August 6th - Day 23 - Newton, KS to Nickerson, KS - 50 mi
Cynthia rode for the first time in a while this morning. She rode the first 30 miles of the day today and was greeted back to the road with a nice thunderstorm that greatly reduced visibility. Once Cynthia's knee started to twinge with pain again I took over and finished off the last 20 miles of the day. We camped in Nickerson city park. Nickerson is a small town near the much larger city of Hutchinson.
Looking for some adventure, our maps told of the Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center in Hutchinson. The Cosmosphere was pretty amazing, it is second only to the Smithsonian in size and extent of collection of aerospace exhibits. Check it out at: http://www.cosmo.org/
Once we got back to camp we met Sonny Neumiller, another TransAm rider who was staying the night in Nickerson. He is from Seattle and is following a route very similar to our own to deviate from the Adventure Cycling TransAm to get home. Sonny is unique in that he is doing the ride on a handcycle. He has a BOB trailer that he tows behind his Quickie handcycle that holds all of his gear as well as his standard wheelchair. We shared a beverage and some stories, but all of his stories blew ours out of the water. He has had a few dozen flat tires and hills that are hard for me are killers for him. When he showed me his bike, he pointed out his tires; they were worn down to the point of seeing the threads. He hopes to replace them soon, and has already replaced them previously. It was a lot of fun talking to Sonny and we might meet up with him in Seattle. You can check out more about his adventure at: www.crazyguyonabike.com/handcycle
Quality Water Means Quality Life
1.2 billion people do not have access to clean water. Help others avoid the choice between thirst or disease.
As we passed through the Ozark Mountains, among Missouri scenic rivers, we came to a gorgeous little spot called "Two Rivers." At this convergence of the Jacks Fork and Current rivers, the silt heavy rapids of the Current meet the clear calm of the Jacks Fork river and one can actually see the divide between the two. I couldn't help but think of the divide between our access to clean water and the lack thereof in the villages of rural Ghana.
Troy and I consume on average, about 12 to 20 (20 oz) bottles of water daily. That's 12 to 20 times per day that, unlike the people in rural Ghana, Troy and I avoid illness without even realizing it. Regardless of how many miles we ride, we have no doubt that stopping anywhere along the road for water will be easy and risk-free.
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