Oct. 12 – Mama Mia, Mama Mia, Mama Mia Let Me Go!

I didn’t actually sleep that well last night – the wind was blowing the tree branches around, and I kept waking up thinking someone was outside my tent. But it was just my overactive imagination. Today was all about the wind – it blew hard from the south all day. Whoever told me that the prevailing winds come from the west definitely lied! A side wind beats you up, but I’ll take it over a headwind any day. I didn’t see much except for the usual Kansas landmarks……but I did find the place where all you Bohemians will be buried with your brethren:

Who knew it was in Kansas! If the wind wasn’t blowing so hard I would have ridden the 1.5 miles to check it out. I had scoped out a cool place to camp in Grand Bend where a local church built a cyclist-only campground complete with a porta-potty, picnic tables, water and even a charging station. Pretty sweet. Alas, the wind was still howling, it was hot and I really needed a shower. The local Motel 8 was calling my name. Freshly clean I walked a mile or so down to the local sports bar/restaurant for some dinner. Sitting at the bar I met Greg and Wendy, a couple from Iowa who were returning home from a vacation in Santa Fe. They were very friendly and interested in my trip and we also had a good conversation about Santa Fe and their experiences there. On their next trip they promised to drive the extra miles to La Reforma! You meet the nicest and most interesting people when you introduce yourself to the ones sitting next to you! As it turns out, Greg and Wendy were also staying at the Motel 8, so I bummed a ride back.