Chunute

After Rosalia, I decided to stop in Eureka. It wasn't a long ride, only about 45 miles but after the ride to Cassoday it was a welcome break. Around five o'clock I went out for a soda and met another biker checking into the hotel. He was riding a recumbent and also doing part of the transam. He asked about dinner so I decided to tag along. We ended up at the Copper Kettle and at long last, a salad bar. My new best friend had a rib eye and I fell for the special, some sort of big pita stuffed with a small portion of cabbage and hamburger meat. OK, I made a bad choice, but the salad was good. My fellow biker had a bag fall off his bike and didn't notice it until he made a water stop. The bag contained his computer, cell phone and Ipod and all the charging wires. When he went back to get it someone had turned it in to the police but unfortunately prior to that someone ran over the bag. All of his stuff was wrecked. Yesterday I left the hotel at 6:30 and he was already gone. I caught up with him later in the small town. Toronto. He was having breakfast with two other bikers from Virginia that were heading West. Also, yesterday I met Lisa and Ted heading West. They were meeting Ted's family in Newton for a short visit. I've lost count of the number of people I've met biking the route but more than I thought I'd meet. Most of them have been accompanied but not all.

There is a camaraderie among bikers, a shared experience and maybe a shared pain. Anyway yesterday I arrived in Chanute with wet clothes (due to sweat), tired legs and hunger. So, today I washed, ate a lunch buffet of pizza and cooled it in the air conditioning. Back on the road tomorrow as I inch closer to Missouri.