Distance: 55.6 mi, Climbed: 728 ft
Completed: 2,062.5 mi, 101,752 ft
The first part of today’s ride should be pretty easy. The ride is almost perfectly flat. The wind is coming out of the northeast. That will give Joanna and me a tailwind for the first forty miles. The last fifteen will be tougher, as we turn north and head directly into the wind. But first, breakfast and feeding the animals.
We stayed last night at Hedrick’s B&B and Exotic Animal Farm in Nickerson. We met Chris and Chris from New Mexico last night when we checked in, and we joined them this morning for breakfast. They are taking their grandson Riley on their own cross-country adventure. Chris actually grew up in Nickerson. Joe Hedrick, the owner, joined us for breakfast as Chris and Joe knew each other back from when Chris lived in Nickerson.
It was fascinating to hear Joe talk about the history of the place. Joe takes some of the animals on tour every summer, participating in a variety of state fairs and festivals. With his animals, he has toured the United States many times over. He has been working with exotic animals over forty years, and we could hear in his voice how much he enjoys his work.
After breakfast, it was time for the tour. The variety of animals they have on the farm is amazing. We saw giraffes, camels, zebras, emus, ostriches, peacocks, alpacas, deer, kangaroos, and even a parrot. My personal favorite was Eclipse the giraffe. I have always loved giraffes ever since a giraffe tried to peek through my window at Lion Country Safari in Florida when I was a kid. I am also a big astronomy fan. So, a giraffe named Eclipse was just perfect.
At the end of the tour, we had the opportunity to ride a camel. Both Joanna and I were a little nervous and tried to get the other to go first. Our guide Joel solved that problem by saying we could ride together. No more excuses, time to get on the camel. They had a stand which made getting on easy. The camel was incredibly gentle, and the ride was lots of fun.
Time to get on a different type of saddle. We left our animal friends behind and headed off to Great Bend. We cruised through the first ten miles or so. And then it happened again. Hissss. Joanna had another flat. The bacon we had put in two days ago had come out. We turned Joanna’s bike upside down and started to change the flat.
A few minutes later, Amy and Kyler drove by and asked if we needed help. Kyler volunteers as a mechanic at Bike Walk Witchita’s ReCycle program and was eager to help. We decided to give up on bacon and put a regular tube in Joanna’s tire. Kyler had it changed in no time and got us back on the road. We have said it before, but the kindness of random strangers never ceases to amaze us.
The ride went past large fields of prairie sunflowers and
through the Quivira National Wildlife Refuge.
At about mile forty, we left our quiet back roads and turned north onto a noisy highway, which fortunately had a large shoulder. We were suddenly facing a strong headwind, and our speed dropped precipitously. The last few miles were a slog, and I needed to take several breaks. Joanna seemed unfazed.
But I worked through it, and soon enough, we arrived in Great Bend. After a few long days of riding, I am looking forward to tomorrow’s well-earned rest day.
Tell the truth – I am sure you considered swapping the bikes for the camel !
🐪🤣