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I survived my night with no lights. The first thing I did this morning was pull the headlight out of the casing to see if there might be a loose wire. What I found was melted plastic. Seems the connection that you plug the headlight into had heated up so much, it melted together, causing the light to crap out. Not a big deal, it just meant buying a new connection and then rewiring it when I had time. It just meant I wouldn’t be able to ride in the dark until I fixed it.

I clipped off the old connection, covered the wires with some electrical tape to make sure they didn’t short out against the housing, and put the headlight back together. And yes, the first thing I did was stop at a Walmart to grab batteries, etc. for my next camping adventure.

With that, I was on the road. I debated whether to stay on I-70 all the way to Denver or to take Highway 40 part of the way. I got my answer when I discovered that both highways merge together for most of that route. Both the gas attendant and the Starbucks server warned me that I was in for a long, boring drive.

I didn’t realize how true that was! Look, everyone I’ve spoken to in this area is incredibly nice and very likable. But, other than the people, why one earth would anyone want to live in Kansas? As I rode past a sign advertising the “Oz Museum”, all I could think was, “How sick was Dorothy? She actually wanted to come back to this place?” It was boring … I mean boring. People talk about land being as flat as the eye could see … well, that’s exactly what today’s ride was: flat, flat land.

I did stop a few hours into the journey when I saw a Harley Dealership sign in Junction City. I wanted to get the connection for the headlight so that I could put it together once I set up camp.

I have to take back what I said yesterday about dealerships. Or at least clarify it by saying some dealerships. This one was nothing like the last one. Rather than trying to take me for every penny, they actually were helpful. They had the connection, and offered to solder it together rather than leave it for me to do my hack job with electrical tape tonight. And, they had another speedo drive. The head mechanic believed that the reason the last one kept breaking was that my cable was likely shot. Even though it turned, it was rusted enough that it would not turn smoothly, causing the drive to break. They didn’t have a new cable, but they installed another drive and we removed my other cable. That way, when I find a new cable, I can easily install it on the side of the road and have the speedo working again. They did twice the work of the least dealership for half the cost. Very cool guys.

Did I mention how flat the land is in Kansas? Wow, it was long. I had hoped to make it to Denver, but finally gave up when I reached Colby. I’m told it’s another 2.5 – 3 hours to Denver, so I should be there by noon tomorrow.

One thing I realized today was how few bikes were going my direction. In fact, before yesterday, I had hardly seen any bikes on the road either way. I didn’t realize how much I missed other riders until I saw a few in the distance while riding yesterday. I rushed to catch up to them and finally pulled in behind two guys. It felt good to ride in a pack. Five minutes later, they pulled over for gas. I had just filled up, but I pulled over anyway, just to talk to another rider. Turns out, these guys were headed to a major bike rally this weekend at Lake Ozark. The rally is only three years old. The first year, according to these guys, there were 20,000 in attendance. Last year it rained, so they didn’t go.

They turned off at Jefferson City, and I kept going straight. Since then, I’ve seen all kinds of bikes going East, and I assume, the rally. However, with the exception of a few bikes that seem to be local guys (no gear packed on their bikes), I haven’t seen anyone going my direction. It would be nice to meet up with a few riders at some point who are doing some traveling.

As I was nearing the end of my day today, it hit me: Even though the day was not the most exciting when it comes to scenery (I did mention the flatness, right?), even though it will not go down as one of my most incredible days of this road trip, I still felt amazing.

I’m so glad I didn’t accept one of the generous offers of my friends to take their deckers. As I rode alone on my Wide Glide, I realized just how much I love this bike. We were one together on this trip. My face is beat red sunburned, my bike’s headlight overheated and crapped out. Every time I fired it up after a stop, I felt my heart leap at the sound. As I cruised along at 70 mph, the bike purred.

I have often said that bikers should be the most spiritual people in the world. When you connect with your machine, and you hit the open road and experience the world around you, it is very difficult, if not impossible, to realize the greatness of God and the many ways he speaks to us through our surroundings. At one point, I felt like King David, who was simply a shepherd boy with a harp when he wrote the opening words of Psalm 19:

The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display his craftsmanship.
Day after day they continue to speak; night after night they make him known.
They speak without a sound or word; their voice is never heard.

Today was one of the most peaceful days I have felt in years.

Perhaps I needed the flatness of Kansas.

Tomorrow, the start of the mountains. I hope.

Hey folks, sorry for the delay in sending this … I didn’t have internet until now. I’m sitting outside a Comfort Inn in Hayes, Kansas “borrowing” their connection. I have lots to write about with today’s adventure, but that will be in the next post – either later tonight or tomorrow.

Here’s what I wrote last night:

Ever have one of those days where you were in such a good mood that no matter what happened, it couldn’t bring you down? Yeah, me either!

Just kidding!

The day started out amazing. I set the alarm for 6:30 and loaded up the bike before making a quick stop at a nearby Starbucks. By 8:30 I was on the I-70 close to Indianapolis. I had decided to make a stop at the Indianapolis Speedway. Not because I am a huge race fan, but … it is Indianapolis after all! I asked a lady at the Starbucks if there were clear signs on the I-70. She said yes, but in that tone someone speaks when they are guessing on the answer they are giving you. Of course, I didn’t see a single sign. I figured it would take awhile to cross Indianapolis, but I was wrong, and before I knew it, I was past the city and on my way West.

