Day 55: Great Bend, KS to Rush Center, KS

Distance: 31.2 mi, Climbed: 574 ft
Completed: 2,093.7 mi, 102,326 ft

Rest days can be tricky. Yesterday, it was so nice for Rich and me not to have to pack up and head out early to make sure we had enough daylight to ride our planned miles. We enjoyed the slower pace and the chance to simply relax for a day.

But there was one problem. The weather was beautiful for riding yesterday, and we weren’t riding. Meanwhile, thunderstorms were being forecast for today.

Hoping to stay ahead of the weather, Rich and I were in the hotel lobby at 6:25 AM, waiting for the breakfast buffet to open. While we were waiting, Carol came over and asked about our ride, as she had previously done some city-to-city bicycle touring.

We ended up joining Carol and her son Cameron for breakfast, and before long the conversation turned to Leora and epilepsy. Carol asked about the four anti-seizure medications Leora currently takes, and we shared a little about our family’s journey. Soon Carol’s husband, Chris, joined us and told us about his work in pharmaceutical research.

Rich and I are so grateful for people like Chris, who devote their careers to developing new medications that improve so many lives. It was also inspiring to hear about the volunteer work their family does. One recent trip had taken them to rural Bolivia, where they helped the eye surgeons on a vision mission.

Unfortunately, the weather was still not cooperating. Rich was studying various weather apps, but every forecast seemed to show bands of thunderstorms moving through the area throughout the day. Since we had already checked out of our hotel room, we settled into the lobby alongside our fully loaded bicycles and waited.

As often happens on this trip, the bicycles became conversation starters.

One of the people we met was Jerri, who has been teaching at Great Bend High School for twenty-nine years. She was at the hotel with students participating in a hospitality work-study program. We also learned that her son is a filmmaker whose movie, Squatch, premiered earlier this month.

Later, we met Joe and Carol, who stopped at the hotel while traveling to explore potential places to live closer to their daughter. Carol showed me her medical-alert bracelet and explained that she has a rare blood disorder. Both she and Joe spoke about the importance of medical research and generously made a cash donation, which we have forwarded to the Epilepsy Research Fund at the Children’s Hospital at Montefiore in the Bronx, New York.

Eventually, the storms moved through, and the radar finally gave us a window to ride. We had hoped to ride over fifty miles today but shortened the ride to a little more than thirty given the weather.

As we make our way across central Kansas, we have passed through many tiny communities. One thing that has struck both Rich and me is that no matter how small the town, there always seems to be a grain cooperative with a grain elevator rising above the surrounding prairie. It is a clear reminder that we are traveling through rural America.

It felt wonderful to be back on the road, and what an experience to be passing cattle grazing in expansive fields beneath wide-open skies.

In Rush Center, we stopped at the gas station with has a much-appreciated convenience store. The old-style pumps felt like a step back in time.

Tonight, we’re staying in an Airbnb known as “The Tiny House.” And tiny it is. Still, it has everything we could want after a day of riding—a hot shower, a well-equipped kitchen, and a comfortable bed.

All in all, it was a wonderful day. The weather may have dictated our schedule, but it also gave us the opportunity to meet interesting people, hear their stories, and be reminded once again that this journey is about much more than the miles we ride.