Le Tour

It's a little scary to make your first and last fully-loaded training trip a mere 3 days before heading off into the *vast unknown* of the western United States. The darkly-tanned California-bound cyclists we met as we headed out of Newton inquired through their (parched and sun-weathered) lips where this training trip fell in our regimen. "Well, it's our only fully-loaded training ride," we replied, then set our stony faces East into the sweltering Kansas afternoon. A few miles down the road I thought to myself, "Rempski, this ain't half bad." Let us all give thanks that the feeling didn't dissipate as we tooled along.

Although I have driven to East Lake countless times, the route felt completely different when taken in from the seat of a bicycle. I suddenly felt very sorry for the cattle standing woefully under the late-afternoon sun. I became aware of the low rolling landscape, the patches of trees along the road providing a break from the wind, and the smell of wet earth blowing over us as we crossed a small bridge.

The tall Cottonwoods shading the shore of East Lake were a welcome respite from the sun, and the ride home as the sun was setting provided a completely different perspective on the Kansas landscape. Suddenly the land seemed damp and lush, and the sharp edges of the afternoon were dulled by the dimming light.