Wichita – I was excited to check out Wichita, as it is one of two cities in Kansas I had heard of prior to the Journey and I was told it featured some excellent friendship visits. After racing against time to beat the “rack point” for the morning, my pace line arrived in the city and prepared for lunch and games with a local disabilities organization. I sat next to an older man named David, who has got to be the biggest character I’ve met this whole summer. He has a very distinctive twang and a self-deprecating sense of humor and it was a pleasure getting to know him (a picture of David and my teammate Chris Thomson is below). That night we were treated by a local Pi Alpha’s family to pizza/bowling at one of the swankier bowling establishments I’ve ever seen. We only played one game, sooo I attribute my score of 90 to simply warming up.
The following day we stayed in town and had the chance to visit with an organization called “Rainbows united.” In a very pleasant surprise, all the kids at the center kicked off our visit with a choir showcase. They sang “O Happy Day,” “As Long as You Love Me” (one of the finer Backstreet Boys hits... see video below) and invited everyone on stage to sing “We’re All in this Together” from High School Musical. I was in the minority in terms of having some lyrical knowledge of the song, but I am okay with that. After a welcome that was right up my alley, we had a somewhat chaotic lunch in which whip cream attacks took a central role. This friendship visit was a blast and will unquestionably stick out as one of the more memorable ones of the summer.
Later in the day we met with a disabilities advocacy organization who told us, among other things, about the fantastic program “Lose the Training Wheels.” This is a national program which operates as a week-long camp designed to help children with disabilities learn how to operate a bicycle independently and boost their self confidence in the process. During the dinner I was sitting next to a woman who I assumed was simply a shy, potentially uninterested staff member. Admittedly out of boredom, I eventually struck up a conversation with her and learned that she was a client with special needs named Tara. We had a really great talk and it reinforced the idea of never judging a book by its cover.
Emporia – A long day of riding (in this case 107 miles), can be more manageable with the presence of a funny group of people in your pace line. On this day, my group included Max and Kevin, two teammates who have long declared their intention to lose some weight on the trip. However, their attempts at “dieting” in the face of endless buffets and Olympic serving sizes have been more comical than effective. Eager to share their unique approach, I encouraged them to write a diet book. They have taken to the idea and I enjoyed listening to them share ideas about book content throughout the ride. What was not so funny was my luck on the bike that day. I had three flats (my first incidents since day two) and eventually had to rack a mere two miles from lodging. In addition to having to purchase a new tire, I had some bike maintenance issues to attend to (including an embarrassingly dirty chain). When it comes to taking care of my bike, I often find myself having to ask for assistance from my teammates which can be frustrating for me. I hate burdening other people to help me with things… something I recognize I need to be more open to. In light of the stress I was feeling on this particular day, maybe it was a sign that an organization in town provided us all with massages at lodging. I usually am too uptight to fully enjoy a massage, but this was definitely an exception. A chance to simply relax (and put everything in the right perspective) can go a long way.
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