In Which I Gain a Fellowship - Chanute, KS

37.81mi
7.3avs

It's been another nice, sunny Kansas day of riding. The roads are lined with flowers and the air smells like straw and soil. I spent a lot of time on the roadside with my camera out, making this a nice short day.

The outskirts of Chanute turned to sprawling retail stores and fast food, which jarred with my peaceful ride. I can't complain too much, though, considering I fooded up at Walmart and used MacDonalds wifi. While puttering around on my laptop I got in a conversation with a hispanic man about riding through Mexico and Central America - he sounded like people do everywhere(ie: Watch out for the neighbors). Thinking about the cyclists I met in Girard, I looked up some info on the Tour De Fat. I thought back to my meeting with Faith and Robert, riding with thousands of other in Ragbrai, and wondered why I shouldn't just go for it.

That evening, I was setting up camp in at the Chanute city park when Michelle and Ryan, the cyclists from Girard, rolled in. I pretty much greeted them with "Hey, I'm going to Denver!". Lets see what happens next...

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This is lambs quarters, a weedy plant which grows all over and can be used somewhat like spinach. The easiest way to identify it is by the powdery coating, particularly on the undersides of the leaves. Older plants can be tough and the leaves are best boiled.

Giraffe in Chanute.

Michelle studies my Colorado bike map.

Guarding the gear pile while my new friends go to Walmart. If anyone comes by and asks, I'll say it's all mine, and yes it's very heavy thank-you-very-much.