Finally, the Plains...

Kansas has turned out to be quite different than expected. I thought I could just show up, power through the whole state and take full advantage of the flats. I quickly discovered that Kansas had plenty of tricks up it's sleeve, the worst of which being the wind.

Today was only 70 miles to Larned. I could have done more because I truly lucked out with the weather, but the other issue in Kansas is that there is absolutely nothing for stretches of 60 miles. It would either be 70 miles to a town with food and water, or 130 to a smaller town with less food and water which would have all been closed by the time I got there. I got off to a late start anyway because I had to stop in at the Hutchinson bike shop for a rear dérailleur adjustment and new bar tape. By the time I hit the road, it was 11am, giving me just enough time to make it to Larned. I got there by 5:15 and got some cold drinks, food, and took a dip in the city pool.

Whilst in the pool, I noticed a little girl swimming around and looking at me. She was about nine years old, and I assumed she saw a lone guy with crazy tan lines and white hands and saw me as a threat. She eventually showed up in the ledge above me with a basketball and we ended up playing a game of HORSE. She turned out to be pretty cool, and she was just looking to meet someone new. Her brother is a lifeguard and she just spends all of her days swimming around alone, so I think she was just happy that I didn't blow her off.

I later learned that she knew I was a biker and was used to seeing wierd people like me. She could tell by the tan lines and weathered appearance. She was losing the game horrifically, and just as she was about to be eliminated, they announced that the pool would be closing. I told her we should do a sudden death round, first basket wins. I then proceeded to heave the basketball everywhere except the net until she made a shot. She totally bought it.

Anyway, today was really easy compared to yesterday. The wind was calm, the temperature was moderate and I even got a little rain to cool things down about half way. It was smooth sailing into Larned. Tomorrow has yet to be figured out.

I felt like I was biking through Africa today. There were huge areas of land that were untouched and looked just like the safari-type scenes I have always seen in photos. I passed one place that even had camels and ostriches. It was cool, and probably the first really impressive scenery I have witnessed in the trip.

Location:Larned, KS