Cycling Coast to Coast

Right after my post about how scarce internet access is, we have another host location with internet access.

Today was one of the most fun riding days on the trip. As we were leaving Missouri behind and heading for Oklahoma (and passing through Kansas enroute), our wake-up music was, appropriately, from the musical Oklahoma and  “Carry On Wayward Son” by the band Kansas.  For breakfast, we got to go to a local family restaurant in Joplin, and were able to order off the menu.  Now, for those following along back home, that may not seem like a big deal, but for us, it is.  After many breakfasts of cereal or oatmeal, I really enjoyed the chance to have pancakes and eggs for a change.

The last few days of riding in Missouri have been long, but we’re finally getting a break with a few shorter days.  Today’s ride was 70 miles, and tomorrow should be in the 60-70 mile range.  We say that we ride an average of 70 miles a day, but the median is probably about 80 miles.  On these shorter days, everyone is much happier because we don’t feel as pressured to ride fast with few stops in order to arrive at the host at a reasonable hour.

Some highlights of the day include having almost the entire group stop to go swimming in a river (at 10am, nonetheless), taking photos in a giant field of sunflowers, and eating a massive amount of ice cream at lunch.