Well, this was quite a day to conclude the Cottonwood 2000 and get back to Topeka. A big storm moved across the region mostly north of us. We would wind up on its southern edge, get a lot of rain, some lightning and a tiny bit of hail. The winds would be all over the map, but not the nice tailwind we hoped for. After an oatmeal breakfast at the Hays House, we enjoyed a fairly nice ride for the first couple of hours. Just as we turned north on 99 near Admire, the wind got in our face and light rain started. This continued until after we reached Eskridge. Along the way, we briefly sheltered in a nice fellow's garage with about 30 of our fellow riders when the lightning and hail threatened. That passed, and the rain generally passed after a hamburger and pie lunch at the Coffee Cup in Eskridge. From there is wasn't bad biking, with only a rather fickle wind and traffic on 17th Street to mar the occasion. Total Cottonwood 200 mileage was 188.38 miles (close enough to 200...).