Day 24 - A Picture w/ Less Than 1,000 Words...

Day 23 - Missouri - The "Show Me" State

Hotel/Motel Bingo:

It's a great feeling at the end of the riding day when your body is full of endorphins and you know that you're one day closer to reaching the ultimate goal of Boston. What you don't know is how many stars the night's lodging facility is going to have. While every hot shower is great and every bed comfortable, some places are just nicer than others. Last night was the Baymont Inn & Suites in Topeka...just okay. Tonight's Drury Hotel in St. Joseph is one of the nice ones. Tomorrow? Your guess is as good as mine.

The eighty-six mile ride from Topeka to St. Joseph was sunny, clear and cool. It is good that we were not passing through two days ago, because we would have gotten very wet. The culverts on the sides of the road were filled w/ water so it was evident that it was not just a little sprinkle. Everyday is a gift and the good fortune of this bubble of good weather following us across the country is not lost on us or unappreciated.

Day 22 - Scenic Byway Next 106 Miles...

We caught the operator of this vehicle driving erratically...

Today was like turning the pages of a picture book. We left the flat plains of western and central Kansas and found the rolling hills and ribbon road that make cycling so much fun. We had headwinds, crosswinds and tailwinds and a fair bit of climbing to boot. We stopped at a local cafe (The Sommerset Hall Cafe) at mile 91 and had homemade pie that was rated "Best Pie in America" recently by the folks at ABC's Good Morning America. http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=6315526

We are now at the mid-point of the trip (mileage) and will be in Boston three weeks from tomorrow (Thursday). I woke up in the middle of the night last night and realized that I'm just about to cross into Missouri tomorrow and I got here on my bike! It's going fast!

Day 21 - Memorial Day in Abilene Kansas

We arrived in Abilene this afternoon after nine consecutive days & 681 miles of riding since the last rest day in Santa Fe, New Mexico. A symbolic location to celebrate Memorial Day, Abilene is the childhood home of General Dwight D. Eisenhower, our 34th President and Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces in Europe during WWII.

The storms that surrounded us yesterday afternoon and evening were gone this morning and we experienced another sunny, clear and cool riding day.

The people of Kansas are very friendly and we look forward to spending some down time here this evening and tomorrow before moving on to Topeka and the last of seven days in the state.

"We are the breakaway..."

Day 20 - Rain...NOT!

It looked like rain this morning, but we made it to our destination of McPherson without getting wet. Severe weather is all around us this afternoon as we wait to see if our luck holds up tomorrow for the ride into Abilene.

Day 19 - I Can See For Miles & Miles...

Hot and windy on our 87 mile ride from Dodge City to Great Bend, Kansas today. Had I stood on my helmet, I may have been able to see even further...

Day 18 - Dodge City, Kansas

Fast and furious cycling today on the flat windswept byways of western Kansas. The temperature and humidity are going up and there is a grain elevator in every town. We're definitely in the middle of America now...