Hot Hot Hot

I thought I was going to rip through Kansas in record time. After Dighton I had a very productive day (over 100 miles) into Larned. However, when I got up the next morning it was raining and rained all day. So, I took a rest day and generally just relaxed. I should have blogged and can't really remember why I didn't, senior moment I guess. In the afternoon I saw a cycling couple checking into the hotel so I went over to talk. They were heading east as well but they had been on the road since October. It seems they received a grant to go around the country asking people if they thought there was a new awareness about the environment. They live in New York, inside the city and are free lance photographers as well as journalist. They left NY and rode down the coast to Florida, then across the southern states to California, up the California coast and then picked up the Transamerica Trail. They will have logged over 10,000 miles when their trip is finished. I left early the next morning and didn't see them until about 15 miles before Hutchington. I talked to two groups heading West, one was a father and his daughter and the other was a lone biker who had some physical problems and had been delayed five days. He didn't say what the problems were. The father and daughter couple told me about the Zion Church in Hutchington and said it was a great place to stay. When I was talking to the lone rider, the NY couple rode up and we compared notes and decided to go to the church. It was a 15 mile accompanied ride, the first time I'd ridden with anyone on the trip. It was nice having someone to talk to for a change. When arrived at the church just as the congregation was sitting down to eat and celebrate a pastor retirement after 50 years of ministry. The welcome was amazing. In the church they had cots to sleep on, showers, full kitchen and insisted we join the celebration. The food was as you would expect homemade and delicious. But, there was no WiFi, small price. The people were fantastic and treated us like family. In fact that's what Harley said, you're home, just enjoy. That night three more bikers arrived, so there were a total of six that found their way to the church. The next morning the NY couple wanted to stay an extra day so I got up early and quietly got on the road. I rode 70 miles to Cassoday on a very h0t day. The last ten miles were brutal. It took me a lot longer than anticipated and by the time I arrived I was spent. My quarters for the night was the city park and hotel Richie. Again no WiFi. Last night was a mix. It was hot and sticky but absolutely clear. There was a store a block from the park so I was able to grab some food and water and an egg salad sandwich. I got a can of Campbell's sirloin and potato soup for today and went back to the park and built my nest. The park was well maintained and had a gazebo so I pitched my tent next to it just in case it rained. Just before night fall I was treated to a firefly display. They were every were and put on a luminous display that lasted over an hour. I can't remember the last time I saw fireflies but it was quite a treat. That night I had another treat as the train came through the town every hour until around midnight. I am sure the townspeople were used to hearing it blow the horn but something unusual for me. This morning I got back on the road and headed to Rosalia where I was going to have breakfast. Unfortunately, everything was closed. Rosalia, like a lot of the small towns on the route, has fallen on hard time.That's a problem with these maps which highlights the necessity to have emergency supplies. So, I opened my can of soup and had a small meal. The sun had heated the can, so it was not bad. I got back on the bike and was passed by several cyclists doing the race across America. In fact Mike Cook's support team gave me extra water and some power bars. I could only go 40 miles today. Either that, or camp again in the heat. I opted to sleep indoors tonight. No pictures this time unless you like corn and cows. And Pat, it was 100 degrees today, what is your cut off for thermal underwear?