Friday 22nd June 2012
Day 34 - Ash Grove to Pittsburg

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MP4 Quick Time
Video is a bit long, lots of flat, straight long roads as we enter Kansas
Length - 20min 02
Download MP4, quicker than streaming when downloaded - (right click and Save As)

Clip of the long straight roads, mostly. I think the next day would have been better to use,
same road, just straight. This one has a few bends in it, but you get the picture

MP4 Quick Time

WMV - MOV

Start time: 06.49
Start location: Ash Grove
Start State: Missouri
Start weather: Warm
Total millage so far: 1670.07

Finish time: 12.59
Finish location: Pitsburg
Finish State: Kansas
Finish weather: Hot
Miles today: 71.29
Total millage so far: 1741.36
Today's top speed: 37.6
Today's average speed: 17.2

Music played:
Mr. Mister - The Best Of
N.W.A - Straight Outta Compton
Nick Heyward & Haircut One Hundred - The Very Best of
Nik Kershaw - The Essential Nik Kershaw

Blog for the day (Saturday, 23 June 2012):
Here we are in Kansas!! I didn’t manage to find any red slippers or flying monkeys to use for my photo at the State line, still, I have made it to State number 5! As I ride I see things and try and remember so I can put them in the blog. I keep forgetting about a lot of things. Its hard to make notes while on the go, but am trying my best. I have been trying to add this one thing for ages, but keep forgetting. Earlier on the year I read such a great book, The Man Who Fell To Earth. Totally amazing and everyone should read it. Must check this bit, but the book started in Kentucky, I cant remember where exactly, but you know when you read your imagination creates the scenery for what your reading. There was this one place I cycled through which so looked like where he landed and one of the sign posts even had his name, Newton, on one of them. Total coincidence I guess, but it made me sit up and smile all the Same.

On to today then. (now writing this a day late, so not sure what I will remember to put in). Going on my brief notes I have began to keep on my iPhone, we cycled through Everton, but no sign of Goodison Park though. Later on there was a plane flying overhead dusting the fields. The roads are very long and straight, with the fields flat. I got to one crossroad with the plane humming in the background, I was hoping for a Cary Grant moment from North by Northwest, but it didn’t happen. Maybe I have wait till I get further in Kansas where it is more dusty. So even before we got into the new State, there was some really bad road surfaces which I thought would make my fillings fall out and my bike fall to pieces. Luckily the quality changed before this happen as we got to the John Deer showroom with the biggest tractors you have ever seen! We ate at Golden City at the pie shop, as recommended by many other bloggers. I had no room for any pie, but I did manage one of their breakfasts! Lovely. Another great old towns with lots of old shop frontages. The roads were amazing after this and we whizzed along with a great tailwind. Got some really good average speeds.

There were a couple of really cute dogs who wanted to come out and play, just after Everton, but I had no time to stop. I don’t think they were the normal crazy barking dogs either. Back at camp, we had showers again at the local pool. After cooking, I went over to watch more baseball with Ubald. This was free to get in too!!! The kids playing were aged around 13-15yrs old. Great game, we chatted with the locals and had a fab night. When we walked back to camp, there were a group of lads, who earlier were standing on the back of their trucks watching the free game. Ubald went to take their picture and they got a bit crazy about it, jokingly I think. Once they found out we were from Europe, me from London, that was it, we were best mates!! We yapped about everything from cars to work, sport to music. It was great, could have stayed all night talking. We let off fireworks, maybe they should have taken me up on my offer of a booze-run. Anyway, it was one of the most fun nights in a long time!! Thank God!

That reminds me of the night before in the other town, just before going to bed, kids were letting off 4th July fireworks early and loads of fireflys were dancing around the grass and trees, it was amazing!! Just like something out of a film. So happy to have experienced that.

     
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