Day 23 McPherson KS to Abilene KS - Happy Memorial Day

Day 23
McPherson KS to Abilene KS
62 Miles  - Memorial Day
Last 40 miles was FAST.

                                                             Happy Memorial Day
This morning started out with a ridiculous wind from the North. We had 22 miles to push East and the side winds kept the pace slow and the grip tight on the bars. To be quite frank, I'm tired of Kansas. I'm sure the people are great and there are beautiful farms but the wind is insane. The wind was so high this morning that it snapped the metal bracket holding on of the riders flags. We still have 1 more full day of riding in Kansas and then we can check it off the list. BTW, just in case you ever decide to visit Kansas let me help you with a little local knowledge that we were not aware of...you can't buy beer in Kansas on Sunday (but you can buy a gun) look, I'm not sure what the reasoning is here but The Indy 500 and some big NASCAR race was Sunday and I'm pretty sure that there were a gazillion Kansasonionians whooping and hollarin' in front of their functioning T.V's that are sitting on top of their old T.V's that were just maybe drinking a few beers during the races. OK, enough commentary.....the ride:

We have a van stop once during normal days and twice on longer days. We can refill on liquids and grab a bite to eat along with stocking up on powerbars for the remaining miles.
As slow as the first 22 miles were today, the last 40 were FAST. I averaged 29 for the last 40 with a top speed of 43 on the flats. There was a local club rider that passed us son after we had the wind at our backs and after we spotted him about a mile Chris and I decided to try to chase him down. This guy was really moving so we had to really hammer for about 6 miles until we could catch him. He was really shocked to see me and it felt great to be able to fly for the last hour of the day. Since tomorrow is a day off there was no need to leave anything in the tank.

Abilene KS is really a nice little town and has some nice mansions and such but if you want to do something weird on Memorial Day (like eat) you are S.O.L......we were able to find a mexican restaurant that was open and it turned out to be a great time. Since tomorrow is a off day we decided as a group to let loose just a bit and have some fun.

            We all had a nice meal and maybe a Margarita or 3....who cares, we earned it.

The Margarita's came in 3 sizes, I just couldn't decide on the right size....kind of a Goldilocks drink dilemma, guess which one is mine.

Today was Father Thomas' birthday (or not) but we had to celebrate something and as you can see from this picture Thomas was looking for guideance,

After a couple margaritas and guidance the shot of Mexican "hoochy moochy" was just the ticket to end a perfect day.
If you are one of Father Thomas' parishioners I must say that these photos are photo-shopped and this really never happened, it is just that I'm here in frickin Abeline KS with nowhere to eat and I have alot of time on my hands.
Tomorrow is a "off day", first one in the last nine days. I will relax by working, I have projects to check on and things to take care of.
Tomorrow will also be a day to reflect. I have a great deal to be thankfull for, my wife & our kids are a very precious thing that can't be taken for granted. I'm very fortunate and appreciative of these gifts.

Do something special for yourself and do something unexpected for someone else.

Dream BIG, Jeff