Wednesday evening

Kansas is not flat. Heading east today, it was hills and headwinds. Isaac and I took our five-hour shift beginning at one in the afternoon, alternating hour-long rides and ending up breaking out the tandem for the last hour. It was our maiden voyage cycling as a pair, and although we were both tired from fighting Euros (not the currency, the Greek god of the east wind), we met his challenges to our timing and patience with a shared spirit of adventure and good humor. The most difficult test to our resolve came from the tandem’s seats, which are very different from what is on either of our regular bikes. Every long incline led not to a descent, as had been our experience in the mountains, but to another incline. Each crest in the distance offered a false promise of a cooling run down its back side, as the seats issued their assault on our backsides. But perseverance was ours, and we made the hand-off to Steve and Kelly.

The evening’s entertainment came in Nickerson, Kansas where we stopped to re-fuel the mother ship, our 30 foot home on wheels which we rented from El Monte RV, near Anaheim. Outside the KwikShop 24-hour gas and convenience store, two SUVs backed out of their parking spaces and into the same small piece of God’s creation. This drew a small crowd including, shortly, Nickerson’s finest, who photographed the damage and made a thorough accident report, taking time to direct us to a vacant lot suitable for docking our MS.

We are passing through Everytown, USA, day after day and night after night. Just like everywhere else, the people bump their cars into each other’s, come out to witness and bless life’s events no matter how mundane, and take the time to help the odd stranger in Spandex cycling shorts park his episcopal land yacht. It is a privilege to encounter all these folk whom God so loves.