Day Two: October 7, 2009 - Part 2

The afternoon was pedaled through in pleasant contemplation. The new road was plentifully wide with sparse traffic and I enjoyed the warm sun and long vistas of rolling farm land. A curious thing I began noticing was small signs advertising various seed strains being used in the fields. Each sign would carry the crop(i.e. soybeans, corn etc.) and it’s ID number. It took me awhile to figure out the purpose of these signs. Having always lived in an urban area I’d never considered how farmers acquire the seeds for their crops.

Around four in the afternoon I rolled past the outskirts of Mildred, Kansas. I stopped at a general store just off the highway for a pick-me-up before the last hour's effort. The woman inside was very nice. She was impressed with my endeavor and also showed a good deal of concern for my safety. Apparently I wasn't the first bicycle tourist to come through her small town. She related a story of another young man who camped in the lot next to the store a year or so before. I purchased an apple, candy bar and Gatorade and enjoyed them on the curb in front of the store. As I ate I noticed clouds rolling in from the south west. I remember feeling a bit uneasy at this first sign of trouble to come. I climbed back on the saddle and rode on after a restful twenty-minutes.

The clouds gathered quickly over the next ten miles and the resulting darkness betrayed the relatively early evening. Upon reaching the next city, Moran, I decided to find a suitable place to camp in town, rather than risk making an extra ten miles in the worsening weather. I pedaled slowly down the main street keeping my eyes open for a park or friendly looking stranger. I found the library and chamber of commerce but they were both closed as it was already five-thirty.

As I was pondering my next move a man in a pick-up truck smiled broadly and waved as he passed. Something in his passing countenance struck me in a positive manner and I pulled up behind him and quickly flagged him down. He pulled over and even got out of his truck to chat, warmly shaking my hand in greeting as I explained my situation. I asked if he knew somewhere in town where I might camp for the evening. He thought for a moment, mentioned a few parks off-hand and then offered his own backyard. I politely asked if he was sure that that would be alright and he insisted on the idea. He got back in his truck and I followed him briefly around a few corners to his property.

His home was a small ranch style house on a half-acre lot backing up to a tall field of corn. I made sure to introduce myself when he began showing me around the backyard. He shook my hand and introduced himself as Lloyd. I immediately saw two suitable trees for my hammock near the corn field and he agreeably assented to my choice. He even offered to warm up some left-over stew he and his wife had in the fridge. I was determined not to put them out in anyway and kindly declined. I got busy setting up the hammock and he left me to my work.

I was securing a tarp over my bike against the coming rain when Lloyd returned. He told me that he'd informed his neighbors and the local lawman about my presence so that no one would be unduly alarmed. He showed repeated concern for my safety and comfort and I countered with ceaseless gratitude and assurances of my well being. He insisted that I shouldn't hesitate to ring the bell and take shelter in his home if the rain was too bad.

It was nearly eight o'clock by this time and with nothing better to do I decided to turn-in for the night. Lloyd said he'd be out to work early in the morning so we said our good-byes and I offered up more thanks. I climbed into the hammock and slipped my shoes into a plastic bag on the ground below me to keep them dry and near at hand.

The first rain drops fell moments after I laid back into my pillow. The splatter of the rain pattered rhythmically on the rain-fly above and the trees rustled with the cold wind. The new hat and gloves kept me plentifully warm against the elements

It was still early and I grew lonely being so far from home. I sent a text to my sister to let my family know where I'd stopped and that I was alright. The glowing screens of my i-pod and phone provided an odd sense of comfort, a calmly incandescent reminder of home. The hammock rocked softly in the wind as I lay listening to a Radiohead album and I drifted into sleep.