Derek Jennings
Ride with Me

In 1976 Bicyclists from around the world took part in a 4,250 mile journey across the United States of America to celebrate Bicentennial Year

Experience an account of 42 days on a bicycle from Readsport Oregon to Yorktown Virginia

Sunday July 4th
Pueblo col. Independence Day

Went to Jackie Chinn’s presbyterian church with her after breakfast, the Air Force base minister was the preacher. Bill Chinn went on a motor bike trip. Doug Hans and I spent the rest of the morning bike mending. Lunch was a Taco meal take-away and we were driven to the university BikeInn by Dougs brother Dave for orientation. Bill’s sister-in-law and her two children came over in the afternoon for a drink and a chat. Then later Darleen (Daves girlfriend) and Bills brother Bob came for a picnic barbecue in the garden with hamburgers, potato salad, bacon and beans, lemonade and coffee and chocolate brownies to finish.

A few fireworks brought a family Bicentennial Independence day to an end and I’d been lucky enough to share it. Bill took me down to the Drug store he owned, for a birthday card and some more sun screen. As a pharmacist he’d already noticed that my ankles were swollen and something might be wrong. Watched the news on the television and found out how the nation celebrated the day.

I hear Bjorn Borg won at Wimbledon. Doug left in the afternoon with his girl friend to visit his grandmother in Denver. Managed to change my cheque at the university but was disappointed to find there was no mail waiting for me. I hadn’t realised I would be here this soon, I left a forwarding address to Carbondale.

Monday 5th July
Pueblo Col

Left reluctantly at 9am after a good breakfast and some food to take with me (homemade chocolate brownies no less!) Quite a flat ride to Ordway and the wind was not helpful. The sun however was very hot and along the way the free iced tea under the shade of a roadside tree offered by a community charity was most welcome. At Olney Springs I met up with Earl and Hans again and enjoyed a couple of Coors beers with them. It led to a couple of games of bar football with Karl and a couple of his friends (Bikers) who were also in the bar. Lunch in a roadside barn near a campground followed and an exhausting hot, eternally long, flat and windy 60 miles to Eads from 3.15pm to 8.45pm all alongside the railway.

Stopped twice, once under a tree with Hans and Earl and once on my own at a grocery store at Haswell having dropped Karl and his two friends, also Hans and Earl. They’ve now all turned up at the BikeInn – the Rialto Hotel, a real posh “do”. I’ve got a room to myself, double bed and own washroom and toilet (my bike is in the bedroom). We’ve all eaten in the town before booking in here. So now, to bed, after having written to Helen and a card to Angela.

Tuesday 6th July
Haswell, Col.

Everyone got an early morning call at 5am and I was out of the hotel before 6am. Had a coffee in the cafe with Hans and Earl and left at 6.20. The morning was quite fresh but bright and the wind was not yet up. Dropped Hans and Earl after a couple of hours riding and caught Karl, had another coffee with him at Eads and pressed on together. The sun was now up and the ride was fast and flat into Tribune. A call at the grocery store for supplies and a quick snack, still only 11am and 60 miles covered. So on to Leoti and a couple of root beers and an ice cream at an A&W place. (Karl kept insisting I tried America’s finest refreshments). Finished off with lunch under a roadside tree. Crossed a time zone 10 miles back so we advanced our clocks 1 hour.

The ride to Scott City was a little slower but we still arrived at the BikeInn by 4.15pm. It was at the local Athletic club that I chatted to a New Yorker in the shower who was holidaying at his wifes parents place who were Kansas farmers in Scott City. He later met Karl and I in town searching for a meal and invited us back to the farm. Had a conducted tour of the farm and the piggery ending with a meal and a beer in the farmhouse. Vern and Paula were their names. Unfortunately we didn’t get the surname. A really enjoyable evening especially as it wasn’t planned. Posted Angela’s birthday card that afternoon in Scott City.

The Kansas state line was crossed this morning and we got ourselves a free state map from a garage we passed. These really are a help as the route maps Bike 76 issue are hopeless. The state really is flat and empty. Most signs of habitation are centred around a grain elevator which is visible about 8 miles away and are spaced about 20-30 miles apart. Passed an area dotted with oil pumps (like artesian wells). Looked most weird in the distance, through the early morning mist, all these iron animals nodding up and down.

