Yes, we made it to the restaurant before the crowd and everything was in good shape.  The town drew on its previous year's experience and had a great Mexican buffet lined out for us and extra supplies of refreshment on hand.  Experience does sometimes pay off!

DAY 6 PROFILE

Predawn lightning, blowing wind and rain jolted us from a deep sleep and little did we know that our tour experience would take such a drastic turn.  I staggered out of the tent with rain intensity increasing by the second trying to make my way in the dark to the shed where we parked the triplet.  The high winds ripped our tarp loose from the tent hence it needed to be secured which I did once I was sure the wind would not blow the triplet over and cause damage.

The rain let up shortly after dawn and I recall being thankful given we had a long day ahead of us.  Riders certainly wasted no time in packing up their wet belongings during the lull and hitting the road as most of the tents and riders had vanished by 6:30.  Then it started raining, again.  Uck!  Oh well I thought trying to be optimistic.  

We prepared Courtney best we could mentally and physically as we sought shelter in the school while I scavenged an extra trash bag.   She donned a shower cap, rain jacket and warmer clothes as we headed to the local Casey's for early morning calories.  We were probably the last out of town given the time spent at Caseys getting a bite to eat!  A recumbent tandem had also stopped at the Caseys and struggled with a dragging front brake.  We were able to get it rolling freely for them and said our farewells.  It was a light cool rain but not too cold and we enjoyed a good tailwind but little did we know.....  We did all that was possible given what we had to make sure Courtney's hair was tucked inside of her rain jacket and built an extra rain-fly going from her helmet down so the rear wheel spray would not get on her hair nor go down her back.

We found ourselves climbing a series of hills, one after the other.  And looking at the day's profile later on it was not my imagination!  Increasing lightning intensity and closeness was making us all nervous.  Courtney started asking questions seeking reassurance.  The electrical portion of the storm seemed to favor being in the west and it made one ponder options when a lightning bolt struck the top of a hill on the horizon.  Hoping it would stay west of us was a falsehood given another was soon to strike a hill top on the right.  And then we we heard the paralleling power line buzz just before another strike.  "We are right in the middle of it!" I spoke through the now saturated intercom.  The mics were starting to create static a sure sign they would stop working in short order until they had a chance to dry out.  

It seems any time and anywhere in KS that you head north you go up hill and the start of today's ride was no exception.  It would have been a pretty scenic day with the rolling hills if it were not for mother nature!  We were to turn west after probably 20 miles but little did we know....

We reached the small  town, turned east and our speed plummeted due to the driving wind.  The road leaving the community provided a light downhill run which did not offset the extreme winds.  The highway took us across the Lake Melvern dam where the 25-30 mph cross winds with driving rain literally knocked us around on the road.  And it was cold... and getting colder.  The wind chill at this point was taking an effect and Courtney let us know she was getting cold.  We struggled across the dam knowing there would be some shelter on the other side and hoped she would warm up.  I encouraged her to pedal harder and explained how exertion generates heat from within.   We spied a sag in short order and added her leg warmers making do as best we could.  Other cold wet riders were there seeking shelter in the old van type truck so at least we had caught a few by this time!  Reluctantly Courtney got on the bike as I explained to her that the town of Riley, north of Manhattan, would hopefully have a store where we would be able to purchase something warmer for her to wear.  We started rolling better after the short stop but Courtney's complaints were now more frequent and louder as she was becoming miserable.  We finally made it to the town and spied a convenience store where many riders were holed up for the same reason.  Hot chocolate and coffee were the number one items being purchased.  Scavenging the store I found some electrical tape and requested a trash bag.  

Courtney was mentally down and had at this point she had had enough thus she requested several times to go home.  I stepped outside, unbeknownst to her, and found enough signal in the area I might be able to make a call.  Talking with Sue between dropped calls I explained the situation and asked her to be on standby as there was no telling which way a tired, cold and previously hungry kid would go.  With great coaxing we managed to get Courtney wrapped in plastic so she would remain dry and be windproof.  As cool as she was there was no concern of her getting wet from sweating.

After bundling her up she finally relented to having her picture taken as I assured her she may want to remember this adventure and look back on her accomplishment at a later time.  We headed out and continued our new found chant of "We don't need no stinkin SAG wagon!"  ...and "Only wimps ride those stinkin' SAG wagons!"  It sounded good anyway at the time and more importantly it worked for her.  

We arrived at the designated lunch stop at Tuttle Creek stationed just below the dam.  My words of encouragement turned to something like, "We will have it made now as we are going to turn and go north and have a good tailwind!"  Knowing this particular road from the KS State Champ road races and other rides, I was aware that the wind assist would be offset by the continual northerly climb but at least the wind chill would be gone.

Courtney was really getting into the spirit of things now as she was singing "Oh what a beautiful morning, Oh what a beautiful day.......... everything's going my way!"  And you know what... it worked!  It started getting lighter, the sprinkles stopped and low and behold out in the middle of no where on a back county road at the top of the hill appeared this small church selling of all things ice cream!  Against my better judgment we stopped.  That said, we had no longer stopped and the sun came out followed by the road drying up before we left!  Now if that did not beat all!

We left with an entirely new outlook on life and rolled into Onaga but little did we know....

We toured the town which seemed short on funds given the general condition of the roads and all.  It was a very small somewhat destitute looking community and it only took a couple of minutes to figure out there was very little there in the way of places to eat or hang out.  

A PHOTO TAKEN BY OUR FRIEND MIKE ROCKEY

Out of the blue I said, "Hey Courtney!  Do you still want to finish the century?  You have only 11 miles to go."  Now if I only had the camera in my hands to capture that moment on Julie's face!  The two of us coaxed Julie's tired sore biscuits back onto the saddle and finished it off.  What a day!!... little did we know....  the best was yet to come!

