I think I've entered the dustbowl

Scott, Mitsy, and Mitchell - Ozark, MO 

I met up with Scott and family thanks to Lisa Jackson, my high school computer teacher who has been priceless in helping me to connect with kind people to stay with. If you're reading, I cannot thank you enough!! Missouri was the toughest ride yet, thanks to the Ozarks, which are often compared to a roller coaster ride. I've heard estimates that the adventure cycling route in southern Missouri has roughly 20,000' of elevation change, which wouldn't surprise me. Needless to say, meeting Scott and Mitsy and staying in their beautiful home was an oasis after days of camping and climbing.

Joplin, MO

After staying Ozark, MO, I headed to Joplin, MO which, as most have probably heard, was devastated by an EF5 tornado in May of this year. I rode into town at about 6:30pm and was absolutely starving. I looked to the Yelp app on my phone (which finds local businesses) and found a pizza joint that received great reviews. It turned out to be at a gas station. A bit disappointed but too tired to trek to another restaurant, I ordered a large 15" pizza and ate the whole thing... Best gas station pizza I have had. A bit uncomfortable, I rode to a park on the south side of town. It was eerily quiet and at sunrise it would be obvious why.

Galina, KS - Old Route 66

My phone stopped working after I camped in Joplin so I went old-school, relying on signs and the advice of locals. I crossed in to Kansas just outside of Joplin on the Old Route 66 which is a dilapidated skeleton of the once thriving, business-laden trans-American highway. Galina, KS had interesting western architecture and a certain unidentifiable character that transported me back  in time. The rundown and boarded-up condition of the buildings served as evidence of the routes removal from the highway system and made me nostalgic for this drive-in diner boom which I had never been a part of.

5 miles west of Walnut, KS

At sunset, nearly every day, I start to get a bit anxious. I don't have adequate equipment for night riding so I realize the danger in continuing on at dark. However, I have progressively pushed a bit further with each day. It's like when you were a young kid at the beach and you grew confident in your swimming and wave-avoidance abilities. As you inch your way out further and further into the abyss of the ocean, it's not long before you falter and find yourself fighting desperately against a rip-current as your life flashes before your eyes. I was at this point of desperation when, just over the horizon, I saw a church steeple and a few cars parked in the front lot. I pulled in and said hello. Apparently, I had unknowingly stumbled upon Immanuel Lutheran, a common shelter for trans-American cyclists. They were prepared for my visit and I was smiling from ear to ear when I was served dinner, allowed to shower, and given other luxuries such as wi-fi and a place to sleep. Thank you Jay! I never had the chance to get a picture with you and your wife, but I hope you read this so I can tell you one again how truly thankful I am.

Highway 400 near Fredonia, KS

Fall River Lake, KS

In Kansas, it's easy to realize that things around me are slowly changing. It is slow, but sure, progress. There are no longer hills, large trees, clouds, water, or people. I am no longer connected to society via my iPhone and therefore I no longer have music (I need to buy a FM radio if nothing else). Instead of possums as roadkill, I see armadillos and snakes. People say "howdy" instead of "hello". Sometimes, I feel like I am riding on a stationary bike, but thanks to these subtitles, I am confident that I am not just a gerbil being toyed with; that I have somehow been placed on the plains of a perpetually rotating belt of a gigantic, cemented treadmill. I am not complaining, the great plains fascinate me and there is solace in the breath-taking silence you experience on the prairie.  It reminds me of a quote I once heard which says that, "In solitude we are least alone."

Ernest and Fall River Lake, KS

Ernest is the camp-host and had me as a guest on his campsite. I cannot thank them enough for their help and hospitality, especially considering my last minute arrival at the site.

As for now... I sit in Wichita, KS resting for the day. As for my broken phone, it looks as if I will not have it fixed until I reach Pueblo, CO since Colorado Springs, CO is the location of the nearest Apple Store. So I rest, and live another day to fight the winds of Kansas and make my way to see my friends and family who I dearly miss and love. Thanks for reading, have a wonderful evening, I will.

Justin