Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Day 34: A new state, a new state of mind

Miles today: 79
Scott city, KS ---> Sheridan Lake , CO

After a decent stay at the athleticlub, we got going around 830am. We had not done laundry in a good while so we decided that considering the high temperature was only 82 it was ok to spend some precious morning hours to do some chores. After laundry we had subway for breakfast ( egg sandwiches with veggies and cheese- not terrible but weird because the egg was sitting next to the tomatoes, pre cooked and thawed out from the walk in freezer. Still tasted good nevertheless)

We started pedaling at 10:30a and it was 67 degrees. Just felt great to ride with no sweat, not having to guzzle water, and not counting down the miles till the next town. Jen had been dreading Kansas like one would dread a final exam which they didn't study for, so today was a great day for her as we left Kansas at mile marker 65 for the day. Jen made a comment about how Kansas made her feel claustrophobic which at first thought seems odd considering you can see for miles in all directions possibly providing a sense of openness and freedom- quite the opposite of claustrophobia. But she put it like you were on a beach looking out for miles with nothing ahead. But this feeling was not only out to sea but 360 degrees around providing a sense of trappedness in yet an open space. Hmmm.... The worst part is that you see a landmark off in the distance (usually a water tower) but it takes hours to actually get there! It seems like you are pedaling and pedaling but never getting anywhere because all you see is that stupid water tower!

Anyway we stopped a few times in the towns of Leoti,where we got some candy, and then again in Tribune for a quick bite. Tribune was 18 miles from our final resting spot for the day of Sheridan Lake. We ran into a family also riding east west. It was a mom, dad, brother and sister. Mom and brother were dad and sister's sag wagon. ( sag= support and gear) basically the dad and sister were the only riders and the mom and brother rode in a truck and trailer with their stuff. Pretty nice to have nothing on the back of your bike.

We got to the church we were planning to stay at an hour earlier due to crossing into the mountain time zone which was great- more sleep tonight! We are staying at a cool church with a full kitchen so we cooked pasta and beans on a real stove which was a nice change- still the same meal as usual though hah. We are about to meet Jen's dad and Diane out in Colorado Springs for some well needed
R and R. Gonna be great to relax for a few days and not spend the large majority of the day sitting on something 10 inches x 4 inches hah. Its truly amazing to think how far we really have come- 1870 miles. And yet the wild west still sits waiting for us. Sometimes it is easy to forget how wide and diverse both the people And the landscape of this country really are when you are home and just living normal life. This country is massive, and riding a bike through it has given great insight into why we really are called a melting pot.

Some pictures below:



And again we go back in time...



Jen: " No thank you. "

200 feet later...



All smiles!

What a welcomed sign! We love CO!



This is the church were we stayed- what a great kitchen!
 The pastor showed me the room where I would be sleeping (below), and then showed Jen to a different room, down the hall where she would be sleeping. At first we we shocked, but we decided to be respectful of this kind man's wishes and we slept in seperate rooms, for the first time in a while! Hey, when you are getting a big beautiful kitchen, AC, and showers all to yourself, beggers won't be choosers.




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