With camping not an option again tonight, we are in another mom and pop motel in Yates Center. We have been very lucky with these small town motels. The rooms have been cheap and clean. We budget 40-45 dollars a night for lodging and some of these rooms have barely been over budget.
Riding today was another hot one. Temps were in the mid 90's with high humidity. As long as we keep taking in liquids throughout the day, the heat is not too much of a problem. The hardest part of the day was being back on a busy road with small shoulders. On the positive side, I spent all day in the back of the paceline (our line of riders). Back there, you do less work because you have others to draft off. I should feel a little more refreshed tomorrow. Evidently over the course of a long bike trip, 22 and 25 year old legs get stronger and 44 year old legs get tired. Go figure.
We plan on making it close to the Missouri border tomorrow. At that point, we are meeting Kim's mom and dad and......handing them our children until Monday. Woohoo! (It is good that Nathan and Anna do not read this.)
When I got out of the shower this afternoon, Kim had the bed covered with maps and AAA books. I asked her why she was smiling and marking things with a highlighter. It turns out there is more for a mother and 2 kids to do in Missouri then there was in Kansas. Now that I think about it, a lot of time has passed since the 3 of them went off route to see the sights. Hopefully this Kansas stretch will the last long stretch of nothing to do for them. The kids have really been troopers!
Well.....Kim and I just completely gorged ourselves with pulled pork and cornbread across the street from our motel. Full tummy.....sleepy........
The Gang Getting Ready to Ride....If It Looks Like Bobby is Posing, I Think It Is Because He IS POSING!
