DAY 41: Eureka to Immanuel Lutheran Church: "Towards the soupy sunset"

July 9, 2016

DAILY STATS

Mileage: 97.14

Average Speed: 12.3 mph

Maximum Speed: 29.8 mph

I woke up today feeling well-rested, sore, and hungry. I whipped up some eggs and coffee for breakfast and stretched a bit. Robyn stopped by, and we got to chatting until about 11:30. I departed her place after a hug and a sincere thank you. She had been the most welcoming person yet that I've met.

Before leaving town, I quickly checked out some of the tornado damage from the previous day.

The tornado touched down about four blocks from the house I stayed in. Glad I wasn't there for it, and that everyone was okay!

Once on the road, I was quickly bathed in a marinade of my own bodily juices. It was hot and very, very humid. The ride between Eureka and Chanute was swampy and rolling, taking me along dense deciduous forest and open crop fields. Two brief respites into the confines of air conditioned convenience stores were marvelous, but also reminded me of what I had to (eventually) go out to ride in.

Sometimes you find yourself eating a whole bunt cake by the side of a closed convenience store in middle-of-nowhere Kansas. Oh well, the calories are much apreciated!

The last push between Chanute and the church I'd be staying in was much more pleasant. The sun was lower in the sky, and frequent clouds would block its deeply-penetrating rays. There was a bank of HUGE clouds in front of me, intimidating me with their ability to soak/electrocute me, but they also provided a gorgeous sunset. I passed through the town of Walnut (which I really liked) and made my way to the church, 6 miles out of town.

What a sky! I spent several hours slowly making my way towards it.

The roads just disappear into the horizon.

While I don't normally like to bike after sunset, I'll make certain exceptions. This is one of them.

Due to my late start, I pulled in to the Immanuel Lutheran Church just after sunset. I was greeted with air conditioning (!), another fully-stocked kitchen, and fresh garden veggies, all for FREE. This state just blows my mind.

And sometimes you find yourself sleeping in the nursery room of a church. It's all good.

Today's ride: 97 miles (156 km)
Total: 2,825 miles (4,546 km)

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