My Legs Can Smell the Food

Yesterday was a  typical “rest” day.

• Prius to dealer for checkup – cost $0
• Breakfast with Yolanda and Bill (our Ulysses KS friends who were in Wichita)
• Nifty Nuthouse
• Sully – I recommend it
• A stop at the Senior Expo at the Science Museum (go see the miniature KS there)
• Massage by Brenda’s friend – divine
• Pickup bike after checkup – cost: infinity times Prius checkup
• Homemade dinner by Brenda – fabulous
• Facebook 101 lesson with Sandra
• Day off from blog
• Crash in bed 

In spite of Brenda’s abundant homemade dinner where I ate and ate and ate, I woke up hungry in the night. I had two yogurts for my first breakfast. Brenda had cooked up another group ride to escort me on my way. First there were three of us, but by the time we got to Wichita State University Metropolitan Complex (also known as Metroplex) 14 miles from Brenda’s house across the river on the east side of Wichita, there were 16 of us.

My tummy was already rumbling. I was glad to hear we would have breakfast at Benton Airport 14 miles away. As we got closer, I went faster and faster. My legs could smell the food.

After my second breakfast, Brenda, her friend, Kay, and I, sagged by Sandra, continued on to El Dorado (not pronounced like the Cadillac model). In El Dorado, I was sad to say goodbye to Brenda who had made my Kansas miles simply magical. I would be cycling in Kansas solo for the first time (sagged by Sandra) to Yates Center, an additional 64 miles. Suddenly Kansas was a bit plain, the shoulder narrow (about 18 inches), and the miles long. Sandra and I broke them up mentally into bite-sized chunks with Eureka in the middle. Oh, yes, I chowed down some food in Eureka, too.

The cycling on long rolling hills was not difficult, but as we approached the motel in Yates Center after 106 miles, my legs could smell the food again. Sandra guided me toward dinner with unusual urgency. I was still in sweaty riding clothes!  She didn’t really consult with me about where to eat and it was a tiny bit strange that she selected Feedbunk, specializing in beef, pork, and lamb, though she quickly pointed out that they had a grilled cheese sandwich, my default as a vegetarian. As we walked in, three people emerged from behind the salad bar — my brother, Chris, his wife, Laura, and their son, John!!!! They had flown from a business conference in Las Vegas to surprise me!!

Laughter, tales of how they’d kept the secret, how the text messages and Facebook posts went by me under the radar, and family news filled the evening. We will see if the grilled cheese sandwich supplemented with breaded zucchini sticks, my chocolate recovery drink, and a VERY LARGE mug of beer will get me through the night.

Hmmm, 106 miles doesn’t make one look pretty.

I’m not sure why there are so many photos of food on a cycling trip. Peter, one of our sags on the Ride to Awareness trip last fall who also drives a Harley, said his gas station and mine look different.

Ride details

Start location: Brenda’s house in west Wichita KS

End location: Yates Center KS

Distance: 106 miles

Cumulative distance: 1693.8 miles

Elevation gain: 1811 feet (those rolling hills add up)

Strava track: https://www.strava.com/activities/722600355