A Day off in Hutchinson KS

Days 49 & 50: July 24,25
Larned to Hutchinson KS 70 miles
Another tranquil day of riding in Kansas. Very little traffic so we could ride double most of the day. Even had some bits of down hill so we could coast. That helped with my "legs getting tired of going around" problem......except that it is 100 degrees!! Actually we managed quite well. We started early and are carrying 4 water bottles each. The frozen bottles insulated in the panniers is working really well. I still had ice left at 2 o'clock. We are staying at the Zion Lutheran Church Cyclist only Hostel. It is in the church basement. Showers, full kitchen, air mattresses...one other guy doing N.Y. to San Francisco, riding in memory of his cousin who died of a brain tumor. He has had some interesting experiences including having bottles thrown at him from passing cars. And he gave me some tips to deal with the dogs in Kentucky. He spent the evening completely reorganizing his gear and took off his front panniers and will mail a bunch of stuff home. He says he is ready to put in some serious miles and get this trip over with and wanted to lighten his load.
Saturday: A day off. Mailed home all our warm clothes. Wool socks, wool jerseys, longs, that sort of thing. Big mid day rain storm coming so we are glad not to be on the road. Visit to the bike store to pump up tires and some general R&R.