lifecycle: Days 31,32. 10.5-6.2013. 175 miles from Scott city to Nickerson. 92 miles to Cassoday

175 miles yesterday. Is that enough said?

We got an early start on a very brisk morning, after the night before I, by myself, polished off a Pizza Hut Large peperoni, chicken, and bacon, deep dish pizza (my appetite is unbelievable). The winds started just after we got on the road, the rotad was also as smooth as butter. My oh my how I love Kansas' road maintenance crew. My theory is that since their land is pretty flat, that their roads mean a lot to them so they take really great care of them. I don't know if that makes sense but oh well. So Josh and I found ourselves riding at an average of 22 mph for the morning, which is absolutely ridiculous. The funny thing about tailwinds, yes there were huge tailwinds, is that you hardly notice them when they are behind you. There is no wind in your ears, the ride is much smoother and quieter and more controlled. So it almost feels like there is no wind at all. You can tell by looking down at the road and seeing how fast you are moving! Or, like I did you can stop to see if there are winds, and when I stopped I realized the wind was easily strong enough to blow me over, 30 mph probably. So we had 87 miles in by 12:30 when we took lunch. Talk about an amazing start to the day, in which I had already got a few hot donuts.

We then made plans to catch back up with our pal Mathias. We met him around 5 pm after 135 miles. We decided to shoot for the next town and keep our tailwind going. We made it to Nickerson around 7:45 PM and finished at 175 miles for the day. What a beast day. We contemplated going for 200 just because of its rarity but we opted to not ride in the dark, and we were tired and hungry.

We had been given a money gift to get a good meal from a family back in Moab, so we were saving it for our 2000 mile celebration. So we passed that yesterday so we went out for some big burgers. We went to Fick's bar and grill, and the people there were so nice. They had a special sauce that they made and they kept bringing us more of it with a homeade ranch trailmix. It was pretty special. Once we were finally full we set up camp at the city park. I love staying in these Kansas City parks because they are free. The only downfall is no showers. But since its been so chilly we havent sweated much.

At dinner, which lasted a long time, we shared our faith stories with Mathias, and I shared a lot about my personal history including baseball and ACL problems. It's never an easy story for me to tell, but I am always reminded of God's grace and faithfulness. We are praying that God's light shows through us. Mathias is an amazing, fun, loving 23 year old and I am excited to spend the next while riding with him in our crew.

I am so incredibly thankful for days like this. And for new friends like Mathias. I am also learning to be thankful in days of headwinds. God is so great all the time and this trip is teaching me that so much.

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Today, Sunday, we rode 92 miles to Cassoday. We are staying in a little house thing that is a massage room. Kinda weird and crazy how it worked but James, the owner of Newton Bike Shop hooked us up with a free room.

After another great morning of semi-strong tailwinds we made it to Newton. My bike was having a few issues with the shifting so I went to the bike shop, the only one in town. It happened to be closed because it was Sunday. But they were a main hub for bike tourists so James had his phone number on the window for bike tourists to call if it was after hours. I called and he came to help me out. Trust me, this was a big deal. It was his wedding day! I tried to convince him to not help me on his big day, but he came anyway. What a guy, who is so dedicated to serving the bike tourists on the transam trail. So long story short my chain was about to break into a million pieces, he couldn't believe it was still working at all. I got a new one, he fixed my bike up for me, and after quite a long lunch/bike fixing break we finally got back on the road.

So here we are sitting in a cozy warm room, I am typing under a candlelight, I had time to call home and talk with mom and dad, and also talk with Lexi. What a great day/night.

Also just to relay some of the emotion of this trip this is how I am feeling. Tonight, while looking at another breathtaking Kansas sunset, I was overcome with thankfulness, for so many things. The biggest thing that really hit me was this... before the trip I was never afraid that I wouldn't be able to make it accross the country, but I was afraid of biking in pain throughout the duration of the trip. I wasn't sure if my back spasms would stay away, or if my knee could hold up for all the miles painfree. I realized that through Kansas, and spending 8-9 hours a day in the saddle, that I have experienced no real pain. My butt is used to my seat, and everything is just working right. I am totally enjoying every minute on my bicycle. I was amazed. I cannot thank God enough for the amazing bike he has blessed me with and the functioning body I have to ride it. I will be thankful when there are pains, but for now I am totally relishing these beautiful days in Kansas. Kansas is way prettier than I thought it would be, also more hillier than I thought it would be as well.

Check out some pics from the last few days.