KANSAS!

I woke up again thinking I overslept and everyone was already packed. Nope, just another 5 AM wake up with the usual waterfall of drool. Jim got up early to prepare some delicious, non-watered down coffee before we rolled out. We camped the night with Tim again which was nice because this time we could share breakfast with him. We were anxious to get going because Cooky’s Cafe opened at 6 AM and we’ve been hearing about this place, more so it’s homemade pie, since Virginia. Fortunately, we didn’t have to go far before we arrived. The red neon sign lit the street almost as a marker to signal hungry cyclists. We ordered our beverages, breakfast items, and of course of pie. Unfortunately, the fresh pies wouldn’t be done until 7:30 AM at least, so we settled for some day old slices. I started with a watery coffee, and proceeded to munch on pancakes and eggs. From there, I moved onto my chocolate pecan pie with runny homemade whipped cream. I’m just going to put this out there, I think I hyped myself up for something a bit average. I understand the pie wasn’t made fresh that day, but it’s only a day old. Nonetheless, I didn’t leave one crumb on the plate, so it’s still worth the trip for the experience and country diner feel.

After settling our tabs, Tim decided to roll with the goon squad for a few miles. Open road, cool weather, and the sun rising behind us. Nothing felt better than this moment with the dudes. Light traffic on the road lead to a Flying V formation. We’re having a blast out here. Tim eventually broke off being he had a 110 mile day planned. We waved goodbye to our companion, and soon he was gone with the wind.

The Ozarks of Missouri are now behind us, and the flats of Kansas are beginning to arrive. We cruised at 15-17 mph for the majority of the morning with corn and wheat by our sides. We stopped for some pictures of Old Timer on hay bales; he sure is one scary looking scarecrow. Jim joined in on the fun too, but probably scared away all the population of Kansas. Moving along, we knew we were approaching a milestone. KANSAS BABY!

We all lined up next to each other and approached the line together. This was a neat moment. We stopped for pictures at the state sign, and reflected on our experience in beautiful Missouri. We will miss you MO. We eventually cruised into Pittsburg, KS just as a storm rolled in. I pulled into a coffee shop on the Main Street, while the dudes went towards the bike shop. While there, I took advantage of some wifi and posted some journals, paid bills, and read journals. I really look forward to reading the experiences of current trans am bikers in front and behind us.

After there bike work was taking care of, we moved over to Bill’s Grill where the dudes grabbed some lunch. I had already eaten some sandwiches and clif bar, so I made some phone calls for a place to stay the night. After a minor missed turn, we found our way on a light traffic road with a ballin’ tailwind. We were booking it close to 20 mph. Our daily average mph for the whole 60 miles was 13 mph. That’s unheard of for us during this trip, we usually float between 10 and 11 mph. Our mileage was flying by, and any time we came upon a town we’d snap some pictures and head back out into the tail wind.

I was feeling exceptional, so at some points I kicked into hyperdrive and took off. We’d always end up back together, but sometimes when you see ahead for miles you let loose and go. In between two small towns we were lucky enough to have the Immanuel Lutheran church take us indoors and provide a full kitchen, stocked pantry, water, electric, and wifi! These places and their generosity blow my mind. Such a wonderful and welcoming group of people.

Being that we road 60 miles in 4.5 hours, we had a nice chunk of time to chillax. For me, that meant catching up with journaling, interneting, and eating. Finally the opportunity to cook for these fine gentleman was upon us. With a limited pantry, I whipped up some spaghetti with bacon and chicken seasoned tomato sauce with garlic bread. I forgot how wonderful a home cooked, hot meal tasted, especially when sharing with friends. We scarfed the meal down with some perfectly sweet lemonade, then satisfied our sweet tooth with an ice cream sandwich. Ahh, the good life.

We scurried outside to catch our first of many Kansas sunsets. ‘Twas magnificent. We laid in the streets and basked in the glory of the sky. The moment was surreal, and I think we all had some sort of memory we’ll never forget there. Once the sun hid behind the trees the sky filled with deep red, yellow, and orange. Once Old Timer christened the fields, we walked back into the church, set up our sleeping quarters, and drifted off to slumber. These days will never be forgotten.

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