Left early to get some eggs and pancakes and hash browns and coffee for energy at the nearby McDonalds.
A Paul Newman-looking blue-eyes dude started a conversation about our trip and shared about his motorcycle trip in a horrific Grand Canyon hailstorm a few years ago. We saw him later when riding through the park, he had a hilarious “The Hillbillie’s” (his and his wife’s business) sign on his truck, we took a group pic after more chatting, got his business card, promised to email him the pic later
Minutes later we stopped and talked to Joel about his sleeping in that same park last night, he had endured a big thunderstorm, but he forgot to attach his rainfly and had to get up during storm and go chase it when the wind blew it off.
Went a few miles off route to pick up Amazon delivery of our chamois buttr at Holiday Inn Express, missed getting back correctly onto route so rode another 1-2 miles around back of airport to rejoin route.
Easy, shady, pretty, non-trafficky first 30 miles riding and no rain or wind, and temp 70-75. GLORIOUS.
Hillier around Toronto Lake and sun out, getting warmer
V lost her chain suddenly again when shifting, and she put it back on for the 2nd time in a row with no help, I am so proud of her growing bike independence!
Toronto hills, hotter and now 75-80, reached town and a lady on her porch at a house next to the road called out and offered me bottled water and citrus tea as I rode by!! Yes, thank you!! Got some for V too.
Toronto stop at Sassy Sisters restaurant/store for delicious hand-made chocolate milkshakes made by 3 old lady sisters who were ironically NOT the restaurant’s namesake!! (??)
More long, gradual hills after Toronto, gorgeous clouds and blue sky but then a long and fairly hot 80-86 degree unshaded ride for 22 mi to Eureka
Traffic in KS is so so kind, WIDE berths given by pretty much every driver, many waves oncoming and passing.
Stopped and took a picture of a fun “Cake Batter Batter” sign before town - it’s a baseball-themed bakery.
Stopped in the shade after arriving in Eureka, were near the city park and a Sonic restaurant. had planned to camp there in the park, but were looking for a restaurant first. V was looking at Google Maps to see what was around to eat and felt it was too hot to ride the few blocks into the old downtown to look for restaurants like I wanted to do so I rode that way alone, looking something not on Google Maps.
Found a great place, it turned out to be CAKE BATTER BATTER!! Didn’t suspect it’d be a real restaurant.
Old lady inside Carol said she recognized me from 12 hrs ago and had talked to me when I passed through then!!
Other 3 customers great and chatty too.
Employee Kathy and owner Deanna super nice, Deanna gives us pointers on how to sneak into the pool after hours when camping in the park later and to duck under water if the cops patrol comes by while we’re in the water.
Amazing strawberry salad and turkey dill wonderful on homemade bread, and a strawberry pineapple smoothie too! BEST FOOD OF OUR TRIP so far we think.
When leaving, the owner Deanne INVITES US TO SLEEP INSIDE THE BAKERY tonight!!!!!
We, with our jaws on the ground, quickly and gratefully say yes and she ends up offering us EVERYTHING: food, ice cream, cookies, homemade bread, sandwiches, sodas, ANYTHING in the shop we want.
She even gives us the key to leave to come and go, and writes down her cell number and says to call if we need anything before she gets back at 5 a.m.
She leaves and says to lock the door behind her. I do. She comes back 1 min later but can’t get in. I had locked both deadbolts, but she had failed to mention that the old deadbolt is finicky and problematic so only lock the newer one. She can’t get in. We open the other front door for her (thankfully her shop used to be two businesses separated by a wall and when she knocked down the wall during expansion she was left with two front doors! None of the three of us couldopen the regular door so she says we can continue to try but she’ll deal with it tomorrow if we don’t get it open and we can just come and go from the other door, as can her customers tomorrow. She leaves for the night and we’re ALONE FOR THR NIGHT IN A BAKERY CANDY SHOP ICE CREAM PARLOR RESTAURANT WITH A LICENSE TO EAT WHATEVER WE WANT. I try a few ice creams, and eat a huge homemade “Nutter Butter” cookie. V finally eats a fresh baked cream puff once she sets aside her guilt of accepting the gift offered to her!
We could’ve eaten SO much but we decided not to. (Dumb decision because everything there was super delicious and homemade.)
At about 9 we rolled our sleeping pads in front of the cookie display and quickly fell asleep!
What a fantastic day!!!!!