Doppelgänger

I've entered the Flint Hills region of Kansas — there are some good rolling hills in this area, and I've had to use my climbing gears for the first time since New Mexico. The land here is a bit poorer for farming than the plains area to the west, as a result there are quite a bit of original prairie grasslands that have remained intact. Since I'm prohibited from riding the Interstate in Kansas, I've mostly switched to small rural roads which have very little traffic, although I usually get wary of being chased by dogs when I pass a rural home.

The heat and humidity have been rising, with the recent heavy rains they've had here, the air is thick with moisture. It's bearable when I'm moving but when I stop it's like being in a sauna. Going into an air-conditioned gas station store magnifies the feeling when I get back out. I got into Emporia in a sweaty mess and looked for an air-conditioned motel room, a decent burger and a milkshake.

The next morning the air was still hot and heavy. There have been excessive heat warnings on TV, with the temperatures hitting the mid-30˚C plus the humidex. I've been slapping on sunscreen religiously but it seems to make heating up worse, I feel like a basted turkey. A bit of a tailwind was a slight consolation, but after lunch at a truck stop, the heavy midday air started getting to me. I took a lengthy rest stop at Melvern Lake, a park by a large reservoir, and ran my head under a faucet to cool down. A nap under a tree was a nice break, and by the time I got going there was a bit of cloud cover.

The clouds ended up being a rapidly approaching storm. Ten miles to Ottawa a massive black cloud was sparking lightning bolts into the nearby hills. I pedalled as fast as I could, scanning for places to duck into in case the storm spawned a tornado. Soon the winds began to whip wildly, too strong for me to stay on the road. I found a knoll with a grove of trees to hide under just in time. I set the bike down on the ground and lay low behind a large tree with my tarp, and watched as small twigs and small branches broke and flew off into the soybean field beyond. It was a suspenseful half hour, but I felt somewhat safe being downslope and under this tree's umbrella. When I got back on the bike and reached the leafy streets of Ottawa, there were broken branches and leaves everywhere. I found a cozy and clean motel and let out a sigh of relief.

It's interesting coming to Ottawa, Kansas. Once in a while a google search of my own city would send me to one of their sites. But the other strange thing is that my dad went to school here in his university days. Ottawa University (not to be confused with the University of Ottawa) turned 150 years old, a couple of years older than Canada! I spent an hour looking around the campus which was super quiet for the summer, and chatted with one of the curious groundskeepers.

One of Ottawa's claims to fame is the oldest operating cinema in America

I pushed off into another hot and humid day. The town has a Walmart distribution centre so the roads in and out of town have their good share of truck traffic. Just as I needed a break, I pass a nice apple cider mill. I drank a half gallon of fresh pressed juice and napped under one of their shelters to let the afternoon heat pass. I crossed into Missouri, somewhat thankful that the long slog across Kansas was over.

It was so hot, even the cows took to swimming