Halfway home....

The day of rest was over, it was business as usual - up at 5:30, get the gear to the truck, and get the bikes ready to go again. It was cold this morning (about 55) for June and we had a Northern wind blowing at 15-25 mph. And mind you we were headed East and Northeast so you can guess what we all thought of that little breeze. I went out in a long sleeved jersey but a couple of minutes of standing around told me to dig out the jacket - and as it turned out there was no sun until about 11 and it was a very chilly start. On the other hand, last night weather underground was showing rain and there was none of that nasty stuff.

The wind at the hotel turned out not to be limited to Abilene...it stayed with us and stayed in our faces for the entire106 miles blowing steadily and occasionally gusting to 25/30. And the terrain was kind of a surprise too. We started with the flat wide open fields of wheat much as we have seen over the past few days but somewhere around mile 20 we took a left turn onto a new road and started heading NE to Topeka. And gradually the country changed and we saw a landscape that I never expected to see in Kansas. We left the wheat farms behind and moved into cattle country. There were still the Big Country kind of feel but it was mostly cattle ranches, some horses, and occasional corn (feed I would guess). And the flat land changed to rolling hills with trees and a lush green cover everywhere. Of course, those beautiful hills translated into some challenging riding for us. Tom was behind me at one point yelling "Moosic" which is one of the more challenging climbs on the AH ride. This was similar except a little longer and after a brief dip (note, I say dip, not a real descent) it was followed by another Moosic - in both instances a couple of miles of climbing where you just find your gear and keep pedalling. We spent probably the last 75 miles admiring this pleasant change in scenery but at the same time on a continuous up and down on the road.

And among other highlights of the day...We came upon a couple of bull elk who had apparently become trapped in ranchers corral - the rest of the herd was out side the fence but these two were running back and forth at the fence line, obviously stressed, trying to figure out how to get out - quite a sight to see.

I have now forgotten the name of the town where I took the photo of main street but it is so typical of some of the towns we go through that I had to include it. Buildings that look as if they date to early 20th century , it almost looks like a Hollywood set for a movie. And obviously there is not much happening on an early afternoon in June.

Finally, we stopped at a cafe in the little crossroads town of Dover that has a reputation for home made pie. By the time we got there we had done 91 miles, sun was out and the day had turned hot and the prospect of stopping here had been my motivation for at least the last 20 miles. My choice was the peach pie with ice cream (of course) with ice water and a great cup of coffee (pie and coffee just seem to go together even on a hot day). The pie was terrific, lived up to all expectations...and the bonus was that Norma who does all the baking came out when she heard all these crazy cyclists were there. She was at least 80 and just a delight...and the locals who were there for the same things were also just as friendly and nice as she was...I had my Navy jersey on (long sleeves for the cool day) and one farmer grabbed my hand and asked my ship and home port and it turned out he was in about the same as I was but on a carrier...by the time I left we were the best of buddies.

And Jake, note the benches on the front porch of the cafe...one for the John Deere fans and one for the Intl Harvester folks...I guess they can sit out on the porch and argue over which one is best.

And the last little bit of the day...we passed the halfway point today. We have now done something better than 1700 miles and so are halfway to Boston. I'm still pinching myself once in while to convince myself I'm really biking to Boston and somehow we are halfway there..amazing.