Kansas

We slept in the Barham House, constructed 1876. There was plenty of space, air-conditioning, and a couple of other cyclists to make conversation with. We said goodbye to Richard and Dave that morning and split for opposite ends of the country. While still in town, we stocked up at the grocery store and Jeremy, Jordan, and I went in on some apple turnovers. They were outstanding. First miles of the day were around 8:15 in the morning, led off by Freshy Fresh, aka Jeremy, who had apparently rested well during his two days off. We took our first meal stop of the day on the side of the road and leaned the bikes against a metal gate. We are constantly in pursuit of something good to lean the bikes on.

The heat actually broke today and I was surprised to find myself saying that it wasn't hot enough to have to get into the shade. A welcome relief. There were some small cacti, strangely enough, in the patch of grass we chose. Bermuda, Missouri. We're seeing a lot more touring cyclists now – Kansas seems to be the point of convergence for those who started on either coast. We spoke to a solo rider on a Rivendell who warned us about another road closure and suggested a route change that wouldn't add any miles. That seemed to be the safe bet, so we said goodbye and considered that our plan. Just a bit later we met a pair of cyclists, it looked like father and son, who said we HAD to stay on the original route and eat pie at a place called Cooky's cafe. $1.75 seemed a pretty attractive price for a slice of pie so we skipped the detour.

Today was Sunday and there was a thick after-church crowd in Golden City. We heard one person say they had driven sixty miles to eat lunch there. We spoke to a family for a minute or two who said they had driven forty. They asked about logistics and things while we all waited for a table and we said goodbye when one opened up. There were an astonishing number of pie choices at Cooky's. Fruit pies. Chocolate Pies. Cream pies. German Chocolate. Dutch Apple. Cherry. One called Sawdust which was like a jumble pie. We consumed many slices and our waitress came over toward the end of the meal and told us everything had been paid for. We were floored. Astonished. We asked who had been so kind and she pointed to the family we had spoken to at the front of the restaurant. We couldn't have talked for more than two minutes. There was some confusion about how to properly thank them and I was volunteered to convey the message. I walked over and told them how much it had meant to all of us. Everybody was wearing a big grin. I still can't get over their generosity.

We hit the road happy and encountered another road closure but just rolled slowly on through the dirt where the lanes used to be. We stopped at a hardware and feed store and were encouraged to come say hello to a cyclist named Bob Noel. Bob lives in the area and was out for an afternoon ride and we talked for a while. Bob was totally cool. Everybody says hello if you're reading. Bob pushed on and we set about leaving as well but Adam had a flat tire. He fixed it but also discovered a broken spoke on his new wheel. We tried to press on. Tried. I lost the velcro strap that attaches my pump to the frame. Jeremy found it in the trash with some orange peels I had tossed. Whoops. Then we tried to leave again but ran into a pair of touring cyclists – one from LA and one from Vegas. Finally, we made our exit. That hardware store was a black hole.

We pushed hard and rode over the Kansas state line. See you later Missouri. Pittsburg was our stop for the day and we rode in to find the bike shop is closed on Sundays and Mondays. No good. On a positive note we ran into Chris the German and Chase the Texan, cyclists we've been riding with on the way west. We went to Sonic and got milkshakes and other nutritious cycling snacks. For the technically interested, we used the Hypercracker to remove Adam's cassette and install one of my replacement spokes. The Hypercracker was cool. The spoke isn't the right length but it's better than nothing. And before I forget, Jordan and I joined the ranks today – both peed off the bicycle while in motion. Just one left to join.

Lot of text today, hope you got through it all right. Lot of intrigue. Lot of ins and outs. Lotta whoseit whatsit. Talk to you next time.

First stop of the day.

A delicious and heartwarming lunch.

They can't believe it.

Giro face.

Kansas.