Kansas will be remembered for it’s vast prairies, horseflies, golden wheat fields, wind turbines, cattle, strong headwinds, record breaking heat, Brahm’s ice cream, and welcoming churches. I should’ve known it was going to be a challenging state when I crossed the border and there was no “welcome to Kansas” sign but in the reverse there was a “leaving Kansas, come again” sign. Kansas was experiencing record breaking heat in the triple digits while I was there, leading to challenging days due to the long distance between towns and lack of water and shade as well as brutal headwinds. The first half of the state continued with rolling hills and beautiful green pastures and golden wheat fields as far as the eye could see. I was blessed to be welcomed into many churches along the way to get away from heat at night versus camping outside. When I did camp outside, it was usually at city parks which have pools attached to them that cyclists are allowed to use for free and are welcomed after a long, hot ride. Midway through the state I entered Flint Hills, one of the worlds greatest beef cattle eating grounds covering 4 1/2 million acres and providing nutritious grasses for over 1 million head of cattle. I’ve never seen such vast prairies and cattle as far as the eye can see. 3/4 of the way across the state I crossed into mountain time and had fun biking back-and-forth and watching the time change on my phone. When I finally reached Colorado, I turned around and finally got that “welcome to Kansas sign”. Looking forward to Colorado and the Rockies!
Cattle everywhere 
Golden wheat fields 
Welcoming churches to camp 
Welcoming pools and pickles 
Beautiful sunrises 
Long straight roads 
Wind turbines everywhere 
Hay bales everywhere
Considering a tax deductible donation to Cycling Without Age Norfolk – Virginia Beach?
If you prefer to write a check please make check out to Bike Norfolk and write CWA in memo line of your check and mail to:
Diane Haupt
2254A Maple St
Virginia Beach, VA 23451