While I was sitting in the Starbucks having my coffee, I realized one thing I am not enjoying on this trip. In fact, at this point, it’s the only negative I can speak of. It’s eating meals … alone. It hit me at breakfast, and then when I stopped for a quick bite to eat around Noon, I noticed it again. At lunch, I was at a Subway, and as I looked around, every table had two or more people sitting and enjoying lunch together. I was alone. I missed companionship. I thought of my biker friend Michael’s blog post about things in pairs, and I had to smile.

I was also reminded of how well Heather and I travel together. A few times during the day, as I rode down Highway 50, I would see a small shop or a road that seemed to lead somewhere interesting. However, I just kept going, wanting to get to my destination as quickly as possible. Heather would have stopped. And I would have enjoyed whatever we would have discovered when we stopped. I have no doubt that I could do this same trip with her and experience it completely differently than I am this time.

I was reminded of something else today. I rode a combination of I-70 and Highway 40 from Indianapolis to St. Louis. Then, I rode a little of Highway 44 (which, follows the old Route 66) and Highway 50 to my destination (just East of Kansas City).

There wasn’t much to see riding those highways. For the most part, I saw cornfield after cornfield. Farm after farm. If someone was out getting the mail, or riding a tractor, they always waved. I saw American flags on flagpoles outside their homes. And I couldn’t help but think of how incredible the local farmer truly is. Whether the men and women working the farms in America, or the people back home on the farms in Canada.

These people spend almost all their time focused on their land or livestock. They’re not caught up in schedules, internet access, facebook status, twitter accounts. They don’t care about who the latest “hollywood couple” is. It matters little to them who is on Forbes top 50. They just live their lives, making an honest living (or trying to), hoping that God will bless them with a great crop or healthy livestock. For a city boy like me, who doesn’t know the first thing about working a farm, I have to admit, I tip my hat to them.

Okay, on to how my day ended.

I’m about 1.5 hours to Kansas City when suddenly I look down and noticed my speedometer is dead again. Yeah, the same one that the Harley Dealership charged me $150 to fix a day and a half ago. I wondered if the cable crapped out, or if there was another problem. Surely it couldn’t be the same thing, could it? As I cruised along highway 50, I passed a small bike shop. I passed it then decided to give it a shot, and turned around.

The owner was working on a sport bike (he had mostly sportbikes and V-Stars in his shop). We checked the cable out in the parking lot, and it was fine, so he told me to pull the bike around back. We threw it on a lift and took the front tire off. The speedo drive has a single tooth on it that connects to the wheel. The tooth had twisted sideways and was no longer connected. He figured the dealership had rushed to put it together and hadn’t got the tooth fully engaged. He tried bending it back into position, both of us knowing it would likely snap off. Sure enough, it did. At this point I figured I’d be looking for a new drive at the next Harley shop (and likely forking over another $150).

Instead, this great guy walked over to his welding bench and proceeded to attach the tooth. He worked on it for a good half hour, making sure it would fit smoothly into the proper place on the wheel. We got the bike back together and it worked like a charm. I was probably at his shop a good hour, and he only charged me $30. He was so excited to meet a Canadian, he asked me if I had any Canadian money – he’d never seen any before. I pulled out a twenty, a five, and a toonie. He got such a kick out of it, I gave him the five to keep. He wouldn’t take it for nothing, so he handed me one of his shop t-shirts as an exchange. Just a very cool guy.

It’s just one more reason why I prefer the small bike shop to the big dealerships.

So, I head out again, hoping to make it to Kansas City before the sun sets. It’s starting to get chilly, and I begin to play with my GPS, looking for a campsite near the city. I don’t notice when I pass the cop doing 80 in a 65. She notices, and pulls me over. $110 ticket. Nice.

I keep going, the sun has now pretty well set, and I’m no where near a campsite. Finally,  I get directions to one from a gas station. I pull in, and as I do, my headlight craps out. No big deal, I figure I’ll set up camp then take a look at it. Probably a wire or the bulb. I get to the campsite, pull out my cool little light that attaches to my ballcap, and the battery is dead. Not good. Again, no big deal, I have the “super, amazing, can’t believe how bright it is” camp lantern that a friend lent me. I turn the switch and no light. Just then, I remember him telling me that I need four AAA batteries for the light. I meant to get those.

So, now, I have no light at all. Not even my headlight to use. Good thing I have an easy set up tent. I’ve been using an app on my iPhone called “Flashlight” in order to find anything tonight.

Oh, and I had to chuckle. You see, every time I passed a Walmart, I would consider stopping to pick up some coffee and a can of beans to enjoy once I was at the campsite. Each time, I would decide to wait until the next one. So, now that I’m sitting here, in the dark, with no headlight on my bike, unable to go back into town to get anything, I’m munching down on a powerbar for supper. Yummy. Along with the half a sub and the coffee for breakfast, it’s just so filling.

So, tomorrow morning, I work on the headlight. I grab the proper supplies at the FIRST Walmart I see, and then I start my journey toward Denver.

I am sitting here, watching as the final logs on the fire go out, and just feel content. In spite of all that happened the last part of the day, this was just an amazing day on the bike. I felt so connected with my ride (some of you understand what I mean by that). I just didn’t want to stop.

Let’s see how tomorrow goes.