We returned to town and had a great meal at the local pizza place which was overrun with cyclists.  The school where we were staying was situated atop a hill and our legs protested with the final effort as we were over 100 miles for the day.  Courtney had certainly met her goal!

It was a beautiful evening and Courtney had drifted off to sleep a little earlier than usual.  We were sitting in the grass enjoying the pleasant evening as were others around us.  Off in the distance a bit of lightning was noted and actually question as to whether it was real.  It became apparent that it was in fact real and getting a bit closer but looked like it would skirt to the west.

Our conversation was interrupted by a sudden huge high gust of wind!  The wind chased us into the shelter of our tents as sprinkles started to sting our skin.   Within moments it all intensified in multiples.  I could hear people yelling in the distance as my tarp was blown from our tent.  Courtney remained sound asleep thus far through all the ruckus.  I heard Julie calling out something, crawled out of my tent as it was collapsing from the wind pressure all the while trying to hold on to what remaining tarp attachment there was.  My tent was coming un-staked at this point despite the weight of everything inside including Courtney!   I spotted what remained of Julie's tent with my flashlight as it had totally collapsed around her, had become un-staked thus trapping her.  She was unable to find the door to get out!  I reached her tent and was able to eventually locate the door and unzip it as she continued to do her best to to hold everything down and keep everything from blowing away.  Now that she was free I told her I needed to get back to Courtney, get her out of the tent and inside thinking that the possibility of hail and or a tornado might be on the way.

I opened the tent and despite the howling wind and the slapping and flapping of tent material, I had to awaken here.  She was very groggy but quickly realized something was amiss and understood what I was saying.  She offered the best response instructions a parent could hear in such a situation which was, "Yes daddy."  It was a long ways to the school gymnasium and rain was starting to fall a bit harder.  We struggled into the wind while keeping a watchful eye out so as not to trip in the dark.  Tents were down all around with the exception of a few.   We ran to the school building, found what I felt was the safest spot for her in centrally located hallway having nearby bathrooms with instructions to remain put aside from going into the bathroom if anything were to start breaking around her.  I told here I would be right back with our bedding but before leaving reinforced that she was to stay put and not move no matter what unless she needed to resultant of the storm.

After running hard back to the campsite I found Julie searching with her meager flashlight in the wind and rain for missing items.  I assured her that she would be able to find any missing items in the morning.  I wadded our entire tent up with everything inside and drug it across the field and into the maintenance shed followed by retrieving the bike.

It seemed I was on a run everywhere I went, something not easily done after 100 miles in the saddle but that never occurred to me at the time.  Dashing through the now driving rain and high winds back to the school I checked on Courtney.  She was emphatic that she did not want me to leave again.  Having laid out her sleeping bag and retrieved her favorite stuffed animal, O-Joe, I reiterated previous instructions and told her I would be right back as I had everything inside but needed to make sure Julie was okay and to see if she needed help.

Thus our long highly eventful grueling day of reaching Onaga was now capped off with a night robbing us of needed rest and sleep.  Julie eventually made it into the gym area after spreading out her wet stuff in the maintenance shed and taking inventory of everything.  Her tent was designed to withstand high winds and the force was sufficient enough that it totally collapsed bending the support poles along with ripping the stakes from the ground, something that she related had never happened before during other windy storms while camping.

Litle did we know.......!

Day 7 - Friday, June 10, 2005

Onaga to Hiawatha
67.7 Miles, 17.1 AVERAGE ON THE TRIPLET

DAY 7 PROFILE

The day started with the inconsiderate early predawn risers talking and clomping about the hallway with cleats.  Talk about tired and being sleep deprived!  That was the way our final long full day's ride started.  The roads were dampish as we tried to warm up our tired bodies and exhausted legs which seemed to have been left somewhere yesterday.  The rolling hills made our muscles protest and leaving on an empty stomach did not help either.  It was not long though before we stopped at the first sag and had some breakfast rolls, bagels and bananas hence we were set to go!

Day 8 - Saturday, June 11, 2005

Hiawatha to White Cloud
20.8 Miles, 19 AVERAGE ON THE TRIPLET

We started out the following morning.... late.... again... big surprise!  And looking at the radar available on the TV in the gym, we realized it would be a race to the finish.  The view to the southwest was dark and ominous looking and it was heading our way.  Fortunately the storm was taking the same path to White Cloud as ourselves which would buy as a bit of time.

We grabbed a bite to eat from the kitchen leftovers at the risk of losing precious time and headed out on our final leg.  We anticipated covering this final stretch in about 1 hour as we were motivated to outrun the storm.  The roads remained damp from the overnight rains but keeping ourselves and the bike clean at this point considering what was about to over take us was a secondary concern.  But each time we turned north we would lose ground with the now enveloping clouds.  

With only 2 miles remaining to White Cloud, the sprinkles turned to light rain thus soaking the pavement.  Bummer!  We sought the finish and hastily had our traditional picture taken down by the river and sought shelter.    

Thankfully the local pastor opened the church for everyone so there was a warm dry place with facilities for folks to go.  He had no idea BAK was coming to town which seems typical of the communication or lack thereof with many of the communities that either enjoy or endure a BAK passage.

Riding the quad the entire way along with the dynamics of two tired siblings being able to be in reach of each might be a bit much for next year so maybe it is Natalie's turn in 2006 or possibly 2007!  Time will tell.

One additional item of note was learning from fellow riders that they had come on BAK 2005 resultant of reading our 2004 story of the adventure.  In three words, "Go for it!"  You won't have any regrets as the good days always override in multiples those days that test you physically, mentally and emotionally.

The following appeared in the KU Alumni publication following the event.