205 miles in two days

This morning we had a nice snooze at Annie's relatives in Newton, Kansas. We are here after two days of riding In the flattest terrain imaginable. There are times when your mind tries silly things when you are on long rides. The terrain albeit gorgeous does not to much to stimulate your mind or other muscles. For a spell I believed I was riding a stationary bike. I found if i stared down at the road I would glimpse the occasional rock or grasshopper that indicated that movement was in fact occurring. The miles are easier on our legs but harder on the rest of our bodies. Fingers are still tingling the next morning from leaning on handlebars. Our nethers are constantly reminding us that though the terrain does not dictate it, stand up for a few pedal strokes. You quickly find yourself thinking about long sweeping downhills, dogs smiling as they run after you, swimming pools, and friends back home. Your world comes to a crashing halt once you realize you are only five miles into the days ride. 

The flats though challenging are not a faux amie. They most certainly are our friend with miles and progress. Our legs have churned out over two hundred miles in two days. We are very pleased with this. The large mileage was spurred by and idea to go for two hundred in a day if the wind was right. The guys started off early from Pittsburg with a decent tailwind that died after 30 miles or so. We ended up doing a not so shabby 125 on the day. The girls had a giggle-fest and rode just shy of 80. Yesterday we inverted the numbers with the girls riding just shy of 130.  

Here in Newton we found an awesome bike shop that is also a hostel of sorts with some work still to be done. They also have a bike bath which is mind boggling lay awesome. Is you find yourself on the TransAm be sure to check out Newton Bikes for great people great service and an awesome place to stay. Newton Bikes is the halfway point on the route and their module operandi is your bike should be as good when you leave their shop or better than when you started out. https://m.facebook.com/profile.php?id=184527111619455&refsrc=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2Fsearch&refid=9&_rdr#!/newtonbicycleshop?__user=7804435

We also met three young architects in the small town of Eureka Kansas who are working to revitalize downtown. We think the things they are doing are incredible. They were kind enough to invite us to stay for the evening and it was truly a treat. Check them out at www.ruraldesignmob.com