Day 24: McPherson to Emporia, KS

 And finally we rest!

https://give.michaeljfox.org/barbarasbigride

https://ridewithgps.com/trips/122799740

Today’s Ride

The Stats

81 miles

1,342 ft. climbing

Highlights: "Cresting" a "hill" (if you could call it that) for the first time in days -- which gives you not only views but a downhill!

Challenges: Some body parts that have spent too many consecutive days in a saddle!

Miles Completed: 1,650

Miles to Go: 1,746 (almost halfway!)

States Visited: 6 of 15 (yup, still in Kansas!)

Feet Climbed: 54,097

The Ride

Getting moving this morning was really tough. I was physically and mentally fatigued, and probably didn't get enough sleep, in part because of a last ditch effort to get my laundry done last night, so I could truly rest on the rest day. But once I got on the bike, I soaked up the special quality of the morning light at that time of day, and something kicked into gear. I literally got the legs moving faster and in a higher gear than usual -- meaning I was just going faster! The weather was perfect -- once again, starting in the high 50's/low 60's and topping out at no more than the low 80's (which I understand is pretty lucky for this time of year). The greens of the fields were so vibrant, evoking memories of all the various Crayola colors in my 64-color flip top box with a built-in sharpener -- pine green, spring green, forest green, yellow green -- that I obsessively organized into rainbow order (and my sister cavalierly disregarded!)

Convinced the pictures wouldn't capture hues or expansive vistas, I took fewer than usual, but did stop for one of a cool beer sign and a Mennonite cemetery (apparently, the Mennonites came to the region from Russia in the 1800's and have a rich history in the area). 

One of several cemeteries I noticed on today's ride.

I also borrowed a great steer pic from Linda (which I noticed, but opted not to cross the road to photograph)! There were many other cows, but I just mooooed at them.

As someone said yesterday, I had "get-there-itis" and was more destination-driven than usual. I did enjoy a brief SAG stop at a campground. Did you know there were lakes in Kansas? And rivers, too?

Since these days in Kansas have arguably been "monotonous," I tried to remain curious and engaged in some respect and gain something from the time as the miles roll by (or, more honestly, as I keep pedaling to make the miles roll by!) Here are some of the things I pondered today: 

1. I kept noticing these signs that said "Jake Brakes Prohibited." I have since learned the following from the Google machine:

"You may have noticed signs that read "Engine brakes prohibited" or "Trucks please no Jake Brake." This is because Jake Brakes make a very loud noise when the compressed air is pushed out the exhaust. Because of the loud noise, several cities and towns have laws in place to prohibit the use of Jake Brakes."

But does that mean if a truck with Jake brakes comes through the town it isn't allowed to brake? Doesn't make sense to me!

2. The landscape continued to evolve, including the man-made infrastructure. As the grain silos gave way to natural gas facilities, I became curious about what they actually were. Thanks to Spencer for sharing information about the underground salt caverns storing millions of barrels of natural gas liquids below the mazes of pipes at this facility.

3. I noticed that each town of 5 blocks had nearly twice that many churches. Made me think of the joke of the man rescued on a desert island with two buildings. When asked what the first one was, he replied, "That's my synagogue." When asked about the other building, he replied, "That's the synagogue I used to belong to!" I wonder if the same holds true for churches in rural Kansan towns?

4. The symmetry of the telephone poles and geometric patterns in the water towers was surprisingly zen.

5. When the scenery gets monotonous, it's all about the music and the metrics. Thanks to my friend and cheerleader Kevin for suggesting a great podcast to get me through the last 20 miles (always the toughest, regardless of the mileage or the route!) -- Hit Parade: Le Petty Prince Edition (about Tom Petty and Prince) took me on a great journey through the soundtrack of late high school, college, and beyond!

Emporia, KS

Because I was faster than usual, I arrived relatively early. As has become predictable, we are staying some distance from the "downtown" in the realm of the Walmart's and Applebee's. So I quickly showered and changed, concluded that no Uber or Lyft would ever come, and called a cab to go downtown. The designation "downtown" is a bit of a stretch, especially on Memorial Day, when everything was shut tight as a drum - our "ghost hunters" from back in Prescott might have done well in the few blocks of the historic district, which was a literal ghost town today. I was thankful to Casa Ramos for remaining open, as it was truly the only game in town! I was graciously welcomed, poured a cold Dos Equis into an iced mug, and served a delicious salad. They figured me out very quickly!

I strolled around a bit after, and am sad we're going to miss the festivus of the Unbound Gravel 2023 event that rolls into town this weekend -- apparently Emporia, KS is the self-anointed Gravel Grinding Capital of the World. Not sure how much more activity there will be tomorrow, but I probably will at least check out the brewery in town. While I appreciated the murals and varied architecture, I'm not sure it will make for a full day's activities!

At least I will have more time for my "rest day reflections"...

Employee(s) of the Day

While I didn't get on the usual first name basis with the bartenders and servers at Casa Ramos, I appreciated their working on a holiday where others have taken off and closed their business. It is a family-owned business frequented by the locals. So thanks to them, I had a non-chain restaurant meal today!