Kansas and Family History

After leaving Eads, CO early in the morning to beat the heat, we saw two guys pulling in after a full night of riding, which they say is an even more effective method.  I will take their word for it.  On the way out of town Hannah discovered she had two flats resulting from the imfamous local bull thorns that plagued the lush green grass we camped on.  In a pit crew effort, Reid and I were able to get two new tubes in her bike in a matter of fifteen minutes.  For most of the morning we were blessed with a tail wind pushing us quickly down HWY 96 through Lake Sheridan, which only has a dry lake, Towner, the border, and the last 20 miles into Tribune, KS.

Upon arrival at about noon we decided it was high time to enjoy some local greasy food, so we stopped  into one of the two local burger joints, which were the only restaurants in town.  After eating our relatively vegetableless meals we relaxed in the local library enjoying the AC and the wireless for looking at maps and uploading photos.

As we had done in the last 3 towns we stayed in, we ventured to the local pool for a dip and some shady relaxation.  This was the largest one that we had encountered, fully equiped with swimming lanes, a diving board, four water slides and a kiddy pool.  A full hour before the listed closing time we had to evacuate the cool waters due to a contamination from a child's poop.  The junior guards relabeled their welcome sign for their "L," informing patrons to keep their poo out of their pooL in the future.

Fortunately for us, while we are on the established trans-America bike route, the towns have free parks for us to camp in with bathrooms and water, and in this case showers.  Reid and Hannah cooked us a delicious meal of Mac and Cheese with sausages.  We cleaned up, prepped our tents for impending rain, and went to bed early so that we might get up at 4 am to beat the heat.

To our dismay, it didn't cool down all night.  Sleep was continuously disturbed by sweat and strong gusty winds.  Our early morning sleep was interrupted by confused iPhones thinking that we were in the next time zone.  At the end of much unrest the tear down of our camp began just before 4 am.  Dragging our feet from the lack of sleep we weren't able to get out much before 6 am when we realized that the temperature was still around 90 degrees.  Moving through the morning our fears of unrelenting heat were largely quelled by seemingly unending cloud cover.

With about 15 miles to Scotts City we encountered a headwind, forcing us into a paceline formation with Reid and I alternating as the leads.  We pushed east at a good clip, rarely breaking formation for fear of separation.  In Scott's City we found some soda water, a much appreciated soda fountain staple, and ingredients for lunchtime burritos.  At the store we encountered a late-to-start cyclist preparing for a 90 mile ride into the wind by scarfing down pickled hardboiled eggs outside of the store, to which I could only say good luck.

We ate lunch in a nice park and cooled off in its sprinklers and spigots before turning south for Garden City.  Our spirits were up as the wind was no longer in our face and we were able to pedal without huge exertion.  In our search for shady respite midway in our last 35 miles of the day we were only able to find a shrubby tree inhabited with biting flies, which forced Reid and I to visit a nearby cornfield irrigator for one last dose of evaporative cooling.  This was when things got hard.

The last 15 miles were tainted by a stiff and hot headwind that kept the horizon from moving closer.  Temperatures crept to 102 and our mouths dried out leaving us to only dream about the airconditioned wonderland that lie ahead.  Miles seemed to drag into centuries when finally the tell tale tree mass dotted with water towers and grain silos appeared in the distance.  At the end of much struggle we threw ourselves into a massive truck stop before completing the last few miles to our great uncle Tony's home.

On the edge of a wide tree lined street in the center of Garden City, we arrived to Tony's heavily air conditioned oasis  elated with our 85 mile accomplishment (this was Hannah's longest ride to date).  Once inside, we were greeted by Dave's (Dad's) cousins Judy and Kathy, who let us shower and  hydrate before they bombarded us with questions about our bemusing endeavor.  We all sat around a table looking at old family photo albums and learning about the Haflich family legacy that existed in Garden City.

Tony, a cool 91, is no longer able to venture far from his recliner perch in the family room.  However, his oxygen tether has not dampened his spirits or desire to tell stories.  We learned of his days on the farm, in the military, and with his lovely passed wife Muriel.  He never missed an opportunity to interject, calling myself and my brother "grass eaters" for enjoying salad with dinner.  Tony reminds us that the only life worth having is a lively one, not matter your age.

 Soon the photo albums were replaced by plates filled with salad and much needed carb-rich lasagna, followed by brownies and ice cream.  As our eyelids grew heavy and stomachs full, great aunt Barbara and my dad's cousin Kelly Ann joined the party.  Stories and jokes went round and round the table until I could barely hold myself up anymore. The party was over and we excused ourselves to bed, in preparation for our rest day to follow.

 Sleeping in the airconditioned basement made all of the difference, allowing us to wake after 8 am, an unheard of feat for the past 6 days. A quiet morning followed, featuring a liesurely breakfast and conversation. The rest of the morning was spent uploading and editing photos, typing, looking at maps, making phone calls and generally sitting in anything but our bike seats.For lunch we found the only thing open on Sunday, a day you cannot even buy beer, a Thai/ Chinese restaurant. We drove the family minivan the six or so blocks and enjoyed the spiciest thing we had yet had in Kansas.

 With our bellies once again over full we left for the pool. Bare in mind that this was not just any pool, but the worlds largest concrete,municipal, free pool that costs a dollar to enter, plus one dollar to ride the twisty slides. We were all in. The pool covers an entire acre, so large that there are lifeguard outposts in its center. We slid, dove, napped and swam until our eyes were too red with chlorine.Our stay was finished with another epic dinner consisting of porkchops, chicken, chips, confeti salsa, cornbread salad, feta greek salad and a coolwhip yogurt snickers apple salad for dessert. Once again we went to bed full in preparation for the days ahead.

We woke early to make our way towards Jetmoore and another public pool. Along the way we stopped at Haflich Rd. We pedaled down the family street to our great grandfather's farm.

Thank you, Rome girls, for your hospitality and for sharing so much of my family history with me. The education was invaluable. Our house will always be welcome to you.