Day 3--Sycamore to Parsons, KS

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Had a great night's sleep and awoke at 6 to pack up B.O.B. and drink a cup of coffee before Tom transported me to Sycamore north of Independence. Before we left, I got to give the dogs their morning treat: pieces of bologna hand-fed from a fork. The four gathered around me and were very well behaved, each waiting his or her turn for a bit of bologna. ( See below).


Feeding the Oast's dogs their morning treat.That's my helmet (left) on the counter.The circular orange thing on the back of the helmet is a reflector, blinking yellow light, and a "screecher," that I use to ward off unwanted dogs.

After feeding the dogs their treat, I had a glass of o.j. and then sat outside and enjoyed a piece of warm coffee cake. (I felt like a princess this whole impromptu visit.) Tom loaded the trailer and bike into his pickup. I took one last photo of Tom and Paula and their dogs, (below), and then we were off. Thank you Tom and Paula for your hospitality and your generosity! I really enjoyed my visit with you two and your four canine pals.


Tom and Paula with their sweet dogs

Tot

Tom asked if I'd like to take the paved or unpaved route. I chose the unpaved. In his big truck (see below), we might as well have been on a paved route. We saw a wild turkey and two deer in the fields on either side of  the road, as well as oil wells, Tom reminiscing: "Now that area over there was the first place I worked after graduation. I drill water wells too." Or explaining: "No they're not drilling a well but pulling one." 



Tom's Avalanche, obviously B.O.B.'s preferred mode of travel since Kathy had one, too.

We made a pit stop in the Independence Mickey D's, and then I was taken on a brief tour of this pretty Kansas town with its two-story,Victorian houses and old stone and brick downtown buildings. We even toured through Independence's small zoo which sits on the banks of the Verdigris River. We then took US 75 north to Sycamore and the intersection of old US 400, where, after a few photos taken with Tom's notebook, I headed east on very pretty but little traveled old two-lane US 400 (below). It somewhat parallels the new US 400 where all the traffic was. It was a bit chilly. A Parsons' bank read only 70F when I arrived at 11 a.m. The wind was strong out of the south.

Old US 400

Rode leisurely and without incident the few miles into Parsons (only 27, I think). I stopped at the first Subway I passed and used Joyce Meyer's Subway gift card to buy myself a turkey sandwich and a lemonade. Thank you Joyce!

hThen I rode to the Best Western on the east side of town, hoping to be able to get into my room early. That I did. The woman behind the front desk took one look me and handed me a bottle of ice water and a package of peanuts. Thank you Camille Stuart and Skip McFarling, my sister Sarah's friends who sprang for this room! The motel is lovely and my large ground-floor room fits me and my big rig comfortably.

What's wrong with this picture?

Yes. That puny orange thing on the end of the standard is what's wrong with this picture! Somewhere along old 400 my flag blew north. I remember seeing it before I crossed the first of two RR tracks. By the time I got to the second set of tracks miles later, I looked in my rearview mirror and saw the pole but no flags. The whole lot on their sleeve had slipped up and away. Boo hoo! My flags flew proudly only 2.5 days, and this after Betsy Ross Walker spent so much time getting the JKH flag printed and sewn, ordering the state flags, and then sewing up the standard. Each day so far has had its own little excitement.

But, I felt naked with no flag, so after I stopped at Subway, I stopped at Orscheln's Farm & Home store (nearly next door to the Best Western) and bought the little flag I'm now flying. The store owner cut some sort of hardware off the end and then shaved the end until it would fit in B.O.B.'s standard holder. He was a big guy and rammed it in well, so I'm betting I have to find an equally big guy to pull it out when the time comes.

Had just stepped into my room when Tom called to ask if I'd gotten in safely. I told him I had and praised him for his route finding. The route he put me on was great. I also told him about losing my flags. A few moments later he called back. He'd called the sheriffs in the two counties I'd ridden through and they said they send someone out looking if they could. He gave them my cell number, but it is 5:30 now and I have heard nothing. The flags could have blown into a ditch or into the woods and not be visible from the road. Plus, I'm sure the sheriffs could have made better use of their time.

Below are a couple of pix of barns along today's route. Be sure to tune in tomorrow for my exciting ride from Parsons to Pittsburg, KS, only 39 miles I think.