What do Toronto, Lizard Lips, Wheatland Broadband and Dorothy have in common?
Kansas! Even though there truly are more cattle than people in the Sunflower State, our travels through the Ag, Oil & Cattle of Kansas have been far from "flat and boring."
For those of you, who wonder what I'm doing all day....
Always on the Lookout for An Afternoon Vanilla Milkshake For My Favorite Cyclist
From Hepler to Eureka to Newton to Larned to Ness City to Scott City.....
A typical day on the
Transamerica Bicycle Trail begins at sun-up, or about 6:00, rolling up sleeping
bags and air mattresses; suiting up in my cycling clothes; eating breakfast –
which usually has consisted of an egg salad sandwich made by Denise, a banana,
yogurt, a protein shake and some dried fruit.
We may have woken up in a
campground, a hostel, or the floor of a church fellowship hall, but the daily
chore of packing up the car and getting me ready to ride is the same – drink
bottles are filled, snack bars packed, maps, suntan lotion, sunglasses, etc.,
all in preparation for the day’s ride.
If I’m lucky I can get on
the road by 7:00, but usually it’s between 7:30 and 8:00.Denise hits the road in the car, usually a
little later as she takes care of final packing details.
And I ride.
Denise will meet me about 20 – 30 miles out
and I’ll have a snack and refill a drink bottle, and I’ll ride some more.Then we’ll meet again at 40 – 50 when I’ll
have a lunch of peanut butter and jelly.And then I ride some more.Denise
has also helped out by going ahead and scoping out the places where I need to
make a turn to a new road.Some states
are better than others at marking their roads.
Mostly I ride.If the road is lonely I can enjoy the sights
along the way, but sometimes the road has light to moderate traffic, as in the
last few days, and I have to keep my eyes on the road.This is especially true here in western
Kansas during wheat harvest time.Caravans of harvester farm equipment-for-hire are travelling from field
to field.Riding a bicycle as they pass
by can be a bit intimidating.Thankfully, they have typically given me a wide berth.Denise was filming one such caravan in Ness
City as they slowed to a halt for the town “four way” (intersecting
highways.)She was surprised to see who
was riding along…
I’m usually finished by
2:00 unless I got a late start, or I’ve gone especially far.Then comes the work of finding and settling
in to whatever place will be our overnight accommodation.We try to get a shower if possible, rest a
bit before supper in whatever restaurant we can find (and in some of these
smaller towns, that can be an adventure in its own right).But there’s always more work to be done to
plan the route ahead for the next day or two, locate accommodations and get
whatever groceries on which we are running low.Denise does laundry, or I wash out my cycle clothes in a sink.Denise prepares meals for days ahead, boils
eggs for breakfasts and, if we have a wifi signal, she downloads pictures
(which Denise has been taking all day long), and we blog :)
Then we go to sleep,
early if possible, since we’re getting up early, too.Speaking of which . . . yawn . . . good night
all.We appreciate your love and
prayers.
A Look Back at Missouri, Truly a Cyclist Friendly State from Border to Border
Even though the roads are well traveled by logging and quarry trucks
and tough to navigate...
Missouri roads are easy to follow. Thank you Missouri for marking the Trans Am Cycling Route at every intersection & turn!
Our overnight stay at Farmington Hostel set the Gold Standard for a Cyclists Hostel! Greg (Director of Parks & Rec) welcomed us and gave us a history of the town and hostel. Converting the Old Historic Jail into "Al's Place" serves as an oasis for those of us who truly appreciate a night indoors, laundry facilities, warm showers and a bike shop on the corner. No wonder most cyclists spend more than one night in the Old Jail.
On to Ellington, where the Chamber of Commerce just opened a small cyclist hostel behind Main Street Pavilion.
Through Mark Twain National Forest and the Ozark Mts.
Past Long Established, Family Farms
Missouri was a beautiful state to travel and the people made us feel welcome all along the way. One of our fondest memories will be of the small town named after
Sam Houston - Houston, MO in Texas County.
The fine folks at Houston UMC welcomed us with open arms.
Thank you Alice and Chalky for hot showers and making us feel at home in Houston!
Dinner with you, Bill and Pat was a real treat!
While only a glimpse of our days in the "Show Me State" I'm thankful for the people of Missouri, who showed us what makes for warm hospitality.
First...we're safe and sound and have indoor lodging for tonight (last night and tomorrow night too.) Having just learned this afternoon of Nebraska's recent storms, we appreciate your concern for our safety and assure you we are staying indoors when needed.
So thankful to BethAnn, the pastor of...
who has graciously offered her parsonage guest room for the night.
More to share later about crossing the Flint Hills of Kansas into the cattle and wheat fields of Central Kansas, but for now we need to get our sleep. Until then, thank you for your love, prayers and support. Tomorrow (weather permitting) Mark will cycle on....
As I end my ride up and
down the Ozark Mountains I was blessed with a view which I might have missed
had not Denise pointed it out to me.The
views were scarce in these hills of Missouri, so much so that I had just about
given up on any vistas, but yesterday’s final ridge gave me a moment to ponder
the beauty of this world.Last night’s
sunset with rays of light beaming through the clouds gave me further pause--- this marvelous earth on which we live is
no cosmic accident.I know it is a
statement of faith to say that this planet has been created by God,
purposefully.
But the purpose of God is
not always easy to discern.The
psalmists often extoll the wonders of creation, but leave us with questions
regarding God’s purposes, “Who are we that you are mindful of us?” (Psalm 8)
The pictures don't fully capture the views.
Creation is full of order
and beauty, suggesting a grand design beneath and behind it all.Yet, creation is a mystery of unfathomable,
and sometimes terrifying power, awesome and destructive.When we try to grasp God’s purpose in it all,
filled with questions, God responds as to Job, “Where were you when I laid the
foundations of the earth?Tell me if you
have understanding.” (Job 38:4)
In the midst of what we
cannot know, and will never understand, I continually return to a statement of
purpose that comes to us from Jesus, “I came that they may have life and have
it to the full.” (John 10:10)
There is much about
creation that will always remain a mystery, but this statement of Jesus implies
that in the midst of this beautiful and awesome world, we are to live – to
LIVE!My ride across America is an
attempt by me to embrace this fullness of life.Call it a bucket list item, but more deeply it is an engagement with
what it means to be alive and to live deeply.
And to live deeply means
to bring fullness of life to others as well, which is why I include in this
ride an appeal to be aware of the problem of human trafficking.If one life might be set free from bondage as
a result of this bike ride, and the support I am receiving through it, then we
are one step closer to the fullness of life that Jesus suggests.Frederick Buechner says that your purpose in
life is “the place where your deep gladness and the world's deep hunger meet.”I guess this bike ride is an attempt at that intersection of gladness
and hunger.
Wow, this began as a
reflection on the marvel of creation.No
telling where my mind will take me next.
Today is a rest day. No biking.
We’ll be in Kansas either this afternoon or tomorrow. But wherever we are, God’s beauty will be
there before us . . . and mystery . . . and fullness of life.
Today's quick post brought to you by Guest Blogger (Denise)
More about our travels in Missouri later, but wanted to quickly share today's milestone.
After three days pedaling in Missouri, first Monday through the bluffs....
then two days on rough Missouri back roads through the Ozark Mts....
Mark arrived today in Houston, MO.... 1,000 (+6) miles to date!
Way to Go Mark! I am so proud of you!!!
A Huge Thanks to all of you who are praying us across the United States. Your loving support is felt each day and we carry you with us in our hearts. Now onward... toward Kansas....
