Great Bend, KS to McPherson, KS 65 miles 850 feet of climbing

 It was another wonderfully cool day for bike riding today. The skies were a little overcast most of the morning, with the sun popping out only occasionally. The 65 miles from Great Bend to McPherson looked similar to our two previous days of riding in Kansas, although today, rather than seeing rows of windmills in the pasture lands, we saw numerous oil rigs, some dormant, some operating. This part of Kansas is green and very pretty this time of year. On both sides of the road were vast green meadows framed with groves of trees in the distance. It felt every bit like a sleepy Sunday morning as we passed through numerous small towns and encountered very little traffic. There was a significant headwind and sidewind for most of the ride, which slowed our pace a bit. However, I believe most of the riders made it to McPherson by 1:00 PM and then set out to find a lunch spot. I chose Subway today as it is close to the hotel. 

Dinner tonight is at Applebee's right next door. 

I turned my bike over to Payton, the tour mechanic, for the "mid-ride safety check," and he pronounced my bike safe to ride. Although everyone is all smiles, I still find it a bit awkward to chat these people up, considering the way they handled my bike emergency on day 2 of this ride. Nevertheless, I keep reminding myself that I must remain kind, courteous, and forgiving for the next four weeks until we are safely in Boston.  

Christine, who had been feeling disheartened and was thinking of going home, did ride today after receiving numerous supportive talks from a number of other riders yesterday evening. That was nice to see. Hopefully, she had a good day today.

Each morning before we set out, our tour director goes over the route with us. About half of the riders ( those who ride at a slower pace) leave 30 minutes earlier than our group. They leave at 7:00 we leave at 7:30. Evidently, Barbara from the early group has been picking a new "song of the day" to have the early group sing at their morning route meeting. She often posts videos of these performances on What's App. When 7:30 rolls around and our group gathers for our route meeting, the tour director always asks, 

"Well, what song do you guys have to offer me today?" 

Our group of all men (except for Stephanie from the UK) stand there in an uneasy silence and look down at our cycling shoes. Then more often than not, the tour director looks at me and says something like,

"Well, Dave?"

In order to get our ride started without more delay, I have, on various mornings, sung a snippet of Willie Nelson's, On The Road Again, We're Off To See The Wizard, and Roy Roger's, Happy Trails, to name a few. Tomorrow, just for laughs, I was thinking of busting out Nelly's, It's Getting Hot in Here, Let's Take Off All Our Clothes.

But then the voice in my head chimes in,

 "Watch it, Dave! Does the term "thin ice" mean anything to you? You must behave! Be courteous, kind, and forgiving until you reach Boston!" 

 The problem, of course, is that cycling enthusiasts, especially men, are not generally known to spontaneously burst into song together right before a morning ride. I've never seen it happen. Perhaps some cycling clubs do, but that's a different story.

Tomorrow we ride 85 miles to Emporia, Kansas, and we have a rest day on Tuesday. Payton, the mechanic, plans to install my new handlebars tomorrow after the ride. I had them shipped to the hotel in Emporia, and hopefully, they made it.  

I'm doing my best to keep these posts somewhat entertaining. That can be a challenge some days, so thanks for sticking with me.