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Out of Kansas. Welcome to Missouri. You might have gotten the impression that I hate Kansas. Nothing could be further from the truth. Well, many things could be further from the truth. But the truth is that there's not much can compare to the beauty and the splendor and the wonder of the Rockies. Nevada and Utah have weird and wonderful geological formations, which are subtly different from day to day. But Kansas - Kansas has wheat fields, corn fields, milo fields, hay fields. Mile after mile of flat, agricultural land. We don't have grain elevators back east, but all the grain elevators are basically the same design, from the same period. The towns range from small to tiny, and are miles apart, separated by fields of wheat, corn, milo, and hay. It's hot in the summer, and (I hear) cold in the winter. And there's nothing to stop the wind, except the lone rider on his bike. More of the Flint Hills. The rollers are actually kind of fun. Just zip down one side, and roll up the next. Northwestern Missouri is, not surprisingly, more of the same. The route into St Joe took us through this nice municipal park, with some punishing climbs, and a switch-back descent. I like fast descents, but I like to see what's around the next turn. There was an unannounced stop at the house of a previous year's rider, who served us iced tea and fruit salad. He's also volunteered to ferry us around tomorrow, and make sure our day off in St Joe is enjoyable. Welcome to Missouri. |
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