minutes.  Rod borrowed a wrench from someone and did just that.  Zoom! It worked.
In the meantime Pat and I had been waiting almost three hours.  Why didn't we continue?  We didn't want to get caught out in the middle of nowhere, short of water with a rising thermometer.
When they finally arrived we agreed to ride another 32 miles into Ness City.  As we rode the winds picked up and the heat became intense.
As our schedule is very tight, we decided to load up the bikes and drive to Larned.

A number of people wonder how Sal and Rod are faring on this trip.  Rod drives a mile or two ahead and pulls off the road.  When the last rider passes, usually me.  He moves the van up the road again.  As we ride by he gives encouragement and asks if we need anything.  If we say water or gatorade at the next stop he pulls ahead jumps out with a fresh bottle for us.  As we ride by we usually drop one at his feet and and grab a new one. Its hard to come to a stop and start up again, even though Sal thinks we're rude for throwing the bottles down. Poor Rod, with his bad knee jumping into and out of the van, from cool to hot, 30+ times a day.  And he never complains.
Sal has a new camera and is enjoying taking pictures of the scenery.  The scenery seldom includes Pat and I.  It's been a battle keeping us in water and ice.  They buy packs of 24 bottled waters and we go through them in two days. She is constantly refilling our empties and putting them on ice. Each night she organizes our motels.  She says she is actually enjoying the trip.  Oh yes, I think she really enjoys rinsing out my stinky, sweaty riding gear each night.
Thanks for all the messages, my friends.

Hot ride today.  We did 100(102) at 100 degrees.  Not much to see today other than dry grass and cattle.  The wind was out of the south west so we had a nice boost off our right shoulders.  The road was mostly flat.  I started out moderately after yesterdays push for speed.  Pat who had suffered a sore back couldn't hold back and roared off into the distance.  We met up at the Kansas border for pictures.  He had been averaging 20 mph to my 18.5.
Earlier in the morning I heard a funny clink on a rough road.  I circled back to see if anything had fallen off the bike.  I did see a long piece of metal but it wasn't anything off my bike...I thought. 
From the state line Pat and I rode together into Tribune, Kansas.  As I took my turn for a pull, breaking the wind for the rear rider, Pat noticed a severe wobble in my rear wheel.  When we reached Tribune for lunch Rod noticed that I had a missing spoke...remember the long piece of metal in the road?
Fortunately, Pat (He wants me to call him savior) had the spare set of wheels.  I popped his rear wheel on my bike.  Unfortunately, the gears don't match up well and my range of usable gears was limited.  I was lucky that the road was mostly flat.
Pat arrived in Scott City with a riding time of four hours and fifty nine minutes, a 20 mph .  My ride time was 15 minutes longer.
It was a very hot ride and without Sal and Rod keeping our water bottles full and cold it would have been a miserable ride.
With 8 miles to go I was on the edge of mild nausea.  That was the perfect time to pass a large cattle holding area.  Wow were they ripe!
Saw a lot of other transcontinental riders today.  We felt a little bad for them riding, loaded into a stiff hot wind.  Been there and done that.  I like our Super support team this time.

Pat and I read about a guy who had his personal best 100 mile ride on this stretch.  The route is flat with a gradual loss of 300 feet.  The guy said he had an 8 mph wind at his back.  We had been thinking about this day well before we started in San Francisco.
We rode to the edge of Pueblo to avoid any stop lights.  When we were clear, we put the hammer down.  For the first 50 miles we averaged almost 23 mph.  Then we slowed for a wrong turn, picked up the pace again and ran into stiff crosswinds.  Not enough to stop us but enough to slow our pace considerably.  We both finished in a little over five hours.  It was hot and we really appreciated the support from Rod and Sal.
Pat's back caused him a lot of misery and I had to switch from my regular riding shoes to riding sandals to alleviate the hot foot I was getting.  Hot foot is really swelling feet that press the metatarsal nerve at the point the shoes clips into the pedal.  It's almost always a problem for me on long rides.  It's a good thing I brought the sandals.
At the 102 mile mark we loaded up the bikes to find a motel in Eads, Colorado.  Unfortunately, the only motel had a no vacancy sign.  We had to go 30 miles off the route to Lamar, Co. to find a motel.  Fortunately, the motel had an indoor pool and a spa that was refreshing.
Not much scenery today as we rode through the high Prairie.  The highlight sight of the day was a big Sign announcing,"Snack Shop".  Underneath, "Snack Shop" was another sign, "Fresh Bait".
Strangely, our wrong turn today could have been a right turn.  Had we followed the wrong route we would have ridden directly into Lamar.

