Today’s Date: July 1, 2024

Today’s Start Point: Eureka, Kansas

Today’s End Point: Chanute, Kansas

Today’s Miles: 61.84 Miles

Cumulative Miles: 2,670.79 Miles

As always, the first thing I check in the morning is the weather report. I awoke at my usual 4:45 am, ready to consume more Pop-Tarts and down a liter of water. I received an alert that it should start raining in Eureka in 15 minutes-needless to say it never rained. The weather report stated that a heat advisory was going into effect at noon, with a high of 92 degrees but due to humidity, a feels like temperature of 106 degrees. Obviously, I wanted to hit the road early.

The route was 60 miles that went a little bit in every direction, but primarily southeast. When I left at 5:30 am, the sun had not yet risen and the skies were overcast. According to the route guide, there again would be no place to restock with water or food along the way.

Alas, I wish I could comment on the scenery, but again it was cows and corn, corn and cows. Like the day before, there was not much flat road, just a series of hills that were a little more pronounced than yesterday. Traffic was heavy on the first 15 miles, with no shoulder to hide.

At the 15 mile mark, I would turn from an easterly direction and head south. At this point, contrary to the route guide’s pronouncements, there was a small restaurant/convenience store called “Lizard Lips Grill and Deli”. I went in to get some Gatorade due to the heat, and an elderly couple that ran the place greeted me warmly. They gave me a little plastic lizard and a zip tie and told me to affix it to my bike. They said they have been giving the lizards out to bike travelers for 17 years and it was a tradition. They also asked that I sign their notebook that they keep of all the cyclists. If I saw a lizard on a bike, I would know that they had been to Lizard Lips.

Back on the road I headed south and the heat was starting to build. The sun had come out and it was beating down on the asphalt. For one of the few times on the trip the road quality was pretty bad, you would think I was back in Illinois.

Because of the twisty nature of the ride, the wind was good or bad depending on the twist. To be honest, it was getting so hot that I didn’t really care, any wind was a relief.

Most of the backend of the ride was on country roads with little to no traffic. I am starting to practice looking out for dogs. Two unleashed dogs were barking at me from their yard and started to move towards the road. A sharply yelled “stay” froze them in their tracks. I can only hope that other dogs along the way are as well trained (still holding onto the bear spray though).

I arrived in Chanute at noon, and pulled into a convenience store to get something to drink and eat. At the next table were three retired gentlemen that wanted to know where I was going. They told me that a couple of years ago they talked with a bike traveler that wrote for the Wall Street Journal, and that he mentioned them in his article on his trip. I told them my writing did not have quite that reach in circulation but that I would mention them in my blog.

I checked into my hotel and as usual, presented my ID to the proprietor. At this point, a side note. Throughout my travels, but particularly while in Kansas, the individuals who own or run the hotels are of Indian descent. It is strange in an area of the country which is not very ethnically diverse, that the hotel industry has such a concentration. I am only bringing up this point because I think it has a bearing on his story.

When the man looked at my ID, he noted that I was from Elmhurst, Illinois. I was surprised that he recognized Elmhurst, a suburb of Chicago, and I asked him if he was familiar with Elmhurst. He said yes and that he lived in Skokie but worked for ten years in Elmhurst on the north end of town. So here I am in the middle of rural Kansas talking to a guy that worked in my small suburban community outside Chicago. Throughout the last few weeks, I have marveled at the sheer size of the country, and yet here was an instance where the world shrinks.

His name was Andy and he said that he has owned the hotel for 28 years. I asked him what brought him to Chanute, Kansas. He stated that he was born a businessman and would die a businessman. 38 years ago he needed a first job and he went to the company in Elmhurst in response to an ad. The job was for $2.50 an hour, but after six months he would be shifted to the night shift where he would get a $.50 raise. The boss stated, however, that he didn’t want to train him for four months and then have him leave for a dollar more in pay. Andy replied that he was not that type of man and made the boss a promise-he would work for the company for ten years but at the end of the ten years they would part ways.

Ten years passed and Andy turned in his resignation letter. The boss came back to Andy and asked if he was unhappy or did he need more money. No, Andy said, for the last ten years he had worked for you and now it was time for Andy to work for himself. The boss offered to help him in any way, but Andy had already purchased this hotel in Chanute, Kansas. His extended family of parents, brothers and sisters still live in Skokie. I thought it was a great story, complete with a singular drive and perseverance, the American immigrant story.

I went to my room to escape the heat and will venture out when the temperature hopefully cools. I can tell my legs, mind and spirit need a break so tomorrow’s destination is Pittsburg, Kansas and I will be taking a rest day (spending the night of July 2nd and 3rd there). Then it’s Missouri for the 4th of July.