Eureka, KS

64.58mi
7.3avs

Riding through Kansas is wonderful. Every day, the heat becomes drier and less harsh. Oh, it's still crazy hot out, but it's not sweat dripping stinking disgusting heat like in Iowa and Missouri. I'm not burning anymore, either. The sun has darkened my skin enough so that I'm feeling being resilient to the sun.

Rarely are the roadsides here mowed. In Illinois and Missouri, I saw too many mowers uglifying the highways. Now I can ride with the grass brushing my north-facing leg. Sunflowers are everywhere, along with Chicory, Queen Anne's Lace, tiny white daisies, creeping yellow flowers, now and then an otherworldly metallic blue Erygium.

Midway through the day, after leaving the lakeside park in Chanute, I sidetracked into the tiny town of Benedict looking for a snack. I circles around the town twice looking for the elusive 'Benedict Community Store' before spotting it - a little white and green shop with signs out front welcoming cyclists. The owner sold me a white watermelon, gave me a big cakey brownie, and warned me that the local water is radioactive(!?). After this, he gave me some bottled water. He lets cyclists camp behind his store, and is planning on installing pay showers.

Reaching today's destination of Eureka, I found the park right as rainclouds closed in. A woman at the pool let me in to take a shower, after which I set up my hammock under a picnic shelter and cooked dinner. Just as I was wondering if I'd be seeing them, Ryan and Michelle showed up after dark, having eaten in town.

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A Canada goose, a farm goose, and a rooster by the lake.

Where did that rooster come from, anyway?

Sunflowers. Much, much better than mowed highway margins.

Eryngium leavenworthii. Not a purple pineapple.

I'm not sure what these are, but they're nice and clingy so I stuck them all around my trunk bag to liven it up.

The community store in Benedict.

Tree on a hill.

Shelter from the rain in Eureka.

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.