Emporia, Kansas to Topeka, Kansas 68 miles and 2200 feet of climbing

 

Today's ride from Emporia, Kansas, to Topeka, Kansas, was by far the most beautiful and satisfying ride of the entire tour thus far. After riding through the center of Emporia, we were quickly back out in the countryside. The topography reminded me a little of West Simsbury, Connecticut, the town I grew up in.  The country roads went up and down gently, every once in a while curving here and there. The landscape was green and lush, with bucolic vistas around many of the turns. We rode past small farms with red barns, silos, and sweeping fields grazed by dairy cows. Partly cloudy skies kept it cool the entire morning. There was very little traffic, and the only sounds I heard for miles were the chirping of the birds and the low-level hum of my tires rolling over the smooth pavement. 

At the 54-mile mark, we were told we had to try the award-winning pies at the Sommerset Cafe in the little town of Dover, Kansas. I love pie, but typically, if we still had 20 or 30 miles to ride, I would have passed. However, since we were only about 14 miles from Topeka, I decided to try the  Cherry pie. It was wonderful. I bought fellow rider Joel a slice of Lemon Marange pie, and he said it was also extremely good. The 50's decor of the cafe, simple and not overly contrived,  also added to the experience. 

Soon I was back on the road for the final miles to Topeka, Kansas' capital city. Its population is listed at around 125,000 people, and the State of Kansas is the town's main employer. 

Last night my good friend Matt emailed me to say he was enjoying reading my daily dispatches from the road and that I should also consider posting something on my days off. He pointed out correctly that many people have never been to some of the places we have ridden through and stayed, and they might find it interesting to hear my observations about these locales. That actually made sense to me, so going forward, I will make an effort to post something on my days off. 

The one challenge for me in that regard is that I am not a big fan of sightseeing per se. Rome, yes; Emporia, not so much. I have a great affection for the Heartland ( I just released a song about it, check it out on Spotify under Dave Hosley); however, I love the pastoral countryside far more than the cities. The feeling one gets while riding a bike, taking in the beauty of the passing scenery at 15 to 20 miles an hour, is at times sublime. 

So for the benefit of Matt and anyone else who is interested in my activities during my day off yesterday, here goes. 

I was up early because my body clock is now geared to get up between 5:00 AM and 5:30 AM to prepare for the day's ride. At 6:00 AM, I went down to breakfast in the hotel and treated myself to pancakes and eggs since I didn't have to worry about any riding-related stomach issues. I also treated myself to a cup of Starbucks coffee for that same reason. Then I headed over to Walmart for some travel-sized toiletries. The bags we are required to use, issued by this so-called tour company, are stupidly small, which makes packing regular-sized toiletries problematic. I then washed my bike at the bike wash station they had set up in the side parking lot of the hotel. Several other riders were there washing and lubing their bikes, and there was some discussion about sharing an Uber into town to explore. 

I really had no desire to see downtown Emporia, so instead, I ventured across the street for lunch. It has been my experience that the people of Kansas and the Midwest, in general, are genuine and very friendly. In some ways, being here, it feels as though I've stepped back into a simpler, more gentle time. 

I went to lunch at a place called Braum's. It is a midwestern chain of food and ice cream restaurants that was started by a family that owns a dairy farm. The prices are insanely low, and the food and ice cream are very good. I walked in the front door, and the first thing I saw was this cute little toddler in a highchair. He was a toe head with very little hair and a chubby round face, and he was looking right at me with the biggest smile. I just walked right up to the table and started talking to him, telling him how cute he was. His parents just smiled, unfazed, as they sat there eating their ice cream. I told my wife last night that I really miss being around little kids. One of the main reasons we still go to Disneyland is to be around all the young families. I get emotional even now thinking about it. 

Coming back from lunch, as I walked to my room, the maid from housekeeping was replacing the towels in my bathroom. She was very sweet and asked me about the bike ride that I was on. I told her the details, and that started a conversation that lasted about 15 minutes. Evidently, she grew up in Emporia. When I asked her if she liked it here, she kind of shrugged and smiled. She said it was hard to find a decent place to live; it was so expensive, she said, and she preferred to live in a smaller town. But the work is here in Emporia, so that’s why she is here. I enjoyed talking with her, and I encouraged her to “keep on, keeping’ on”  because I suppose that is all any of us can do. 

After she left, I found myself feeling a little sad for her. Will she ever get back to the small-town life she wants? What sort of dreams and aspirations does she have? Does she see a pathway to achieving any of those things? 

She said at one point, 

“I tell younger people, enjoy your life when you are young because when you get older, you will just be working, working, working. “

She looked to be not more than 30 years old.