Finally at the end of the Western Express portion of our ride.  The highlight of the day was a side trip to the Royal Gorge.  The day began with Rod and Sal dropping us off where we had left off last night.  Instead of following our regular route which involved a steep climb, we decided to follow the Arkansas River until we came to the cutoff for Royal Gorge.  We loaded up the bikes and played tourist.  Royal Gorge is a deep Canyon the Arkansas River cut.  It's spanned by the highest suspension bridge in America, 1056 feet.  There is an inclined railway that goes to the bottom and an aerial tramway that crosses the Gorge.  We did them all.  We then drove into Canon City for lunch. van.  Sal Pat and I hopped onto the bikes for the final 37 miles to Pueblo.  Again weather ganged up on us and a heavy wind storm hit us from the side making it unsafe to ride.  The wind was quickly followed by a heavy rain which we avoided by loading up the bikes.
My feeling were shattered once again while loading up the bikes.  Rod spotted a dead rattle snake in the road by the van. Sal got out to take picture and Pat commented,"That dead snake could climb a mountain faster than you."  The weather and steep mountains are bad enough but to be treated with such disrespect is hurtful.  I never say anything nasty to Pat.  Tomorrow is our day off and we play tourist in Colorado Springs.

If I weren't already over the hill, I literally am now.  This morning we left Gunnison and rode 30 miles to Sargents, the base of Monarch Pass.  From there we had a stiff, 10 mile, 3000 foot climb to the pass.  We crossed the Continental Divide at 11,300 feet, our highest pass for the trip.  From there we roared down to Salida for lunch.  After lunch we decided to add another 20 miles for the day.  Fortunately we were able to follow the Arkansas River down stream, making the ride a quick one.  At 82 miles we took another break.  Pat hinted at going on a little further.  I laid down in the dirt kicking and screaming,"No more."  Perhaps, I didn't do that but I would have if Pat insisted on going.  Monarch was a stiff climb for these old bones.
So what is it like making a steep climb?  As you start up you begin shifting to a lower gear.  You glance up and inwardly moan at the steepness.  In my case, I drop my head and begin grinding.  Pretty soon I watch Pat disappear around a curve.  My legs slowly spin.  I check my altitude, which is displayed on my odometer, watching the altitude slowly creep higher.  Each curve gives you a short steeper climb.  You pray that around the next curve it will flatten out, it doesn't.  It's cool but sweat starts dripping like a cheap faucet.  Happiness is reaching 9000 feet.  I take a break for a few minutes.  Back on the bike, Pat is completely out of sight.  I try to convince myself I won't stop again but settle for another half mile.  Off again, at 10000 feet I begin calculating, only 1300 more feet.  Rod and Sal pull over frequently to check our progress.  At 10,600 feet I see the van ahead and Pat.  He's stretching and waiting to escort me to the top.  He tells me not to whine and that I can't get in the van.  Off again,  I wish I had lower gears.  Half a mile to the pass and I tell Pat  I am taking  another break. Pat continues on, and I finally grind to the top  a few minutes later. The climb took about one hour and 45 minutes.
Tomorrow we will begin one more climb and hopefully arrive in Pueblo, Colorado and the end of the Rockies.

