What was the toughest ride I've done so far on the trip?

It had to be the 2 days of 40 miles of 'UP' that I did in the Sierra Nevada especially because I was a pudgy munchkin lugging 190 lbs up the mountain at the time, right?  Nope.

What about that 112 mile ride to Hanksville NV where I also had to climb that 9600 ft peak?  Nope.

How about that tall climb to Brian Head and the sleet storm in Colorado?  Nope.

Surely it's gotta be the climb of Monarch Pass, that 13000 ft beast of a climb with a 40 mile ride in the rain for a warm-up.  Right?  Nope.

Ok.  It's the 120 mile ride from Eads CO to Leoti KS on a really hot day.  Nope, but close.

Ironically, my toughest ride so far was my first full day's ride in Kansas where it's flat as a pancake and the roads are as smooth as glass.  The day after the 120 mile ride I did what I thought was going to be an easy ride from Leoti KS to Ness City KS.  It was only about 80 miles.  When I started in the morning it was pretty hot and I was loaded up with water and Gatorade.  I had a good breakfast and was ready to roll.  The wind was hot and strong against me...not in my face, but a crosswind that was pushing against me.   The ride was 'good to go' all the way up to and including lunch with Jaine.  

When it got to 2 pm, things started to fall apart.  I was in the last 20 miles of an 80 mile ride, the water in my Camelbak was actually kind of hot and the ambient temperature was 106 degrees.   I just couldn't cool down.  Every breath I took in those last 20 miles was like breathing in a sauna and I knew my body temperature was up. When I finally got to Ness City, I started loading up on ice water and really slugged it down.  I never tasted water so good...big huge glasses of ice water until I couldn't drink any more.  Wow.  Just thinking about it makes me feel happy.

You gotta be tough to live in Kansas.

Riding in Kansas is like going to Oz every day except the roads aren't yellow brick and the buildings aren't green and don't sparkle.  Also, skip the mountains on the side and the rocks and make it a little more flat.

I guess what I'm trying to say is there are huge granaries you can see way off in the distance that look like Oz.  The road is straight and smooth and you think "Hey, it looks like it's only 5 miles away...this is going to be an easy ride!" and you discover that it's actually 31 miles away and you'll be riding almost 2 hours to get there with the wind in your face.  Hmmm....come to think of it, maybe it's not like going to Oz.

Nevertheless, generally the nicest people I've met so far on the trip are from the Jayhawk state.  They're like that tall glass of ice water on a really hot day.

It's tough living in Kansas.  Farming is a huge industry in Kansas, almost every truck that goes by is either hauling heavy equipment for harvesting or hauling cattle.  There are literally oceans of wheat on either side of the road as we ride across the state and the farmers of Kansas take their job seriously as the breadbasket of the world.  There has been a drought in Kansas for the last 10 years and this year was a bumper year for water so the harvest is going to be good.  Because of the uncertainty of farming, the denizens of Kansas have a strong reliance and faith in the divine and are very devout.

This strong faith in Christianity makes them a kind people and they are very friendly and welcoming to strangers.

They are also extremely hard working and loyal and have a great respect for our government and our military.  In Great Bend KS, we met Esther at the hotel we stayed for a couple of days.  She served our country in the Army for 28 years and raised 3 excellent kids.  All are college educated and her son is going to med school.  I don't think  there was a hour that went by where she wasn't working at the hotel and technically she could be retired because of her career in the service.  Yup, she's from Kansas, that's what people from Kansas do.

 

People from Kansas honor their military and deeply appreciate sons and daughters who give service to their country.  They don't forget.  In almost every town and city in Kansas there is a memorial to our veterans.  Below are 2 memorials from small towns in Kansas, but I could easily fill a book with pictures of Veteran memorials from Kansas.

 

People from Kansas have a deep sense of social responsibility and are in tune with their environment.  There are vast areas of wetlands in Kansas including Cheyenne Bottoms, and Kansas is committed to protecting them.  The farmers in Kansas are generally very well educated and work closely with their universities to  utilize modern agricultural practices.  Those who don't farm support the farmers by providing education centers to their youth to learn more about ecology and environmentalism.

There are a couple of people that in my estimation epitomize the typical Kansan. 

I'm a Green Bay Packer fan, and one of my favorite players on the team is Jordy Nelson.  

He is extremely talented, but what I admire even more are his personal attributes.  To my understanding, his family still farms in Riley KS and in the off season he still helps out with the chores when visiting the farm.  He has a tremendous work ethic, he's a well grounded 'down to earth' pragmatic kind of guy and has a strong faith in God.  And...he seems to be a pretty happy and appreciative guy for all of the gifts bestowed upon him.  A true Kansan in every sense of the word.

Another typical set of Kansans?  The Peterson Brothers.  Check out this You Tube video.  These guys are true 'Jayhawk' blue and spell out what it is to be a Kansan in every sense of the word.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=toyN81wZzLw

Fun loving, hard working, appreciative and pragmatic.  Nice and tough...the Kansas way.