The Next Great Flatness

Everything about our visit to Kansas city was awesome except for the dispute I had with the manager of Papa John's about our order which was not settled to my satisfaction. Oh, well! After three nights in their house, Jordo, Linda, Dane and Shane feel like old friends.

This guy knows

On the way out of Kansas City we stopped at a locally famous barbecue place called Oklahoma Joe's for lunch. The french fries were good. So were the onion rings. I had both, then felt like I was going to suffer a heart attack. Ryan declared that he was turning a new leaf on unhealthy foods.

Ryan spotted these guys east of Kansas City

Genghis Khan. All you can eat Mongolian Barbecue. Yessssss

Across the state line the famously flat Kansas was waiting with a couple of monster hills. By now I've learned not to take flatness for granted. I'm sure it will come soon enough, and we'll have plenty of time to get acquainted on the way to Denver.

I've never understood this arrangement. Does the toilet not perform the function of the urinal? Will they ever be used simultaneously? The proprietors of this establishment need to invest in a barrier, then this will no longer be awkward.

Yesterday we rode about 68 miles through the glacial hills of eastern Kansas. I suffered my fourth flat of the journey just short of Atchison, birthplace of Amelia Earhart, and that's where we ended up staying the night. We happened to arrive on the eve of a festival in her honor. Last night the center of town was lit up with a carnival, tonight there will be a concert and tomorrow night a big fireworks display. We met a few local girls who were really cool at a place called Taco Joe's, and they introduced us to a bunch of their friends. I got some guac and Natalie (Nathalie?) gave me some potato ole's for free (basically tater tots). We also made the routine stop at the firehouse, where a camping spot was recommended, and showers at the YMCA promised in the morning. Just as we were about to leave Taco Joe's to pitch a tent, a woman walks into the place and asks if we're the kids who stopped by the fire house. Then she tells us that she is the housing coordinator at nearby Benedictine College, and that she had been driving around trying to find us since her husband (a fire fighter) had told her about our situation, in hopes of giving us a place to stay. So, thanks to the determination of this wonderful woman (Donna) to help us out, we spent last night in a college dormitory. She said, "I'd hope if my boys were doing something like this that somebody would help them out." We showered, washed our clothes, and got a good night's sleep.