 

Getting behind in my blog.  A lot like trying to keep up with Pat.  I'll try to recap the last three days from my perspective.  Tuesday was a rest day, Ha!  We decided to do some non bike touring.  Leaving from Blanding, Utah we drove to Monument Valley.  You could almost see John Wayne leading a dusty cavalry charge through the valley with the great stone monuments in the back ground.  After visiting the Goulding Museum and the Goulding Gift shop.  We had lunch at the Goulding restaurant.  I forced everyone to have a Najaho Taco, one of my all time favorite road meals.  The Goulding family came to Monument Valley in the 1920's.  They encouraged John Ford to create many movies in the valley.  Later many other directors came to the valley to shoot both movies and commercials.  Those who remember Clint Eastwood scaling a pinnacle in the Eiger Sanction will realize that scene was shot there.  Forrest Gump was seen running down a long rolling road with Monument Valley in the background.  I lost a fifty cent bet with Pat regarding the location of the Forrest Gump shot.  I don't plan to pay off.
We drove 100 miles to the Four Corners, where Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico and Utah meet.  The marker is off the road and surrounded by a fence.  The gate into the marker was closed for construction.  Rod and Pat were disappointed because they were looking forward to achieving something that I had achieved at an earlier time.  Something that involved flatulence.  Sal was disappointed because the marker is surrounded by kiosks selling Navajo jewelry.  The big question was how do you reconstruct the four corners?  Also, despite some recent boundary discrepancies the current location is the accepted corner.
Disgustedly, we continued on to Mesa Verde.  Mesa Verde is the site of the cliff dwellings.  Fascinating, but involving a long drive up a mesa.   That wouldn't have been bad but the National Park Road was under construction.  We had a lot of long waits.  Then it was a drive from site to site.  At the last site we took a long hike down a steep path to one of the ruins.  Then we took a long hike back up in the heat to the car.  Then poor Rod had to negotiate us back down the Mesa with more frequent construction delays.  A late dinner and crashing at the motel.  Not very restful!
Wednesday had us leaving Delores, Colorado.  The morning began with a gentle climb through a beautiful valley towards Lizard Head pass, 10,300 ft.  At 60 miles we came to the Telluride Junction.  We loaded up the bikes and drove into Telluride as the rains began.  It cleared enough for us to walk around the town.  The town is a real wild west town.  The current scene of skiers and movie stars.  Unfortunately,  many towns like this are crowded with tourists and it spoils the effect.   Hmmm, I think we were tourists, too.  As we drove back to the junction the rain and lightening resumed and we decided to drive down to Ouray.  Ouray is another interesting town, similar to Telluride, built into a box canyon.  After dinner Pat took over the driving and took us up to Red mountain via the "million Dollar Highway"  one of the scariest and most beautiful roads in America.
This morning we left Ridgeway, Colorado, passing through Montrose on a mostly fast downhill road.  Then it was a slow grind heading for Gunnison, Co.  We had to climb out of Montrose first passing over 8000 foot Cerro Summit, dropping down to the the base of Blue Mesa and then ascending to 8500 feet.  By the time we had crested our two peaks for the day the sky once again opened with rain and lightening.  We  again loaded up the bikes and headed to Gunnison, missing out on a mostly downhill and flat 30 mile ride.
Tomorrow, we plan to ride over Monarch Pass.  That will be our highest and last major  climb of the trip.

 

Nervous beginning this morning.  Right out of Cedar City a sign proclaimed,"8% grade next 15 miles".  That for the most part would be unrideable for me.  Fortunately, there were only a few 8% inclines.  For the most part the climb was between 4% and 6%, rideable but still a slow grind.  For those who don't know about bike gearing, our bikes have a three chain rings in front and 9 in the back.  This allows to have a lot of gear choices(27 to be exact, although many overlap).  Climbing in our lowest gear means were on the smallest chain ring in front (called "Granny") and the largest gear in back.  We look like spinning egg beaters as we climb.
The climb was actually a relief from riding into the gusting winds yesterday.  Our reward was the spectacular views of Cedar Break National Monument, stunning red cliffs which will best be appreciated in our pictures.  The descent was fun on lightly trafficked roads with my speeds reaching 40+ mph. I know fearless Pat let it fly.  Later in the day we passed through beautiful Red Rock Canyon, zooming past the entrance to Bryce Canyon.  Because of the big weekend, we were forced to drive back to Panguitch, Utah for a motel.  Tomorrow we'll take a brief tour through Bryce Canyon before resuming our ride in Tropic, Utah.
Thank you all for posting comments.  It's fun to hear from you.