RTTMS June 6, 2011 Same As It Every Was....Hot

We arose to some very nice, cool temperatures in Cullman, Al., this morning. We got up early to take advantage of the cool riding weather and so we were on the road by 6:30 am. The temp was down to about 68 and didn't start to get warm until we were almost to Paducah, Ky., before it got to 85 degrees and getting hotter. This highest we saw today was right at 99 degrees but usually is was about 95 degrees.

Morning Start in Cullman, Alabama.
The traffic ran smoothly until just before Nashville but it thinned out pretty quickly so we did not have much of a slow down.

We quickly passed through Tennessee and the into Kentucky and be for we knew it, we were crossing the Ohio River into Illinois near the home of Superman....Metropolis, Ill., that is. Here is a picture of the Superman Water Tower at Metropolis.

At Paducah, Ky., the Harley-Davidson dealer has his store near I-24 and it is in the design of a paddle wheel riverboat. Pretty cool.
The temps and the traffic increased as we went north and the sun went higher and higher. Also the wind picked up from the south at about a 15 mph clip. With the wind behind us, the ride was not bad at all however we picked up I-64 and headed west toward St. Louis and Kansas City.

We refueled in Paducah, Ky., and Kingdom City, Mo., without mishap or problems.The temps went as high as 98 degrees and the wind continued to be from the south at 15 mph.

We had to make a couple of stops to get some supplies and food. We stopped at REI in St. Louis, Mo., for John could get an adjustment on his sleeping pad. This turned into an ordeal as they did not have a replacement and then gave his the "Run Around" about how to get what he needed. We ended up grabbing some lunch while stopped there and so we lost a couple of hours ride time.

We also stopped at Bass Pro Shop in Kansas City to return the shirt he purchased yesterday in Alabama as the size was incorrect...John needed a large shirt and what he ended up with is a 3xl....bigger than what I wear!

Of course, the Bass Pro Shop here did not have the same style shirt but John found a shirt that would work plus he bought some parts to make a cold water cooler so that he can drink while riding using a flexible tube and water shut off much like what I use. We will see how it works tomorrow. With this heat while riding, we need the water intake so we do not dehydrate.

After leaving the BPS for our hotel in NW Kansas City, we can upon another road slowdown and vehicle accident. Fortunately we did not get held up but a few seconds. The same cannot be said for the vehicle driver. The wrecked truck is behind the emergency vehicle.
This has been our longest ride day in miles and time.

We finally stopped for the evening at 9:00 pm after riding 746 miles. We were riding for about 12 hours and then stopped for about 2 1/2 hours. We were trying to make up for getting a slow start the first day so we can get on schedule to get to Alaska in a timely manner. We will see if it worked when we end riding tomorrow evening.

We are both tired and hot but now that we are in the room with the AC working hard, the day does not seem as long as it was.

Tomorrow, north on I-29 and to Canada.

Over Cooked for today.

Mike