Water tanks in the distance

DAY 31
Rush Center, KS to Scott City, KS

I never heard the term "fly over states" until a few years ago. This description of these Midwestern plains states can only truly be appreciated while riding your bicycle at 11.5 mph, on the same road, going the same direction for five straight days now. Here's a quick recap of an average day: wheat field, corn field, silo, cows, cemetery, water tank, small one street country town, repeat. There is absolutely nothing worth seeing here, hence "fly over" to get to somewhere worth being.

We leave Rush Center and ride 7 1/2 hours for a total of 91 miles. The winds were a little more forgiving today. We do still battle the menacing cross winds, but they peak at 10 to 15 mph as opposed to 25 to 35 mph. Finishing our ride by two o'clock we also miss the hottest part of the day and avoid the strongest winds.

Dollar Generals are seriously the best

The highlight of the day was our first and hopefully last crash of the trip. A week ago, one of the two plastic clamps which secure the GoPro camera to my helmet broke off. The remaining clamp seemed to still hold the camera in place and I hadn't had any issues as of yet; nor had I seen or was expecting to come across a Best Buy store to replace the clamp any time soon. Leaving our breakfast stop in Ness City, we ride through the center of town. For some unknown reason a number of these small western Kansas towns have had cobblestone streets in the downtown area. As I roll over the first couple bricks, the second and last clamp abandons it's post and breaks away. I'm equally confused as surprised, as the camera drops off my head and hits my handlebar bag. I take a swipe at the rogue recorder sending it flailing into the air. A second, third, fourth, and final fifth attempt at catching the camera ends in me folding over the handlebars of my bike and coming to a sudden stop in the middle of the cobblestone street. At the last second I succeed at hitting the ejection button. I bounce over the limp bicycle and are then thrown into a jog down the street. But not before scraping my left knee and pounding my left upper hamstring on my gear shifter. Unsuccessful at catching the camera, it tumbles down the street as well. For me, it all happened both in slow motion and very quickly at the same time. Stunned and not exactly sure what was happening, Becky witnesses me juggle the camera for 20 feet down the road before coming to a crashing halt. In reality, I couldn't have been moving faster than 5 mph when I fell. I was pissed off more than hurt, while the true victim in the crash was poor Becky, visually shaken having watched me fall. With no serious damage done to myself, the bike, or the camera, we continue on. GoPro is going to get a letter.

Stats:
Miles: 91.98
Average speed: 11.9 mph
Max speed: 18 mph
Odometer: 2093 miles