I write this post sitting in a Ford Explorer, rented from AVIS. We picked up the car at about 8:00 a.m. and got everything packed by 9:00, and were on the road at 9:26. We expect the ride to be about 12 hours. We should arrive in Kansas City about 10:00 p.m. All of our gear fit in the back of the Explorer, with the third and second row seats folded down. The bikes are placed upside down, with the front wheel off. The trailers went in between the bikes, with the wheels and hitches taken off. We strapped our mascot, Scout, to one of the wheels. He now has a good view out the back window. We are both surprised as to how well the bikes and trailers fit in. Last year, we had only one trailer but were more packed than this year. We drove a Pontiac Aztec last year. ClarkWheel and I were both wondering if we would be able to fit everything in with this SUV. And, we were surprised when the bikes and trailers went in so simply. Both of us called it "too easy."
At about 1:30 we stopped at a travel plaza for lunch. We were back on the road by 1:45. Shortly after entering Missouri, we encountered heavy rain and lightning. We were forced to pull over until the conditions improved. The sky seemed to be a greenish blue, the type of sky tornadoes come from. We didn't see any, though. At about 5:30, we encountered a massive traffic jam. Traffic was stopped as far as we could see. Many people were out of their cars (including us) and were discussing the situation. It turned out to be an overturned semi ahead of us. The storm was thought to be the cause of it. We didn't start moving until about 6:30.
ClarkWheel and I finally pulled into the hotel at 10:07, after about 12 hours. The entire trip was about 600 miles.
Sixth graders, we now give the first question of the trip: Our destination today is Kansas City. When Lewis and Clark came to the present-day site of Kansas City, it was the confluence of the Missouri and another major river. What is the other river? Write down the date of this post and the answer to the question on a Word document. Remember, do NOT post answers on this blog. Any such comments will be immediately deleted. If you post the answer on the blog, everyone will know the answer, therefore lessening your chance of winning the prize.
3 Comments:
Hey Mr. G! I hope you had a good first day, even though you were trapped in a car with Tai for 12 hours (HA). I think that riding a bike all the way to Montana for most of the summer would be fun. I hope you enjoy these next 6 weeks. Say hi to Tai, if he's not reading this, which I hope.
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Anonymous, at 8:21 AM
Hey Mr.G! Glad you had a good first day even if you were stuck in an hour long traffic jam. Luckily it did not turn out to be tornado. That would have not been very good... obviously. Just 6 more fun filled, exciting, and tiring (well for me haha) weeks left until acomplishing your goal! Good luck! And like i said, I'll be writing. Say hey to tai if he's not already reading this! Have fun and hopefully you won't get stuck in any more traffic jams. HAHA
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Anonymous, at 10:42 AM
Hey Mike, Eric, and Natalie,
Great to hear from you three. We are now 3 days into the trip. You wouldn't believe the hills and the headwinds...but we are making it. You know, Mike, I think you could do this...it's challenging but interesting (notice I didn't say "fun").Yes, Eric, it was tough for 12 hours in the car with Tai....but he did keep me awake singing Beatle songs while driving. Yes, Natalie, we are determined to make our goal. What are your goals for the summer? We haven't hit anymore traffic jams on our bicycles. Sometimes here in the Kansas and Nebraska countryside we don't hardly see ANY cars.
Please be patient waiting on comments from us. We have some difficulty finding an internet connection. This is the first time we've had a connection since arriving in Kansas City.
Clarkwheel (Mr.G)
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Anonymous, at 1:45 PM
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