Amber waves of grain....

Today was another day made for cyclists. The weather guys predicted a 10/20mph south westerly wind and they were dead on target. Almost from the moment we hit US 50 we were moving at 25/27 mph and it was almost as if I was pedalling to assist the tail wind rather than vice versa. Again, like yesterday the road was good and mostly flat, the farms and crops stretching out forever into the horizon. I clicked into the big gear almost immediately and never had to touch it again - and even the rear derailleur got a rest with only the three or four lower cogs coming into play. The bottom line at the end of the day: 86 miles with an average speed of 19.2 mph, something I've never come close to for any appreciable distance. Tom and I actually took our sweet old time at both SAGs and also stopped for lunch and still got into to the hotel at 1:30 - time to hit Wal-Mart for some essentials, i.e. sunscreen and gatorade, and relax.

With the wind behind us all day we got a bit of picture of where the lyricist got the notion of "amber waves of grain". The wheat is not quite at harvest time yet so it is more a mix of amber and green but looking out over these huge fields with the wind blowing over and through them you can watch the wave effect and it is quite a nice sight. And along the side of the road we get more of the same - sometimes the waving of the tall grasses and sometimes the wildflowers that spring up at intervals along the way (and, except for the immediate border of towns, not a billboard in sight, none). We do continue to see the huge grain elevators every 10/12 miles or so and they are truly the skyscrapers of the plains.

We did hit one significant line in the highway this morning - the Midway USA point at about the halfway point of today's route. It is NOT halfway for us but, assuming a straight line between San Francisco and New York City, it is the exact halfway point between East and West Coast and the photo gives the mileage.

There was a little roadside museum at the midway point and a real mixed bag it was - lots of antique farm machines, e.g. John Deere horse drawn manure spreader from 1902 - and alongside an antique steam RR engine. The picture shows Hank, the senior member of our group, trying to get a push from a long retired engine. Hank, by the way, is almost 74 and a great cyclist - he does a strong steady pace and has tons of energy. He is also an all-around nice guy and good for lots of stories at dinner.

Tom and I stopped for lunch in the little town of Larned where I took the third picture above. You can see the ubiquitous grain elevator at the end of the main street. We went through about 11:30 and you could almost shoot a cannon down main street without doing harm. Most of the stores were open for business and there were a few cars parked or moving but I think we saw no more than about three pedestrians....Still the main street scene seemed such a almost stereotypical view of a Kansas town.

We got into Great Bend and had another great experience. We stopped at an Arby's just to get a quick soft-drink and as we were parking the bikes and stashing the helmets an elderly gentleman (84 as he later said) approached and asked where we were going...The usual question and answers ensued and all three of us entered the store and placed our order. Ten minutes later he got up from his table, came over and said he wanted to present us with a gift. He walked out to his parked car and came back in with a bottle of honey. It was labeled the Nichols Apiaries and he turnd out to be Watson Nichols, owner and beekeeper. He said that this was a high energy food and hoped we would be able to use on the journey. He was such a true gentleman and we were both truly touched by his spontaneous little gesture. Needless to say we thanked him and he wished us Godspeed - another little vignette and a great example of the basic goodness of people. And, in addition to the sheer fun of cycling on a day like this, you just cannot beat the experience of meeting people like Watson Nichols.

And by the way, before I pull up the covers for tonight - we are in Great Bend, named for a bend in the Arkansas River. That is the full extent of my knowledge of the local scene - although if you are ever in town I highly recommend the American Bistro and the prime rib goes very well with a glass of Fat Tire beer...and now to bed and on to McPherson tomorrow.