Sunday June 30:  Topeka, Kansas to St. Joseph, Missouri
Distance:  84.8 miles
Total time:  6 hours 56 minutes
Riding time:  5 hours 30 minutes

That's right Toto, we're not in Kansas anymore.  And I take back all the nasty things I said about Kansas - now that we're in Missouri, I miss it.  This morning's ride through eastern Kansas was very hot and muggy, but it was also beautiful and enjoyable.  Yesterday's choppy up-and-down hills flattened out into long, gradual uphills at a civilized gradient, followed by long reasonable downhills where you could hit 30 miles an hour without scaring yourself to death.  I remember the great marathoner Frank Shorter saying that when you're in great shape and running well, a marathon seems like it takes 45 minutes.  That's what we felt like today.  The 25 mile run from the first SAG stop to the Missouri border seemed like it took a fraction of the 90 minutes it actually took to cycle.

Then there was Missouri.  Those long rollers turned into sharp, steep climbs one after the other.  It was impossible to gain momentum and with the heat they sucked the life out of us.  By the second SAG, at 65 miles, my legs were shaking and I thought I was having serious heat issues.  A long rest and a gallon of fluid brought me back to life but I'm not at all sure about Missouri.

Everyone has a favorite riding jersey, and this is Ray's.  I have to say I covet it and would almost be willing to trade my "Old Farts Cycling Club" jersey even up.

The first SAG stop today, at 32 miles, was at a gas station in eastern Kansas.  It was air-conditioned so we all hung out inside for 15 minutes to cool down.  Here you see Sean from the UK coveting Michael's cream-filled donut with icing.  I'm happy with chocolate milk.

We hit the Kansas - Missouri border at 57 miles.  Well, almost that is.  It seems the Missouri River has been in flood for six weeks, and the Missouri side of the bridge at Atkinson was under water.  So we had no choice but to load the bikes onto the vans, drive 20 miles north, cross at the next bridge, and then drive 20 miles south to near the point where we would have originally crossed.  We ended up losing about 4.5 miles of the original route, so today's prospective ride of 89 miles ended up being 84.8.  Here we are loading the bikes onto the van.  That's Magic Mark the Mechanic on the roof doing all the dirty work.

Allan from the UK took advantage of the 45 minute van ride to quietly contemplate his performance thus far.  He insists that he was not asleep, and I believe him.

And here we are downloading the bikes in Missouri.

That's me receiving Michael's bike from Mark on the roof, as Michael, um, looks on.

Here are Michael from Ohio and Mike from Alabama sharing a moment during a water stop.  Let's hope Mike was imparting some much-needed wisdom.

So we've stayed in 27 hotels over the last 29 days.  Not surprisingly, they vary tremendously in quality and service.  We've stayed in Best Western, and Western; Super 8, and 8.  But Drury's Hotel here in St. Joe is the best so far.  Happy Hour runs from 5:30 to 7:30 and the food and adult beverages are free.  Here are Allan, Chris and Sean making the most of it.

Michael's wife Katie is visiting from Ohio.  She brought us Subway sandwiches en route each of the past two days, and surprised the Brits with proper homemade scones at breakfast.  Here she is with husband Michael and Allan.

Life is good.  We went from Happy Hour to a delightful and caloric BBQ dinner next door at Bandanas.  I'm not sure what happened to the lighting, but here we are.

But the highlight of the day, and of the trip so far, happened this afternoon.  Zach from Spokane flew in his girlfriend, proposed to her, and she accepted.  It was an elaborate affair that Zach has been planning for a long time.  He arranged for Stephanie to fly in, of course, but also his and her parents.  She didn't suspect a thing.  Michael's wife Katie just "happened" to be strolling in the park where Zach proposed, and recorded the event on her phone.  It couldn't happen to a nicer couple.  Congratulations guys.

Tomorrow is our third rest day here in St. Joseph.  Bike store, pharmacy, laundry and relaxation.  Oh, and a couple cups of coffee.  Since it's a diuretic I drink only a half cup of coffee every morning, and I miss it terribly.  So I load up on the rest days.  Unless something remarkable happens on Monday I'll be back on Tuesday.