Kansas my Beautiful

Ok, so this is dedicated to all the amazing people we've met in Kansas.

I want to start off by saying our expectations for Kansas- downhill (or flat at least) filled with a tail wind and incredibly quick days (this is why I don't like expecting things because expectations are rarely fulfilled).

In Reality- Kansas is filled with rolling hills and a wind coming from the south east (Which was exactly the direction we were heading). Everything was made ok because of the people we've met.

Lets see what I can remember since there has been so much incredibleness.

• First full day in Kansas we're riding down the street and a truck (about three or four blocks down the road) is waiting at an intersection to turn left. We're all saying to ourselves, "you have time... you can turn... We're not that fast...you still have time" so he waits all the way until we pass so that he can clap for us as we pass... it made my day.

• Lunch Break- Oakley swimming pool. The day was already filled with happiness, but for the first time over the summer I felt like a real boy (thank you blue ferry). We went off diving boards, water slides, had a hand stand competition, it was like a normal summer day. (sorry side tracked).

• That night we stayed in a city park. Winds got up to 85 mph, Stu almost died (according to him, I don't think he would have died. I'll let him tell you the story)

• Following day- We met the Mayor of Zurich. We were simply riding like normal, and a man yells "You're in Kansas! Whoo! Want a beer?" Stu immediately stops and we all go over to join the man for a beer. Then as we were leaving he said, "when you come back make sure to stop back by the mayors house!"

• That night- Paradise Kansas lived up to its name. We ride up (right at/after sunset) and find the Jeep. We see a man driving across the street (and were slightly confused). Apparently his neighbor had seen the jeep and thought she was being followed, so the man grabbed his gun just in case... He came over and saw five guys in spandex and immediately put his gun away. We told him we were going to the city park so he said he'd call the mayor and make sure the bathroom doors were open. We get to the park and he says "hang tight, let me see if I can find a place for you guys to stay." As we're waiting outside in the mosquito infested park the man drives to see if we could stay in his son's vacation house. Sure enough he comes back and leads us to his son's vacant vacation house. We had showers, cooked our pasta on a stove, watched the Olympics, and slept on one of the nicest, most comfortable couches I've ever experienced. When the man was asked why he showed us such incredible kindness, he responded "That's just what we do. I wouldn't want to sleep out there with those mosquitos." We told him we'd be out by 9am, but didn't end up leaving until 11am... Paradise is incredible.

• I know this is getting long, but I told you Kansas is remarkable. So we rode from Paradise to Lincoln (46mi) and were going to stop for lunch and keep going. Their pool was closed, but we went to a grocery store where we met a man who invited us to his bar (which he's selling if anyone is interested, its a sweet place) for a beer and to tell him about our trip. Before we knew it we were all playing instruments (including the man and his son) and the sun was quickly falling. He then invited us to camp in his back yard. When we arrive at his house, he invites us to sleep in his house. So again we get warm showers, an opportunity to watch the Olympics (not to mention swap stories with this incredible dude) and beds for us to sleep in! Lincoln is spectacular...

Pretty much Kansas his been filled with weather that we didn't expect, hills that we thought would be plains, and some of the most incredible people we've met on the road so far. I've left out some key interactions, but I'm sure the gaps will be filled in eventually. We're almost out of Kansas though, and let me tell you Missouri, you have a lot to live up to.

Ryan C. Kolegas

PS We rode through clouds of gnats (they looked like fog from a distance it was insane), I saw a hawk from like 10 ft away (it was huge), there are lots of dead turtles, And there's a crazy jumping spider that I've seen several times that has a body the size of a quarter and very long legs (it reminds me of the spiders from arachnophobia, but it jumps). And the kids we've met at pools are hilarious.