Last night a severe storm came through with lightning, pouring rain, and winds blowing 50 mph. We knew a front would come through over night so we pitch our tents under picnic shelters but I wasn’t expecting what would happen. I was startled out of sleep with rain pelting on my tent and wind trying to blow the tent with me inside off the deck. Fortunately I had tied the tent to four of the posts supporting the roof. My tent was leaning and the closed vestibule could not prevent the wind from blowing under and filling the tent to the shape of a balloon ready to pop. It took both hand pull the cover to the flood to keep the wind outside. It felt like this lasted an hour before before the winds lessened so I could release my clenched grip and roll back to sleep. Crawling outside this morning I was not surprised to see broken wooden chairs and table in shambles on the deck.
Waking across the lot to the diner, this is also a truck stop and several semis had parked overnight, a trucker met us on the way. He a surprised that we stayed the night in tents, “My god, he exclaimed, my whole rig was moving around in the wind!”
Matthias and Tilo left a bit before me, they were going farther them I. I will be riding fifty miles to Hesston. More of the same arrow straight roads with slight grades and wind.
Twenty miles into the day I connect with another cyclist touring east so we visit.
Ten miles from Hesston I come across two cyclists with panniers, John and Mindy. They were not on tour today but last year they rode the TransAm.
After a nice visit, I finish up the day at my campsite to relax in the shade.
