The party is over and its time to get out of Kansas

   After four awesome, wonderful nights in Wichita it was time for us to finally leave and get back on the road and on our way to St. Louis for the Juvenile Arthritis Convention. We had a quick breakfast of cereal and bananers before we said goodbye to Mac, Linda and Sam. We cannot say thank you enough. We had a great time and we felt more at home than we have the whole trip. With memories of the last few days in our mind we set out for a 66 mile day to our destination of Eureka, Kansas.
   We had a wonderful ride with a slight wind in our face for a little more than half our ride. Then we stopped in El Dorado for a quick bite to eat and watched some old dudes play tennis. We totally could have beaten them in a game of doubles.
   The last 30 miles of our ride was fast with a tailwind and 12 miles before we hit Eureka we encountered our first cross country touring cyclists. We stopped and chatted them up for a few minutes. They were Oliver, Doug and Brian. They were going from New York to San Francisco. We swapped a few stories about biking across the country and they told us that if we were staying in Eureka we should go to the pool and find Becky. They said she was the nicest lady ever and would probably let us stay at her house.
   Good luck you guys and keep killin it on your way to San Fran.
   Once we got to Eureka we went to the pool where they said she would be and asked for Becky. Good thing we were talking directly to her when we asked! She is the manager of the pool and let us into the pool for free and said that we could stay at her house that night. She has been hosting touring cyclists for the last two summers and she loves it. She used to be on warm showers which is a website that hosts cyclists but now she is just a legend on the transamerica bike route. She only has three rules for cyclists that stay at her house; you have to sign in her log book, take a picture with her and send her a postcard from your home city or state.
   So we hung out in the pool and after about an hour another three cyclists pulled into the parking lot. They had been riding with Oliver and the guys we met earlier and they told them to go to the pool and find Becky. So we started talking with our second group of cross country bikers and they were also going to be staying at Becky's that night. They were Brian, Brent and Louie. And then there were 6. They were going west to Boulder, Colorado where Brian was stopping and Brent and Louie were splitting up with Brent going to Seattle and Louie going to San Fran.
   When we had enough of the pool we got ready to leave and just as we were getting on our bikes yet another touring cyclist pulled into the parking lot. His name was Harm and he was from Holland. He is going east to New York. We told him to talk to Becky about a place to stay and set out for the grocery store and Becky's house.
   After picking up some supplies we rolled up to Becky's house and made our self at home as she told us to. We met her daughter Becky and her friend. We had some lunch and it wasn't long after that that Brian and Brent showed up. With Louie rolling up about an hour later and Harm a few minutes behind him we had our whole bike gang in Becky's house. We hung out and talked about life on the road, the hardships and the fun, the exciting and the boring, the past, present and future.
   Becky was so cool and extremely inviting. She told us to make her house our home and if we did not that it was our fault. She was just as excited to have us in her house as we were to be there. Thank you so much Becky and keep making bikers day, every day. We all hit the hay on the ground and got some good rest for the next day of biking.
   Fearless leader speaking now! This morning was great, Cocoa Puffs, muffins, protein shakes with oatmeal, Cheerios, and Honey Bunches of Oats. Not to mention a group of 7 cyclists all doing their morning routines, shuffling around the house. We all said our good byes and shared information, then we set off east as the others set off west! Besides Harm, he set off a bit late due east!
   With a legendary stay behind us, we set off for Iola, Kansas, a mere 50 miles! We stopped in Yates Center for a snack in their "Historic Downtown", although we had no idea what was historic about it. However, Yates Center is the Hay capital of the world!!!!! HAY HAY HAY ITS FAT FARMER ALBERT!!!! That was a really lame joke, that is all.
   The ride continued without a hitch all the way to Iola. I saved a turtle from impending doom on the highway and then Iola was just around the corner. We stopped at a local gas station and asked if there was anywhere with an all you can eat buffet. Turns out, THERE IS! Thanks to the great couple at the gas station for telling us and a donation for to used for lunch! We ended up at the chinese buffet restaurant and each had about 5 plates of food! So good, I'm still full typing this! We were asking around for a place to stay and the waitresses said that a local pastor was about to leave. So Nate asked him if we could stay at his church and what we were doing an why. Phillip Honeycutt, the pastor, was kind enough to put us up in a motel across the parking lot! We thank you so much for your generosity, the showers here are the best we've had!
   Now we've been hanging out here in the air conditioning because its Sunday, so only restaurants are open. Matt and Nate napped after eating, and I watched movies... Utter relaxation! At this point we are doing some upper body workouts to keep our bodies chiseled like Greek Gods! So a huge shout out to the pastor Phillip Honeycutt of Covenant of Faith Christian Center! 
   So as always, tell your friends family and foes! Spread the word like the plague because we are almost at 4,000 page views!!!! Comment on the blog, tell us who you are! Thanks so much for reading and more to come in the future!

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