After a little rain last night I got up and hit the road kind of early. The temperature was great and the roads have flattened out a bit. I’m gonna be on the same highway for the next 300ish miles, basically until New Mexico. I like the highways he though, the shoulders have been good and there are towns every 20 miles or so.
There is a ton of stuff on the side of the road. Most of it is junk like energy drink bottles and assorted trash but there is other stuff as well. Today I found a full tackle box with fishing hooks, wire, and other assorted stuff. I was hoping I could find a pocket knife or something useful in it but there was nothing I could use so I left it there. Maybe someone will find it and put it to use. I have found a ton of bungee cords on the road that I’ve used. I wonder what the rules are for claiming stuff like that. I figure it’s fine to consider bungee cords abandoned and available for who ever finds it but where is the line? I can’t claim a car I find and I probably can’t just claim a diamond ring… Hmm, just something I ponder.
I was able to get some restocking of water, food, and a new charger today while in a little town. I know people knock WalMart but I’ll take one of them anyway over these gas stations and small town stores. Getting everything in one place for a significantly lower price is freaking great. Unfortunately I also had a tube blow get punctured today. I hate when that happens, especially when I can only fill the new tube to about 50psi and they really need to be around 70psi. It is the first tube in about 1200 miles so I can’t complain too much.
I stopped at a little town called Haviland to rest and find a power outlet. Electricity has been a bit elusive lately. I finally found one attached to the outside of an awesome little coffee shop called Origins. Sadly it was closed like everything else in a 50 mile radius on a Sunday. My day ended at Greensburg where I found a free campsite along a fishing lake. Greensburg has an interesting story, 95% of the town was destroyed by a tornado a few years back and they have made rebuilding and staying strong a priority. They are the “greenest” city per capita in the world, but I think there is a Broken Window fallacy going on here a bit. This is also the home to the largest hand dug well and some meteorites.
After falling asleep a pretty bad rainstorm hit the area. It was the worst night I’ve had so far. I’m drenched, my equipment is soaked, and the rain isn’t stopping. It looks like things will clear up tomorrow but for now I’m stuck. It could be worse though, I have free camping, a nearby water source, a coffee shop with electricity and wifi, and a grocery store. I also haven’t had a day off since Jasper, Indiana weeks ago. I’m tempted to get a hotel room at the Best Western across the street so that I can dry out but it’s not really responsible. I may need to spend half of tomorrow drying out everything and going over my inventory.
Wandering Oak 