Sterling, Kansas

Today we rode from Great Bend to Sterling. According to Google Maps, we were expecting a 42 mile ride. Adventure Cycling took us on a different route, which ended up being 50 miles. I learned that the line between “I don’t need to pack a sandwich” and “I should pack a sandwich” is between 42 and 50 miles.

We were basically only on two roads the whole day. The first had a shoulder that was massive. It was glorious. The second had no shoulder and also almost no cars. Mike and I took advantage of that and rode side by side. It was so nice! We could chat while we rode! 10/10 would recommend.

We biked through an animal refuge, created for migrating birds. They have them across the midwest, or else the birds would have nowhere to stop during their migration. It was quite nice.

Highlights

• PERFECT weather and the scenery reminded me a lot of England (surprisingly).
• we’re staying at a lovely AirBnB in Sterling. It’s slightly off-route (3 miles) but our alternative was a BnB associated with an exotic animal farm and I just…couldn’t.
• Before leaving Great Bend, Mike and I stopped at Walmart to get food for tonight and tomorrow. We bought a bunch of frozen stuff and just filled one of Mike’s small panniers. Worked like a charm.

Lowlights

• Ran into a cloud of gnats while stopped for lunch. So many gnats. Tried to escape. Couldn’t.
• Started the day with a flat in the hotel. Mike the mechanic fixed it right up for me. But it does make me wonder. All three of my flats were discovered by Mike in the morning. Do I just ride on flats and not notice?

Julie’s food

• Breakfast: Gardein breakfast bowl, toast with peanut butter
• First Snack: Clif bar, apple
• Second Snack: Clif bar
• Lunch: peanut butter sandwich
• Dinner: vegetable egg rolls, sweet and sour “pork” with rice, buffalo cauliflower wings

Stats

• Total distance: 49.81 miles
• Elevation gain: 166 feet
• Weather: dry, high of 76 degrees Fahrenheit