94 miles. Manhattan, KS to Beloit, KS
Waking up at 4:30 really isnt too bad. Really, I mean as long as you think of it as an extended nap from the day before you'll be set. Seriously though, being totally ready to ride while its still dark was an interesting experience. Breakfast was provided by this funny group of men from the church who were kind enough to be up so early. It was funny since dinner the night before had been prepared by a female only group. Seems like a good enough way to avoid marriage stress...
Riding with the sunrise in the morning made me realize how few I've actually seen. I can't even remember the last time, but let me tell you, no one could get over how magical the morning ride was with such a majestic sun creeping over the horizon. We all agreed that we'd totally do 4:30 every morning if we could experience that each time.
The rolling scenery was great all the way through. Lots of prairies and lots of wheat. Unfortunately the latter had already been harvested only a week ago but that didn't stop Karina and I from getting a quick frolic in(it was her first!). Though i would've loved to be running among head high stalks, standing in a sea of gold for as far as i could see was pretty awesome. The 100+ degrees that started hitting around 2:30 was less than great. But there were sheep! We even got to see them run around. Gotta love em.
I explained yesterday how people usually just end up riding with each other sorta randomly unless arranged beforehand. Lately there have been lots of two person pairs and I've been thinking for a while how frustrating it can be when your pace isn't matched up with your partners. Its really none of your faults but just rather your difference in riding abilities. On a super hot and long day like today where the roads are flat I at least feel that its nice to go a healthy pace and finish early and beat the heat. You obviously can't ditch people you're with so it gets a little tough if things aren't matched. Its not so much going slow that's the problem, but rather that feeling of not getting a good workout. I guess in a way my body sometimes craves endorphins and speed really bad but I can't always allow that due to riding conditions, and that can sometimes be tough to handle. Its also much harder if good conversation isn't always present to make up for the slow riding. Just some thoughts on an unavoidable dilemma. It kinda bothers me that i sometimes find myself subtly maneuvering to make sure I don't get paired with certain riders, but on the other hand there shouldn't be anything wrong with wanting to ride with people who you like and who match your speed.'
The day was once again spent on Route 24 which was thoroughly uneventful. We did pass a sign pointing to Salina, KS which was cool since my roommate Patrick is from there and has told me a bunch of stories about it. On the last 15 miles, we hit flat land and the crosswind picked up like nobody's business. We were struggling to not let the wind push us off the rode. I literally had to ride tilted left 80 degrees just to keep from being pushed over. It was pretty fun and cool actually. I mean really, who would want easy riding?
We did some guesstimating and are thinking that the Rockies will come into sight in two days. Some say tomorrow but i think two days sounds good. Can't wait to get that first glimpse of them on the horizon. Nothing like staring at doom head on for hundreds of miles.
Also, the artillery was out in full force today. The satchel was loaded last night with seven munitions of which only one was prematurely detonated today. One other was fired directly at the van as it passed us(perfect timing!) only to be deflected off the windshield. No other victims were targeted, but tomorrow is another day. And for those who are more confused than usual, I'm talking about my slowly self-consuming water-balloon obsession. Jenny couldn't tell what hit the car, so worry not, she still assumes it was an onion(?). The enemy still sleeps...
Finally! i found postcards. Such a load of stress off of me, it was literally the only place in a 30 mile radius that had any. Ugh! Its silly to be upset over this but i still can't believe that in 94 miles and our host town i didn't pass a single pharmacy that i could buy sunscreen from. With sun that intense its a necessity and it pains me to keep borrowing from people. Words cannot express my outrage at the barren countryside right now, as beautiful as it is. This is def my city side being all fussy but seriously, just one bottle of sunscreen. I just get really upset and outraged when things that should make sense and be simple aren't. Namely, buying a bottle of sunscreen somewhere in 200 miles of road. Don't even get me started on companies' customer service...
Got into town early with Carlie around 2:30 and enjoyed a great root beer float at this nice soda fountain shop for only $2.50. You can't even get a whipped cream topping for that cheap in NYC. By then it was definitely over 100 degrees and we headed to the city pool with some others only to find the greatest slide ever. We easily went on it at least 10 times in the first 5 minutes and were more hyper than most of the little kids there. Water to our skin was like gold bond to a wet crotch. (Trust me, riders know what that means) Getting to know several female lifeguards was also very appreciated. Easliy chilled in the pool for over 1.5 hours and loved every minute.
The catholic church here treated us to a great spaghetti dinner and i couldn't help but go into "inhale" mode after all that swimming. Finished dinner by 7 something and its really nice to have all this time to decompress. Though its quickly approaching 10pm which for most people is probably the equivalent of 1am.
Also, mail drop today! Super Duper thanks to John and Niki and everyone for sending the cards and words of support (loved the drawn in bicycle!). They totally made my day. I guess someone looked at how to mail love on the right sidebar, ahem... Also just in general thank you for your unrelenting love and encouragement. That goes for all of the readers of this blog as well. You're probably all connected in some way to one or more riders on this trip, whether friends or family, or acquaintances we've met along the way. If you're a random dude in Greenland that's probably still okay. But knowing that you're all following along and silently cheering means the world to me and all the riders. Comments are just goldmines of encouragement as well and I'd highly recommend them. Its really my honor and pleasure to share this magical journey with you all so THANK YOU for being there with us.
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