Hello again blog! Day 42 was 85.2 miles from Topeka to Kansas City, with a record number of people telling us that we’re crazy for biking in the midday heat. But hey, if it’s already 80 degrees by 7 am, it’ll be hot the whole day and we might as well just sleep in and leave later. (I know this is terrible logic, yet it works so well every morning at 7 am!)
Anyway, a recap of the day. We did manage to set out at a relatively early time for us, and Tom rode with us for the first few miles on his tandem bike alongside Kawther. They proved to be an incredible duo, zooming far ahead of us.
The tandem bike in action!
Then, each experience was followed in quick succession by the next. The heat and humidity really set in, with increasingly large hills as a sweet topping. We picked up cheese curds along with free cucumbers and tomatoes at a farmer’s market. We detoured up and down an absurdly steep and bumpy gravel road due to construction. We visited a beautiful arboretum, with a pond but no mosquitoes since it was so hot. We cooled down in the wonderfully air-conditioned D-dubs Bar and Grill in Eudora. We plunged down into a canyon to visit a beautiful lake, and then worked our way up and out to relax briefly at Electric Park in Lenexa. Lastly, we entered Missouri and had another splendid spaghetti dinner with our Warmshowers hosts Sandy and Alan.
Morning, pensive lake view
Gorgeous gazebo at the arboretum. No mosquitoes!
Afternoon lake on the outskirts of Kansas City, and all smiles
Kawther’s favorite pavilion
Negotiating the foreign concept of a big city
Powering through as we near our destination
And that brings me to a quick reflection now that we’re just over halfway to DC:
So many experiences every single day that I wish I could all stuff into my mind. Not a whole lot of time to stuff it all in.
Protein bars are lifesavers. However, when it comes to Zbars vs. death, I’m less sure what some team members might choose.
Organization of the van is a relentless task. I insist that we’ve been getting much better at it though. Boxes help!
Kindness of people we encounter on this trip continues to be mindblowing. Kindness truly matters.
Eat, sleep, drink, bike. On a bike tour, get those right, and you’ll be able to do whatever you like.
Since the trip started, everyone on the team has grown so much and become like family. It’s been a great time. And speaking of which…
‘24 days left (give or take a couple, as of the day I’m writing this blog). Crazy!!
See you next time, and keep an eye out for our next post about our teaching (and other experiences) in Kansas City!
- Hunter