May 5 - Why Dorothy left Kansas

What a difference a day can make! Yesterday I wrote about the benefits of a small benign wind. Little did I know that a much larger wind would land on a town less than 40 miles from where I was staying. The massive tornado, thought to be the biggest ever to touchdown in Kansas simply destroyed the town of Greensburg. Tonight I am in Great Bend KS about 50 miles northeast of Greensburg. I had to buy a few things so I walked to the Wal-Mart, about two blocks. While there I overheard three separate conversations between people who a family in Greensburg. It is a terrible tragedy. I am sure you have seen the pictures, it is all that is on the television in Kansas.

When we woke up today there was some concern about whether or not it would be safe to ride. I would have had no objection to either a yes or no decision by the tour leader. Today’s ride was flat and mostly to the east although the last 50 miles were to the northeast. The wind was from the SSE at 25 to 30 mph, according to the national weather service. The first 35 miles were truly brutal as the wind came across your right shoulder and into your face. It was so strong that our bikes had a 10 degree tilt into the wind.

We got in to Great Bend about 12:30, did laundry, showered, cleaned our bikes and talked about what would happen tomorrow. Bottom line depends on the weather. After dinner I was back in my room watching the reporters describe today’s storms. They were moving up the road we were on today. I knew all the towns they were talking about. At the end of the list of towns in the storm’s path was Great Bend. (There were tornado warnings, golf ball size hale, high winds and rain.) As it got closer I contemplated what I should do. I know about earthquakes and have been in hurricanes but a tornado would be something new, something I would like to avoid. The motel is a rather large structure with meeting rooms a wedding tonight. (The bridesmaid’s dresses were the most ghastly shade of green you could imagine. I was reminded of an old MasterCharge ad were the tag line was “having a friend worth wearing a lime green chiffon bridesmaid’s dress… priceless.”) Well I digress; all hotel guests and people at the wedding were herded into several small internal rooms in the motel. It was an interesting mixture of two groups, cyclists and members of the wedding party, being pushed together in a crowded subway car. After the storm had PASSED the national weather screen for the area looked like what I show in the picture. This was better than it had been 30 mins before! All the storms tonight are between Dodge City and Great Bend.

I have learned my lesion DON’T be thankful for a little wind.

On a more positive note I calculated that early in tomorrow’s ride I will pass the half way point in my journey for my home in Berkeley to MIT. Taking the 3459 miles for the America by Bicycle ride and the 485 miles on my route from Berkeley to the start gives 3944 miles and half way is 1972 miles. I swear that I did not fudge the figures to get that result, but it seems appropriate as 1972 is the year I graduated. For the true nerds that is 1882613.2 Smoots.