Day 26 : Kansas, Oh Kansas...

From Chanute, KS to Eureka, KS - ~ 70 miles

Story [in numbers]:



Story [in words]:

we enjoyed a great dinner last night at a mexican place in town with the people that cailyn used to work with. (one small correction....mark brought his wife, not his husband) thanks matt!! after dinner, we returned to the campground and got our tent set up for the night. after getting our tent set up, we noticed a nice looking older couple sitting in lawn chairs outside of their very nice camper. so we decided to journey over and chat a little. we had a great conversation with them about all kinds of different things. really nice folks to say the least! and a great experience in getting out of my comfort zone.

this morning we were tired. it was hard to get up and getting going for some reason. but by a little before 6, we were finally up and going. we packed up and quickly rode over to the walmart to pick up a couple of essentials that we were running low on. then we headed to the grain bin, a great little place for breakfast that we had learned about from one of the firemen when we stopped at the station last night. the breakfast did not disappoint, the community was great, and we had a great conversation with the lady at the table next to us. she even gave us her name and phone number in case we were even in town again and needed a good home cooked meal. people really are amazing with their hospitality. we finished our meal, paid, and got ready to get on the road. as we were about to jump on the bikes, this cute little 89 year old man walked around the corner, and just started talking our ears off. i am not sure of a lot of what he said...but i hope that it made his day to be able to sit and talk with us.

we finally got on the road at about 8:30. and i have to say, the morning ride was pretty average and uneventful. kansas has been fairly boring as far as the scenery goes, and we were out in the middle of nowhere, so we really didn't run into anyone. although, a little before noon, we did cross paths with an eastbound cyclist who we stopped and shared some good conversation with. we exchanged some tips about what was ahead and great places to stay and eat, and then we both got back on our way.

the eastbounder we met told us that there was a great little gas station/restaurant/grocery store just on the other side of toronto...so we decided we would stop there for a later lunch. it seemed like the place would never come...cailyn was especially ready for a break. but it finally did...and the cyclist was right...it was a great place. nothing terribly special...accept that the people were super hospitable. they had a cyclist log for us to sign and their name had something to do with lizards...so they gave us each a little toy lizard to take with us. as i was talking with the guy at the counter, he started into a story by saying, "back when i lived in fort wayne, indiana"...and i was like, "what, wait a minute...i grew us in fort wayne, indiana". and as if that was not weird enough, it turns out that he was a teacher and played organ at bethlehem lutheran school. so, we shared a few stories about fort wayne and he asked me some questions about what it was like now as he had moved away from there back in the late 70's. it really is a small world to say the least.

i had one particularly interesting and thought provoking conversation with this guy who had lived in fort wayne so long ago. i asked him if he was still involved in a lutheran church out here. to which he replied with something along the lines of..."you know how it is when you are lutheran...you learn to like it a certain way. and nothing out here really fits my needs." in the moment i just kind of nodded my head and let the comment go. but when we were back on the bikes and riding again, i began to replay that conversation in my head, and i began to think about what i said...or more importantly what i didn't say to him, and i was really kicking myself. i wish that i would have said something to him about the fact that being a part of a church is not about being a consumer and it is not about getting your needs met...it is about being part of a family and meeting the needs of others and then in the process we find that our needs get met. it is about being that change if it is not exactly what you want. the Bible is not a guide to help us find what we are looking for...it is a guide to show us how to act and live to bring those stories to life. it just seemed like this guy had gotten burned out...and i don't know what caused that...but i wonder if at least part of it was that he had the wrong attitude...the wrong perspective. i don't know for sure...but i do wish that i would have said at least a little more than what i did. because as i grow more and more in my faith, i have become increasingly aware that although we live in an incredibly consumeristic society, church is not about being a consumer.

we enjoyed our food, filled our waters, and were excited to get back on the road. we had about 19 miles to ride, and rumor had it that the city park we would be camping in had a pool that we would be able to swim in. we seemed to really just cruise through the last 19 miles. it is funny, because the people here in kansas seem to be proud of their "hills". they tell you that you are going to be climbing for the next 45 miles. and don't get me wrong...kansas is not flat like you might expect. there are hills and you are climbing, but they are just that...hills. it is really nothing at all. i feel like i could do these hills in my sleep. they are almost a little bit inviting so that we are not just cycling along on completely flat ground.

we got into eureka a little after 5 pm and quickly located the city park and pool. we asked if we would be able to swim and shower, and they said that we would be able to for free...but we would have to be quick, because they closed at 6. so we quickly got our clothes out and changed into our swimsuits and enjoyed some nice refreshing water. we cleaned up, and hopped back on the bikes and rode to the pizza hut that we had passed on the way in. we enjoyed a great taco pizza (made me think of you, mom)...some great conversation...and some relaxation in the air conditioning. after we finished our food, we headed back to the park and set up our tent for the night.

i can definitely tell that the story of kansas is going to be sun and wind. hopefully we can catch both at the right time. sure will make this state a whole lot easier.