The century climbed to the highest point on Interstate 80, where there is a monument to Abraham Lincoln. This celebrates the Lincoln Highway, the nation's first macadam road to cross the continent.
The steady west wind turned this into two separate rides. There was a grueling "out", in which every turn of the crank was an endurance test. The winds were 18 mph gusting to 25. There were no clouds, and there was about 3000 feet of climbing. This was followed with an amazing "back", which was all tailwind and mostly downhill.Shade trees are rare in these parts, and the daytime high was over 90 degrees. So, hydration was a vital part of survival for the ride. The organizers had great, well-stocked rest stops at appropriate places. And, the Gatorade was widely available.
We passed the 14-turbine Happy Jack Wind Farm. The blades were whirling all day, easily generating their 29 MW of power. They are impressive structures as you pass by them on your leetle bicycle!
Hey Ken,
ReplyDeleteI have the same quest as you although I am on a bit different pace. I just completed Kansas yesterday, my 15th state and hope to do about five per year. I stumbled upon a guy once that just completed his 50th state, was moving on to Canadian Providences, then marathons. We have done a handful of the same rides and I would love to get in touch with you. You can reach me at 50states50centuries@gmail.com. We can compare notes and I can cheer you on as you finish. Surely, there must be more like us.