Tuesday, June 15, Day 40
Sterling to Larned, Kansas (55 miles)

We are departing Sterling after having a hearty breakfast. This is one of those very unique situations where there are no stops on this 55-mile ride for water or food. We stocked up on snack bars and water and got going praying for a smooth ride. It was incredible. So flat that our pace was easy to maintain. Thank heaven for gears on a bike.
The humidity was low with temps in the 70’s and we had a following wind of about 10-12 knots.
The highlight of the day was this dog that followed Steve and me for a mile or so. Because of the dog trailing us, we got to meet the owner. He was a local farmer who had relocated to Kansas about 30 years ago from an upstate New York family farm.
We also had a lesson in farming during our conversation. It seems that because Kansas was having exorbitant amounts of rain for about a month, the wheat crop was taking a beating. Too much rain limits the amount of protein in the wheat. At harvest, his loss would be about 20 bushels per acre.
However, the corn he planted was benefiting from the rain and would, more than likely, be a banner crop.
He mentioned, too, that the wheat crop in the United States this year would be about 12 billion bushels. To put that into perspective, each acre of wheat is capable of producing 3 thousand loaves of bread.
Another area of interest was the Quivira National Wildlife Refuge that we were riding through for a good period of the day. We saw a wide variety of birds, some big, some small, very colorful and just a joy to watch. We saw a white tail deer dart out of the brush, pass in front of our bikes at a distance and leap over a six foot fence. The deer’s leap over the fence was as easy as us jumping over a stone. A real elegant animal.
Eat your heart out, Mike Joyce.