A Long Ride

I rode across Kansas in one long day, 550 miles and about twelve hours of riding. That includes many stops for food, photos or just because I wanted a break. The people I met were not very talkative, but they were very kind to me. For example, the waitress in a diner west of Pratt didn't charge me for my apple pie a la mode and coffee because (she thought) she took too long getting it to me. This is with one waitress and a very busy restaurant full of locals! Even the police were kind. I was pulled over for the second time on this trip, but the Kansas State Trooper let me off with a written warning. I was on Highway 50 west, passing a slow car, and he clocked me at 84 m.p.h. I told him, honestly, that I had been riding about 74 m.p.h. all day (using the "nine over you're fine, ten over you're mine" guideline), and he believed me. This guy couldn't have been any more opposite the uptight lady cop in Ontario. Those were just two random encounters, but they gave me a good feeling about the people of Kansas. And yes, there are endless fields of... no, not corn! I think it's canola, and it has a beautiful red-orange flower that makes the fields look like paintings.