Day 25: Emporia, KS Rest Day Reflections

https://give.michaeljfox.org/barbarasbigride

[NOTE: The "reflections I was working on all day just mysteriously deleted, so this may be truncated and less inspired than it otherwise would have been, as it's getting late. My apologies for my likely user error and frustration!]

Dear Blog, 

The only thing my bike was going
 to lean against today!

It has been 10 days since my last reflection. 

Hard to believe it has been 3 states and more than 700 miles since then. It's our 3rd of 5 rest days and day 25 of 49 of the tour, which means we're (nearly) halfway there. (Looking forward to tomorrow's Route Rap Rapper performance!)

Our route map makes it look like we've actually made progress!

So, in no particular order of importance (to me or anyone else), here are some thoughts and observations (to the extent I remember what I wrote earlier!): 

• I can't believe I've biked (almost) halfway across the country. Go me! (and if some want to call me badass, I'll roll with that!)
• I can't believe I'm in Kansas.
• I can't believe I'm still in Kansas.
• Emporia, KS is more liberal than Liberal, KS -- they even have a pride day and a drag show during pride week. 
• The Kansas scenery has surprised on the upside. Though some may find it monotonous, I find the subtle changes from town to town intriguing, and have relished in the small things you see and hear at (generally less than) 15 mph. Especially the blackbirds, which are plentiful!
• Much as I have enjoyed the scenery, I'm not sure I could live here. I purposefully avoided any political conversations with those who I met. Based on conversations I recently overheard at an Applebee's bar, I think that was a wise choice.
• I visited two "new" states so far on the tour (Oklahoma and Kansas). Have one more (Missouri) to go.
• I didn't realize how much I missed seeing water until I saw some. Did you know Kansas had lakes? 
• I didn't realize how much I missed hills until we recently crested one on yesterday's ride. The "A-HA" moment of a new vista is hard to describe, but is non-existent on a flat road. So is a good downhill coast! 
• A remarkable number of properties in New Mexico house inoperational school buses in their yards with varying degrees of possessions or debris (depending on your perspective) in them. Not sure what that's all about. Same holds true for much of eastern Arizona. Less so in Oklahoma and Texas, and even less so Kansas.
• The Hostess factory in Emporia perpetually smells of cinnamon buns. Yum! 

• I'm enjoying the small towns and nostalgia they evoke. Not so the repetitive, unoriginal strips of fast food, chain restaurants, and hotels that precede or follow each of them. They are depressing, even if the "quaint" small town main streets are in fact more depressed.
• I've been craving Asian flavors. Chi 'em EATS on 6th St. in Emporia provided delicious Vietnamese food to the rescue.
• Despite being with a group of 20-something other riders, this is an individual endeavor for many of us. It can be lonely at times, and I miss my family and friends (and even Bondi, especially when I see other dogs), but I wouldn't change this experience for anything. 
• It's a rest on a rest day just not having to move hotels - and sleep in until 7 a.m.
• Not sure if eating and drinking for 6 hours straight qualifies as resting, but I enjoyed the day!

Jamie Lee, at Chi 'em EATS, was moved that I was riding in memory of my parents.

Beer buddies at Radius Brewing Company!

Gelato at Sweet Grenada to top off a day of resting (aka eating!)

• A surprising number of small towns around here have murals. Not sure if these are a distinct art form from "street art," but this one was just recently completed (as Facebook kindly, and somewhat creepily, informed me this morning). Spent some time with a local who was admiring how colorful it was, and how the town should do more of these! 
  
  
  

  

  Here's another one. Apparently Emporia invented Veteran's Day as we know it, f/k/a Armistice Day.

  
  
  So, I'm sure I had more to say in the last draft, but it's getting late, and it's another 5 a.m. wakeup. Apparently there has been some frantic re-routing of our route tomorrow due to some impassable roads due to construction -- but from what I see it's not a major change and shortens the route by 1.5 miles -- so I'm not complaining!