Ruby Slippers & Yellow Brick Roads (Kansas!)

If I told you that I was in the middle of nowhere in other posts, please ignore them.  Right now, I am 55 miles from the nearest town in Eastern Colorado.  I'm sitting on a swinging chair in the backyard of our host site, overlooking an expanse of prairie land that stretches on for miles and miles under a wide blue sky.    I'm also getting eaten alive by vicious flies (presumably the cowboy cousin of the greenhead) just to update you on Kansas!  Sorry it's been so long- if you're looking for a more reliable blogger, check out Kareem's blog at Finding the Vibe!


If you're under the impression that Kansas is flat, you are wrong.  I'm sorry, but somebody lied to you.  Fact: America is not flat, anywhere.  Another fact that may surprise you- Kansas is beautiful.  I was so pleasantly shocked at how amazing the landscape has been the past week. 

Rope swing in Manhattan!

After our day off in Manhattan, Kansas ("The Little Apple") that was filled with rope swings, water parks, and wonderful ice cream, we pedaled through farm fields to Clay Center, where I got my first real taste of small town USA.  We were warmly welcomed by strangers at the Tasty Pastry (best donut I've ever eaten), and then later at a town-wide cookout in the center of town (free hot dogs!).  Everybody in town was incredibly friendly and genuinely interested in our journey. 

Mandy playing with the band at the Clay Center Cookout

The next day, we made our way to Beloit, which was easily the most difficult ride of the trip.  We cycled  for 10 hours into a brutal headwind in 107 degree heat.  Staying hydrated was an enormous challenge- several times we ran out of water and had to ask random homes to use their hoses to refill our camelbacks.  Despite the strenuous conditions, I could still appreciate the beauty of the hills spotted with rugged brush, curious cows, and furious windmills. 


We've been waking up at 4am all week to try to beat the heat.  It's been brutal.  However, it has enabled us to watch the sun rise over the farm fields.  Mornings are my favorite- the sun announces its arrival by highlighting the clouds with gold and then proceeds to burst over the fields, creating silhouettes of nearby farmhouses, silos, and windmills.  Cows turn their heads and crane their necks to quietly watch you as you zip by down a road that stretches forever ahead of you.  The only time I've ever seen a skyline so uninterrupted is at the ocean.  It's breathtaking.

On our way to Phillipsburg, we stopped in Cawker City to see the world's largest ball of twine.  Ridiculous.  For lunch that day, we ate at Prairie Dog State Park, where we were surrounded by holes out of which the dogs kept popping to suspiciously eye us.  The same day, we reached our 1,900 mile marker- halfway there!!!

World's Largest Ball of Twine

We celebrated the 4th of July in St. Francis, KS.  For a town of only 1300, they sure knew how to celebrate the 4th!  I got several friendly honks from cars and trucks as they passed my pom-pommed, garlanded, sparkly, and flagged bike.  Never have I felt more patriotic and proud to be an American than I have on this trip.  I have a new appreciation for our country and am thankful for Bike & Build for instilling this in me.  


This morning, we left Kansas and entered "Colorful Colorado".  We were greeted into the state by wild sunflowers lining the roads, which couldn't have made me happier.

I wish you were all with me right now to see what I'm seeing.  Despite these darn flies, I'm feeling powerfully content (maybe an oxymoron? I'm not sure how else to express this emotion...) just swinging here, watching an occasional tractor roll by, and admiring this flat flat land of Eastern Colorado.  I can't believe we're here already!