The Long Way Around

It's earlier than you'd think on account of us being at the edge of a time zone.

We're gearing up now for what promises to be a remarkably boring run of 360 miles in Kansas. We'll be almost to the border by night fall.

As Joel snapped a drive belt, I've decided it would behoove me to take out my transmission side air filter to allow for better air flow. Belt snapping at speed sucks.

When we get in to St. Luis tomorrow, the Vespa shop there is going to help us out. I might just get a new belt and change it there.

It's better to do his stuff before something fails than to just let it fail and deal with it on the side of the road.

With that in mind I'm still bringing the stuff I need to change my belt on the road.

Also I can't listen to music any more. It's mono, and it's slowly dulling my right ear. Sigh.

Today, the sky was full of butterflies. It was beautiful, until they attacked.

There were tons of them all over the place and I started to worry about hitting them. I was startimg to feel guilty.

I saw a few that basically winged by my helmet. I was happy that of seemed to survive. But my happiness was short lived.

Now, in Fort Scott, I see this:

So, basically I killed them all. Every butterfly I saw and didn't want to kill.

Oh well.

C'est la vie. My bike is disgusting.

As a side note, apparently Fort Scott will be throwing us a party.

Read for yourself.

It's kinds cool. No one else has ever even noticed us. Which is weird. Though the Golden Corral in Garden City noticed us last night.

Saw this in a bathroom at a small town called, Eureka, Kansas. Makes me feel like I'm at home in San Francisco.

The gas station I was at was run by these two middle aged women who I hope to god don't refill this dispenser.

I wish I had had a camera mounted to my mirror like Patrick. There were definitely parts of Kansas that were beautiful. Long sweeping (albeit low) hills, wooded areas, and oddly I went over the Arkansas River several times, I swear.

It was gorgeous for some parts. Some, of course, was corn as I suspected.

But there were definitely some beautiful country roads that occupied me during my music-less 360 miles.

There was also wheat, not just corn.

This... I would not trade this experience for the world. So many genuine people interested in just meeting other people.

Found this in Fort Scott looking for the hotel where the bluegrass group was playing.

Fun!