Walnut, KS to Eureka, KS – 97 miles
Yesterday started at the church just outside of Walnut, KS. I woke up in my hammock outside after a great night’s sleep. Made some oatmeal and coffee before we took off. We were on the bikes no later than 8 am.
It was cloudy and cool, which was good because the plan was to ride 95 miles to Eureka. That was really one of the only options, except a state park about 60 miles into the ride. The terrain was very flat and I was able to keep a 15 mph pace through the first 20 miles or so.
After our first break I started feeling some strain in my right hamstring and I started to worry about whether or not I could make it the 95 miles. It kind of felt like I was constantly on the verge of a cramp. I slowed down my pace and started eating a lot of bananas.
The hamstring issue made the middle of the ride tough. There wasn’t much to look at and it was just endless flood plains. Still pretty in its own way at times though and by the end of the ride the hamstring wasn’t bothering me anymore and I was really enjoying the views. It’s really strange the ups and downs that occur sometimes for no other reason than the energy that you have and the way your body feels.
We got to Eureka at around 4 PM. They let cyclists sleep at the city park in town. They even have showers, so after a quick rinse we went to grab some food and a couple of drinks at the only bar in town, Benny’s Westside Bar, Grill, and Motel (yes, motel – I guess it’s just in case you get too hammered at the bar to drive home).
When we got back to the park it was still pretty early and there were kids running around everywhere. I think Max and Julia weren’t really comfortable with the crowd, so they ended up grabbing a motel a couple blocks away. It didn’t bother Dries and I,so we decided to hang out.
There were two Little League fields at the park, so we went and watched one of the games.
I hadn’t been to a Little League game in years, so it was really interesting to watch one with a different perspective than I did growing up. It was crazy to realize how much of a high pressure situation it is, particularly for the pitcher. These kids couldn’t have been older than 10 and the pitchers are doing the best they can to throw the ball over the plate. Every passed ball results in another base for any runners who might be on the bases and after each pitch someone in the crowd is constantly yelling, “throw strikes, bud” or “come on, buddy, focus”. No wonder I remember so many kids crying while playing baseball growing up. Even now, I don’t think I would voluntarily put myself in the pitchers place, or even think I would be capable of throwing a strike to the 3 foot kid standing at the plate.
It was cool to get Dries’ perspective on the game and talk about the things he did in Holland growing up. After a couple of innings of the game we rode our bikes to Sonic a couple blocks away for a second dinner. I’m constantly hungry. While we were there we met a kid who was a junior at the local high school. He had a hard time grasping the fact that we were riding across the country and why we’d even want to do that. He had a really interesting story. Grew up in Dallas in a pretty tough situation then came up here to live with his grandparents to get him out of the situation he was in. It was good to hear him say that looking at his friends back at home, most of them with children, tattoos, and possibly in jail, he realizes how much better off he is here. He plans on going to college somewhere to play football.
After Sonic we headed back to the park. It was around 10 and everyone had cleared out and it was really quiet. I set my hammock up in a shelter and we called it a day.
Yesterday marked one month on the road and I have to say it’s been an incredible experience so far. Watching the landscape change slowly, but noticeably, day by day has been awesome. The things you notice while passing by at bicycle speed are far more than you can catch passing by in a car.
The incredible people I’ve met and the unconditional generosity that has been shown to me throughout the journey has been beyond anything I expected. It’s crazy to look back and think that I would have ever considered not doing this, because I may venture to say it is the single most incredible thing I’ve done in my entire life. After 31 days of riding my bike, I can honestly say that I’m excited for today and I can’t wait to ride my bike. 🙂
