Usual start this morning, going east out of Great Bend, knowing that we had a long way to go. There was the likelyhood of rain and the winds were about 5 - 10 mph in our face. Three of us, team Ksyrium (with a silent K) for that is the name of the wheels we all now have, were moving well at about 17 mph. The scenery is flat and green, very much like Norfolk. Norfolk, norfolk, norfolk, for hundreds of miles. The only difference is that many of the fields have the 'nodding donkey' oil extractors, which I've tried to capture in the picture.The first SAG was at 32 miles in the town of Lyon. Barbara had set up infront of an office / house. We'd just arrived when the old fella who owned it turned up. He got chatting to tour leader Mike (TLM from now on) who flew in Vietnam. This old guy was a pilot in WW2 stationed in England, so invited us in to look around his office which was full of memorabilia. He flew B17 bombers over the Czech border. Out of a squadron of 36, 12 aircraft were shot down. His aircraft 'Heaven Can Wait' was hit by a cluster bomb, killing one of the crew. He had a piece of the shrapnel, with the aluminium from their plane melted into it as it passed through the side. We then went next door to see his studio. I've put a photo of it in the FAQ section of this blog. I don't think I've ever been so taken aback by a picture. You can see the campaign poster from JFK. We have the identical poster hanging in our dining room. Except ours is a copy, his was an original which he got at the Florida convention, I think in 1960. He'd met both Bobby and JFK. An amazing and quite emotional experience talking to him.
Leaving the SAG, I got my second puncture. A big shard of glass had ripped through the tyre and inner tube. TLM replaced the tube and 'booted' the type with some duct tape. It lasted for the rest of the day, but I've just replaced the tyre this evening.
There was light rain on and off for the rest of the morning, through lunch and into the afternoon. We're starting to pass through small town America, lots of front porches with swinging seats, lot of Stars and Stripes hanging out the front. Some of it appears idillic, some has seen better days.
Early afternoon we passed through the official halfway point in terms of mileage. All stopped, lots of photos, congratulations all round etc. Except it's not. I didn't believe that in 31 days of riding, we'd be halfway on ride day 14, so did the maths this evening. By my calcs we don't get there until the end of the day after tomorrow. Don't know whether to tell the group or not, no-one likes a smart arse.
Final SAG was in the town of Gysum. We all sat in a gazebo (like a small band stand.) The sun was out and everyone was in a good mood. Got to the hotel at 5:30, making it a long day.
For the first time, everyone went to dinner together. A restaurant next to the hotel offered home style cooking. The decor was like a front parlour. There was only one thing of the menu, fried chicken. They bought out huge plates of fried chicken, mashed potato, coleslaw and sweet corn, which you passed round the table. Again everyone was in good spirits. A great end to a great day.
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