McPherson, KS to Abilene, KS 62 miles

Thunderstorms after the ride yesterday.

A sign that although not true, I promise Leslie, I promise.....

Roy, "the rabbit" preparing to leave, me just looking dumb.

No Dorothy, we didn't take a wrong turn in Kansas. I wasn't following .........uh he who shall not be named.

Well I'll actually start today with last night. We have been very fortunate to miss the rain the past few days/weeks. There have been numerous violent thunderstorms, but we have missed them all. This group knows how to live, because the weather has been magnificent. I am posting a pic of last nights thunderstorms that we were able to ward off by wearing our rain jackets. I had to walk in the rain to Applebees because I missed route rap due to uhmmmmm....watching the end of a movie. Good thing that Tracy doesn't read these blogs. Anyway when I got to Applebees I had to sign the menu, because we have now reached rock star status. They also took the groups pic, sans me and will hang it. I took a pic that was so apropo. Sorry for publishing the picture honey....apologies in advance.

Today we started with a headwind for the first 22 miles. It was brisk and was our pennance for missing all the really bad weather. After 22 miles we turned North and the wind turned into more of a cross wind for at least 20 miles. Right now the gods are fully appeased and as I write this they are from the SW. You might wonder why we talk about the wind so much. The weather on these trips is the absolute determinant each day to the difficulty. Our favorite topics in order are: the wind, food, beer, saddle sores. Occasionally a micreant like myself will actually mention how much he misses his wife and children.

Anyway today it started out with Roy, Harold, Greg and me together fighting the wind. Greg soon flew the coop and teamed up with Geoff. Our threesome (that doesn't sound good does it?) eventually became a foursome at the SAG when we picked up Jim H one of the staff and a very strong rider. At mile 39 I was dropped after coming off a pull (thats when you always get dropped) and hung about 100 yards back for miles. I had too much dignity to say "hey slow down". No use chasing them as you will be exhausted when you catch them. What does a dog actually do when he catches a car? Anyway I biked solo for the last 24 miles and made good time averaging 18 mph for the entire ride and getting to the hotel at noon. Meanwhile Greg was dropped by Geoff and picked up my old slot on team "every man for himself".....lol. I actually prefer frequently to bike solo as you don't have to pay attention to the paceline and you can crank up the rock music. I think I may be the only Ipod guy.

Everyone seems to think it is dangerous to have an Ipod, but I only put it in the right ear and can hear the traffic quite well. I'm not sure what the heck these people are thinking of when they bike but on hilly days I am probably rocking out to Zeppelin or playing a little CCR. Maybe a little Lady Antebellum, Lady Gaga, Fastball or Darude for the modern set. Barbie amuses herself by thinking of rock bands that begin with each letter. Stu, the Dos XX man is working on his next "the most interesting man" moment. Craig is telling jokes and humoring whoever he is riding with. Some are writing their blogs as they ride. Give me nice music. In fact, I am working up a special climbing blend of music for the Abilene to Topeka 105 mile day.

Anyways, we are here in Abilene and unfortunately the Brookville Hotel is closed tomorrow as well as today. They are a James Beard award winner and this is truly a disappointment as they have the best fried chicken (sorry mom), biscuits and mashed potatoes all served family style. On nights prior to and including the rest day we are on our own for dinner, which I like because I am not tied to the 6 p.m. dinner time. Too early for me as I apparently sleep less and eat later than any of these "older" guys. LOL

I only have 2 more days of riding, so only a couple of more blogs. Although I will miss the gang, I have a lot of catching up to do at home and at work and am looking forward to some free time. The trip is exciting but 7 weeks is a long time and my 4 weeks has been plenty long enough for me.

Thanks for all the comments, but hold the lines because we have a winner. Tom D. was able to quickly point out that I was part of a group that set the all time record for being lost. Thanks Tom.....LOL Also, if you are wondering why each day we play match the caption with the pic, eblogger just doesn't have a mechanism (at least not one I have figured out) to match captions with pics. It is a hit and miss propostion.

As my friend would say......

Stay thirsty my friends...

Ty