On a Sunday Ride with Friends

Today was A Day of Luxury. We only had some 65 miles to cover from Great Bend to McPherson (pronounced mic FUR son if you want to sound like a local) and we got to sleep in an extra hour today. Temps were 16 degrees warmer on today's start so I did without the wind vest, arm and leg warmers, too. So great to be unencumbered like that. The icing on the cake was wind speed - none.

Beautiful wide breakdown lanes and baby bottom smooth rolling roads made for a charming roll through the mid-Kansas  countryside. Being Sunday, traffic was light so the sounds of trucks roaring over rumble strips was replaced by bird songs and croaking frogs as we passed through areas of early growth wheat and corn.

We started out the ride in a loose peloton of 7 riders, trying to keep a good pace while we had good wind conditions (meaning practically none). Yesterday's slog to Great Bend being still fresh in our minds (and quite frankly in my seat) was the impetus for the quick pace.

Interesting to note that for all the great expanses of farmed lands, there was little evidence of farm houses.  Many family farms from the romantic period have given way to Archer Daniels Midland conglomerate. Understandable as it must be ridiculously difficult to keep a small family farm enterprise going in the face of ever growing consolidation. Happening in manufacturing so I can see the parallel here.

Big surprise of the day was the number of what look like gas fields. Possible fracking area, if I read a sign correctly. At one point in the distance there appeared to be a silhouette of Emerald City. As we got closer it morphed into something more akin to a NASA launch site. Further along, another silhouette that reminded me of the Houston chemical plants.  The juxtaposition with the small town rural rolling hills was stark. America - land of contrasts.

Halfway through our ride, I lost interest in keeping up the peppy pace and hung back with another rider to just enjoy rolling along in the warm sunshine, taking time to stop for a few snapshots. Realizing I'll probably not have a reason or opportunity to see Kansas from this perspective, I simply took time to take a better look. Lucky me. Today's ride, although not spectacular from a distance travelled or remarkable terrain, turned out to be another great day to be on a bike and reminded me of what I enjoy most about cycling.

Tomorrow promises to be similar to today. Going to Dwight Eisenhower's home town of Abilene only another 60+ miles away.  Temps should be in 70's with plenty of sun and back winds. I expect to take time to savor the ride like today and pop into a local lunch spot before heading to the hotel.  But you never know what will happen. Every day there's something new. If you're thinking of ever doing something like this, if you prepare adequately and put your mind to it, it will surprise you every day.