The Soul Cyclist

Day 9: 52 miles, a long stretch of old highway US 50; skin drying heat and no clouds anywhere to hide the sun.

I chose comfort over my safety and swapped my helmet for my sun hat blocking the sun’s powerful Ultraviolet rays 360 degrees around.

 

1:49pm I Entered coffee county. the population +/- 900, where everybody knows everybody and everything else. I stopped in a tiny town for a break away from the heat purchased an excess of gatorade and natural spring water at a gas station; maybe my thirst was larger than my backpacks capacity.

 

I then Asked the gas station attendant where some shade is so I can rest for a few minutes. She says across the street at the local library.

 

Entering the doors of coffee county library all attention was faced my direction; a welcoming curious attention, they wanted to know where I was coming from and where I was going. Once i told them their faces became awestruck.

 

Sitting and waiting for my break to be up, no need to wait when the time zips by faster than you can take your next breath.

 

The cooling sensation that an air conditioning unit has on our body and psychological state is a beautiful luxury.

 

Well time to snarf down a few more granola bars and gulp a few more ounces of water and hit the road again.

 

2:30pm entered into Wichita, kansas, after all the hills route 50 has another surprise for me, riding on the shoulder I have never seen so many roadkill and turtle shells in such variety.

 

Entering the flats.

 

Day 10:8:00am noticed storm clouds coming in from the north moving fast, the clouds were fierce, dark-black and huge as mountains swarming towards my direction

 

9:30 am, US route 56 headed west. rain downpours heavily, wind gust blowing 10 to 15 mph south giving me a cross wind forcing me to lean my bike to counteract the wind to avoid being blown over. rain began showering the drops of rain looked like ice cubes and plummeted on my helmet with vengeance.

 

The roar of thunder and lightning bolts getting closer to me as I pedal i thought what are the chances of being struck?. Soon as i said this a bolt of lightning touched ground not far from me.

 

For miles no shelter to be found other than a cemetery, which appeared in my limited visibility. I turned quickly into the cemetery opened the fence and ran into a steel shed.

 

I was lucky to have been near the cemetery as there was open land for miles and nothing to protect me from the elements.

 

30 minutes later the rain settled, clouds passed, the temperature dropped from 80 to 61, rain sprinkled and the wind changed direction to west.

 

 Flat roads and all the perfect conditions for a soul cyclist. I was covering miles in no time. im doing 25 miles an hour colorado will be here shortly!

 

Every time a truck passed i followed their slipstream and it gave me a brief speed boost.

 

2:00pm I took a much needed break at a park. students from a nearby school came out to play while I ate my lunch.

 

A squirrel appeared that was pregnant looking for her next meal. I reached out offering my last peanut butter cracker and the friendly squirrel kindly accepted out of my hand.

 

As i was resting up for my next two hour interval I heard a teacher yelling “you have a couple more minutes to play kids”. the kids yelled at each other, we need to hurry up!” and rocked back and forward faster on their teeter totter.

 

Fun time and Imagination is critical for societies innovation. Keep the cap off the creativity and allow it to flourish.