Eureka to Chanute, Kan. - July 21

Following our morning coffee, we again started just as it got light, and the first 20 miles seemed easy: cool, no wind and seemingly a lot of downhill. But I warned dad, "By the end of the day it may be hard to remember this nice ride."

Indeed, it started to get warmer, but we were also racking up the miles. We were in Chanute, with 63 miles ridden, by about 12:30.

We talked about whether we should go 25 more miles to another town, or just stay where we were. We knew those extra miles would be "endurance miles," as in, you just put your head down and struggle through the unconscionable heat.

We decided to save the "endurance miles" for another day and found a spot to camp in the city park, where we've been watching a softball tournament from under a tree. The 3 p.m. temperature is 99 degrees.

Tomorrow, we'd like to get to Golden City, which would be our first stop in Missouri. Mom will also be meeting us somewhere tomorrow, hopefully with food and cold drinks.