We're not in Kansas anymore, Dorthy!

Another day and Another state! We're in Nebraska folks! And not a moment sooner. Today was another 100 mile (160km) day and I was more than happy to come into camp.

We spent last night in a beautiful campground in Kansas called Prairie Dog State Park, obviously named for the countless prairie dogs which inhabit it's surroundings. Being from Saskatchewan they weren't that exciting, but the little critters are just so cute it's hard to not enjoy watching them scurry around. This campground was also amazing for a few other reasons which included Private showers (so rare on this trip), and a beautiful lake where you can watch the sun come up :) There really isn't a better way to start off the day than seeing this outside of your tent!

 

 

Since it was a 160km day, we knew we'd be in the saddle for a long time.. like, 7 hours long time. Also we had a lot of rolling hills to go over - climbing over 4000ft and dropping about 5000. So having a bunch of stops along the way is a huge deal. That is why our stop over at a church about 22 miles into the route was amazing. We got second breakfast and a chance to sit, talk, and enjoy the morning together! Also, it was really nice to feel so welcomed by a community :)

 

 

The food was delicious...fruit, blueberry muffins, cinnamon rolls, coffee cake, juice... you name it. When we first heard about the stop we were told it was donuts, so this was a VERY pleasant surprise! Everyone was pretty excited about it :)

 

Afterwards we continued down the road and came past an antique store with this bike outside. It was too good of an opportunity so we all climbed aboard and the owner took a photo. The process of getting on was a little tricky considering the bike actually moved and could be peddled, if you had 8ft long legs that is.

 



 

 

Stopping at these little areas is one of my favourite parts of the trip. Not only is it fun and helps pass the time, but it also allows us to interact with the people of the community and really spread awareness. We've been handing out sea to sea business cards like candy lately, and it feels great to be getting the message of our tour out there!

 

 

The next great stop that we were all looking forward to was in Smith Center, a small town which was home to Jiffy Burger. On this trip so many people have connections all across the country, and luckily one of our riders, Barb, had a cousin who lived in Smith Center. Even better was that this cousin owned Jiffy Burger and had offered to give us all free ice cream if we stopped on in. It goes without saying that EVERY single cyclist made it to this stop today.  

 

 

The ride continued and we got to the Geographic Center of the USA, which just happens to be right outside of Lebanon, KS. Again, another fun opportunity for a photo opp. It's not every day that you get to be in the center of the states after all!

 

 

More unexpected blessings were down the road as we passed through Lebanon. It was an extremely humid day and we were all soaked in sweat and pretty thirsty, so when we came upon this sign we stopped for a cool drink, provided by Sea to Sea Supporters in Lebanon, KS.

 

 

 We were also thankful for little Casey here, who was more than happy to help us cool down :)




The long, but beautiful day was capped off with an overcast sky (so great for cycling in), a light rain shower, and finally getting a picture of the Kansas sign.


Tonight we are in Red Cloud, NB! A small but really cute town with a free pool which we took fully advantage of, and may have been so eager we didn't change out of our cycling clothes. We are staying in their city park, and our great coordinator Al was able to get us into the air conditioned community center to sleep! It's dark, quiet, and dry (the rain storm dropped about 5 inches on the camping area, as well as many of the cyclists' bags...). Luckily my bag is waterproof (thanks mom!) and so my stuff is dry :D

Because of the rain and wet gear, our evening was spent, like many others, at the Laundromat. Several cyclists needed to dry off their sleeping bags, and I just needed clean clothes :) While we waited for the clothes we spend our time at the local watering hole where Mountain Dew was in abundance for the small price of a dollar :)

Tomorrow we bike for 77 miles to our next destination where I will be more than happy to take a day off. Cycling is great, but so is sleep :) Thanks for all of your prayers for safety! Until next time!