HomeNews UpdateFrom Osawatomie to Pittsburg – The trail of death and the unique road – Dakota Free Press
From Osawatomie to Pittsburg – The trail of death and the unique road – Dakota Free Press
July 5, 2024
I drove for five days from Lincoln, Nebraska to Bentonville, Arkansas. Tuesday, July 2nd was the toughest leg. High humidity, temperatures above 90 degrees for most of the ride, and a strong south-southwest headwind the entire time… but hey, I didn’t take vacation to sit around all day waiting for perfect weather.
I broke camp at John Brown Memorial Park and left Osawatomie heading south around 7 a.m.
John Brown looks like a cyclist. These boots would be good for ticks in the tall grass!Sure, John, bring your gun! It’s daylight and the cars will give us a wide berth.Bridge over Pottawatomie Creek, which gives Osawatomie the second half of its name. The first half comes from Osage, for the Osage Indians.(If you are not sure what this Church of God is about)Hot day for agriculture …
It turns out I’m driving the Trail of Death. Maybe Google could have marked that on the map. (It turns out that this sign is south of Osawatomie near the end of the historic trail of the two-month march that several hundred Potawatomi Indians had to make in 1838 when Indiana drove them from their former homeland.)Almost there! I stopped and pushed the turtle the rest of the way to the grass.Most of Tuesday’s route was straight south, but every now and then I was able to take a break from the headwind and veer east.Next up: Big Sugar Creek!Strange: The Big Sugar looks more brown than sweet… and I’m pretty sure it’s not chocolate washed out of the pastures.At the Food Fair Super Market in Mound City, there is a small deli counter in the back. They sell chicken nuggets for ten cents each. I briefly considered spending five dollars and filling my handlebar bag – the nuggets would have stayed hot all day! But I held back: four nuggets plus half a tub of yogurt and blueberries (!!) for half price for a quick sale. Mmmm, bargain!If I were to ride my bike back, I could ride through the fancy neighborhood south of Mound City and enjoy this dinner. Mmmm!By midday, my trusty Timex was showing 39 degrees. The thermometer was probably wrong, as it had been in direct sunlight all morning… but hey, so had I!Banana plant next to a shady windbreak. Everyone, plant more trees!I should learn more about which plants are edible. Getting snacks from the windbreaks would be a great bargain!Take the unique route!I didn’t take as many photos in the afternoon because I rode the last leg from Fort Scott to Pittsburg on asphalt, US Highway 69. It feels safer to photograph from the saddle on quiet gravel than on a busy four-lane road. Plus, I was out of breath – against the wind! I took a break in the shade and a drink break every half hour. There isn’t as much shade on the big paved roads as there is on the gravel roads, but I still found some nice spots.I took one last break from the big highway, the two-lane business arm of 69 north of Pittsburg that runs through Arma and Franklin. I didn’t see much business in Arma and even less in Franklin (Franklin isn’t incorporated, so they probably prefer it that way), but Franklin has a really nice park for the kids and a running track (6 laps is a mile). Franklin Park is also home to this pecan tree, which reminds me the wind could have been worse: the tree survived an F5 tornado in 2003.The 2003 tornado hurled this piece of metal into the sturdy pecan tree. The residents of Franklin have preserved this piece of debris as a memorial to the force of nature. (In related news, I managed to avoid getting my bike caught in a tree.)iPhone Panorama: A large storm cloud was gathering in the west, providing me with welcome shade on the last few miles to Pittsburgh. Thunder and rain were still a good hundred miles away.I rolled into the Pittsburg Super 8, nearly dead. I lugged my bike to my room (I guess I wasn’t too keen on going in), took a long shower, put on some baggy shorts, and walked with uncharacteristic slowness to Casey’s for a Blue Freezie drink and to Panda Express for chicken and chow mein. On the way to gas, the car wash offered that sign, that moral imperative, that reminder of what we can accomplish when we ride bikes on unique roads.
