Day 23 (September 4): Middle of Kansas

My friends Terrell Russell and Kelly Marks (from NC State) made a detour on their cross-country drive to come through Kansas and say hello. The beginning of our day - in Cassoday, the Prairie Chicken Capital of the World (not just of Butler County or of Kansas) - was cold, damp and windy. Terrell pedaled 31 miles with me and Mark, at first under a thick canopy of grey clouds, but later under a warm sun, and over plenty of sneaky hills. Then we met up with Kelly and Elizabeth and all ate sandwiches in Newton. We waved bye to Terrell and Kelly as they made their way back to North Carolina, and Mark and I continued to Hesston. I rode the last twenty or so miles (of 72 total) to Medora in the early evening, with the shadows lengthening and the sun making the cow birds a brilliant white as they flew from the pastures - I don't know what kind of birds they are, only that they hang out with the cows. The sun also illuminated the underside of a hawk as he flew not fifteen feet overhead, crossing my path and flying just south along the road for a while. I saw his legs and talons up close, but he was a quite aloof traveling companion. I think this is a coyote, either that or a mangy dog with a bushy tail. Coyotes usually eat things, but here, the eater is eaten. From armadillo country to coyote country! Elizabeth noticed a lot of prairie dogs today, but I haven't seen any along the roads yet ... The wind is here in earnest, which makes me feel like I'm speeding right along, but we're really just expending extra energy.