Wednesday 7th July
Scott City, Kansas

Up fairly early again about 5.40. Had a Granola breakfast and left at 6.30, red sky this morning, hope that doesn’t mean rain! Decided that the route was not direct and SR 96 would save me a few miles against the wind, if I took that. Karl had left earlier for Larned. Hans and Earl were leaving later but did not plan to get as far. Made good time through Dighton to Ness City. Had a few slices of peanut butter and coffee then on to Rush Center. Ten miles out had 4 spokes go in quick succession. Stopped under the shade of a tree, luckily, as it was now very hot. Spent an hour replacing 3 spokes on the non sprocket side and mending a puncture, all this carried out without removing the tyre and tube (must be getting lazy). Into Rush Center and a call at the grocery. Dear old lady called Mrs Smith made me a sandwich. I bought a Coke and some nuts and stayed over an hour talking to her and another customer. Left at 2.45 for Timken and then the southerly turn to Larned and 25 miles into the wind, hilly country, and really hot. I literally crept!

Had a truck driver offer me a lift 12 miles out, but once again I politely refused. A rest under a tree for an orange and water, a call into the Santa Fe Trail center and a drink at the refrigerated drinking fountain and then into Larned at 6pm. (phew! I’m absolutely “baked”). Supper at the Blue Goose and off to the BikeInn at the City Auditorium (on a cot). Karl turned up at 9.30pm shattered, he had taken the official route. The bank clock had said it was 87 degrees at 8.20pm.

Thursday 8th July
Larned, Kansas

Up and away at 7am after breakfasting on Granola. Karl had already left. No sign of Hans and Earl. Bright sunny morning and still pretty flat. Rode for a couple of hours and broke two more spokes. Caught Karl having a coffee and joined him. He tried to repair my wheel but we decided to get it professionally rebuilt as soon as possible. Quite a few of the remaining spokes were cracked. Rode to Nickerson for lunch and Karl introduced me to a chocolate malt! (delicious). Decided to go off the route into Hutchinson to the bike shop (Harveys) where they rebuilt my wheel while I waited. Len was the chaps name 30 miles now into Newton after a hamburger at the cafe.

The BikeInn was at the Bethel College, a magnificent place where I asked about a home hostel and was successful in receiving an invitation from Orlyn and Jan Zehr to stay, they had twin boys of 17 years and two girls of 19 years and 10 years. One was Sharon I believe. They gave me a delicious dinner, chop, green beans, potatoes and salad with a beer. People are very kind, it’s hard to realise what makes them do it. Before I left the College I bumped into Rob Mucklejohn of the University Cycling Club from back home. Know him well, had quite an interesting chat, gave him my telephone number and asked him to phone Helen when he gets home on July 25th.

Friday 9th July
Newton, Kansas

Orlyn woke me at 7.15am and after an egg and bacon, toast, orange juice and coffee breakfast I said goodbye at 8.30. His parting words were “We’re sure glad we could be part of your trip”. I left him my card and a British postage stamp Bicentennial issue. Went back to the college to thank the BikeInn keeper and say cheerio to Karl. Met him on the way, going to the train station for breakfast, said Tat-ta!, he was staying over a day. Went to the college to plan the days ride and fill up with water. Decided to follow the route to Casoday and then go via Rosalia to Eureka to dodge the gravel. The day started off warm and sunny and was to get hot again. The roads were not as flat, (gently rolling). Southerly wind and 40 miles covered in the morning starting at 9.30. Lunch in a rest area with two girls from a group, coffee in a ranchers cafe and on to Rosalia. Took a couple of pictures of a church and was offered lemonade at a roadside iced tea stall. This mornings ride by the way had no services for the whole 40 miles.

