82/1877
Leave Eads by 6 a.m. and make some great progress in the cooler morning air. In the town (?) of Sheridan Lake I stop at the only sign of life - a gas stop/pizza place - for a bite to eat. My expectations are low but the food is made to order and really tasty. I chat with a few other patrons that share their knowledge of the road ahead. One guy knows a young fella who was killed riding a bicycle just down the way. A native of Missouri tells me I haven't felt heat til I've visited his home state and describes the concept of "heat idex". A pair of old-timers drink coffee and enjoy breakfast burritos drowned in sausage gravy.
Grain elevators 'n' stuff ...
Outside of Sheridan Lake I meet a westbounder named Jason. We talk a bit and it seems we're quite alike in our traveling style. Jason lost his wallet the other day. Luckily, two westbound New Zealanders Graham and Kelly found the wallet in the road and bumped into Jason later. Graham and Kelly pull up a few minutes later and Graham praises me for staying clean shaven. They all mention another dude named Sang who they camped with yesterday. We say so long and just before I cross into Kansas I meet Sang. He's got a big smile and an even bigger mountain of stuff tied to his bike!
Kansas! I met a westbounder in Nevada who said Kansas was "so beautiful!". Sounds good to me...
The scenery across state line is abruptly different. Green fields and irrigation abound. It's also getting humid... Strange how crispy E.Colorado was while on the other side of an arbitrary line Kansas is booming with crops and enormous harvesting machinery.
Tribune is my first stop in Kansas. I stop at a busy and wildly disorganized burger joint. Food is placed in front of anyone who raises their hand some folks just never get their food.
As I press on it's getting super hot so I stop in the shade of a grain elevator. Upon leaving I notice that I've picked up an angry swarm of thorns in both tires. Shit. I'm hoping that my no-flats streak will continue after picking out all the "goat heads" as they are known, but alas, my rear wheel feels fishy and a mile later I am patching my first flat in the full sun on a bridge over White Woman Creek. All patched up and now I've got a nasty "wump" going. Huh? Looks like I've got a chunk of tire missing in the rear wheel. I'm not carrying a spare. Let the overnight shipping begin!
After fixing the flat I reach Leoti and grab a cold beer at the Beer Barn. Folks look at me funny at first but we all end up getting along. Regulars help themselves when the bartender is busy.
After some super lame Mexican food I discover that my front tire is flat. Yay. I walk it to the city park to camp for the night. At the park I meet three bicycle touring guys from the New York/New Jersey area. They travel west and the winds have been greatly in their favor. Today they completed 140 miles. One hundred or more has been their daily norm through Kansas. I am so happy for them.
