July 14 - Larned, KS to Sterling, KS

Michael

Today was another good day. This morning we left at 5:45 a.m. after breakfast at our hotel and proceeded to ride under partly cloudy skies and relatively cool weather until our arrival in Sterling, Kansas.  For almost the whole trip, we had very little traffic so we really didn't care that the shoulder was small or non-existent. The truck and car drivers that passed us were all polite and gave us plenty of room as they went around us.  The ride was very pleasant and relaxing, especially after so many days of over a hundred degrees heat.

At one point a kind driver stopped to tell us that seven or eight miles ahead a house would have water out for bicyclists if we needed it. We were delighted by his friendliness, although we had plenty of water today because the temperature never got above 90 while we were riding.  We did find the house with the sign.

Shortly after leaving our hotel, we ran across our one deer for the day. Evidently he told all his friends that we were coming and that they should stay in hiding. And they did.  We did see a scorpion in the middle of the road with his stinger poised to strike.  We gave it plenty of clearance.  We also saw a few hawk/eagle sized birds, one of which was probably a bald eagle.

We passed a wildlife refuge about halfway through the trip, but the only wildlife we 

saw was a few birds. I must admit we were a little disappointed. The sign said that migrating birds, including the whooping crane, use the refuge.

The terrain today was mostly very flat with no hills. As we neared the end of our ride, we started hitting a few very small inclines that made us think that our flat terrain is about to come to an end. We have been warned about the Ozarks in Missouri and are enjoying what remains of this hill-less riding.

An interesting part of today's trip is that we went due east for virtually 50 miles in a row with no curves or turns north or south. There was nothing on the horizon except for low trees way off in the distance. Only in the last 10 miles did trees become slightly more common.

After arriving in Sterling, we had lunch in the Sterling Cafe including a few pieces of fine pie. Gloria had told us that Kansas is known for its pies and we are making the most of it.  After lunch we all went back to our rooms, did laundry, took a "short" nap, and generally relaxed until dinner time.

We were on our way to dinner at the TNT Dairyland for burgers and fries when we happened to notice the sign that the American Legion was serving Mexican food tonight. None of us had ever been inside an American Legion before, but we bravely entered the building and went down the staircase. Inside we found some of the friendliest people we have ever met. One of them immediately invited us in. They made us feel welcome, served dinner, and even allowed me to bring in food from the TNT Dairyland as I wasn't interested in Mexican food tonight. The people of the American Legion were so friendly that it really made our evening.  One young man even invited us to stay in his dad's basement if we were bicycling through Springfield on our trip.

After dinner we walked a few blocks to a park that had a small lake with a side walk around the lake and a public swimming pool. The park was built by the WPA way back, probably in the thirties, and is still very active and alive today. Many locals were fishing in the lake and many people were swimming in the pool. To me, this was exactly what a small town park should be like. The whole evening was relaxing and enjoyable.

Tomorrow we head out for another 55 to 60 mile ride, so it's time for me to hit the sack and get some sleep. Another great day comes to an end.