On to Eureka after the two girls had stopped to take lemonade. Arrived at 4.00pm at a Senior Citizens Center serving as a BikeInn and caught up on my diary, researched the route for tomorrow, wrote a few cards, and grabbed a little relaxation. Had an interesting chat to a local resident in the cafe where I ate. I now know the shell creatures I’ve been seeing along the road for a couple of days are terrapins. The oil wells in Kansas are mainly privately owned and the fields of highly scented blue flowering foliage is called Alfalfa and is harvested for hay and gives about 6 cuttings a year. The resident I spoke to was a war veteran and a cancer sufferer and was receiving vacination treatment he told me, with a serum of his own blood, seems he was improving since he started the treatment in January. The residents in these small towns are compulsive horn blowers. Every time they pass each other in cars they give a toot, the town resounds with intermittent horn blasting until late in the evening.

Saturday 10th July
Eureka, Kansas

A real hot night with floor standing air-conditioning fans drumming away all night. The group got up at 4am and I was awake so decided on a early start. Was on the road by 5.15, it was still dark. Made good time on rolling roads to Toronto (U.S. 99 was washed away by floods and closed). My efforts to cut out the gravel failed and I came across about 5 miles of it, but then good roads to Fredonia. Decided to treat myself to some hotcakes for breakfast. Got talking to 4 strangers on the next table from Wichita, they left before me, picked up my bill, unbeknown to me and paid it, what about that! Punctured at St. Paul and stopped at a roadside rest area for lunch and a repair. Had to renew the front tyre and had difficulty mending the punctured tube. Replaced it with one of my spares and 5 miles further on it had gone down again. The rest area was opposite the Osage Mission, only 30 miles now to Pittsburg.

A pretty uneventful ride and the terrain more green now and lots more facilities about. The BikeInn is on the Kansas State university campus.

Coming back from Kens Pizza place tonight I noticed the terrific noise the crickets make at dusk and what a marvellous sight the fireflys are, just like they were on the campus at Newton.

Sunday 11th July
Pittsburg, Kansas

Well this is another truly remarkable day, and it’s not yet over. It’s now 4.20pm and I’m just resting and eating at Fair Grove, Missouri. Was away from the college by 7am after a very hot restless nights sleep. Beautiful morning and a 36 mile ride to Golden City, fast, rolling, with a following wind. Had a hot cake breakfast (4 cups of coffee). Left at 10, now very hot again.

Made Ash Grove by 12.20 after crossing the state line leaving Pittsburg and getting another state map at Golden City. Called at Newtons Supermarket for groceries (bananas and yogurt). Spoke to a chap entering the parking lot, and another on the way out, the proprietor Tim Newton came out and joined in the conversation, they were all very interested in the ride and those taking part. Had lunch under the canopy of the Ash Grove bank opposite. Tim Newton came out later and asked me to contact a friend of his who works for the bank of Dallas in London.

Carried on to where I am now at Fair Grove, but en route stopped at a road junction to consult the map, time 3.00pm. Chap named Rex Skinner in a car with his family (a wife and two children), stopped to enquire where I was heading and asked about the ride. They were returning home from an annual Skinner family reunion picnic and offered me food and drink left over from the picnic, (all those in Missouri with the name Skinner had been there). I drank 4 big beakers of iced tea whilst talking to him and ate two pieces of brownies which was absolutely delicious! They then filled my bottle with iced tea and packed me up a piece of chicken which I had previously refused and another two pieces of brownies. All this was so overwhelming that after leaving I just had to stop later, eat the food and write the diary. People have been unbelievably friendly, hospitable and generous.

The countryside has become more “English” with wooded roadsides, but with very severe switchback hills. This apparently is the dominant feature of the Ozark Hills (roller coaster roads!). The rivers have become clearer now and not, brown, muddy and still, like they were in Kansas.

The last 20 miles to Marshfield was also very hilly, bottom gear and out of the saddle stuff! Talking of saddles, mine has completely collapsed at the nose, I hope I don’t have to buy a new one and spend more dollars. It’s been like this for 2 or 3 days now. I’m trying to ease up on the money so I can buy a few presents for Helen, Angela and Robert. I keep thinking of them all and hoping they are safe and well. Perhaps I might be lucky and get a letter at Carbondale. The BikeInn was Marshfield school with a bed, not the floor!