Leaving Kansas marks off our 5th state and it was exactly how the past teams described it. Kansas was described to us as some of the longest days of the trip. Not only were the rides long averaging 85 to 90 miles, but the Kansas heat kept the rides feeling slower. Contrary to popular belief, Kansas is not entirely flat as well. Following the 120 mile day, on June 22nd we rode out of Sharon Springs, our legs still aching from the day before. With an amazing breakfast casserole from the hosts at United Methodist Church, we hit the rode to Hoxie. After making it through parts of the ride, the team had to pack up and get ready for our event at a restaurant called The Elephant. There, we tabled and presented to the customers at the restaurant.

Team 12 adding twine to the world’s largest ball of twine (Cawker City)

On June 23rd we rode from Hoxie to Osbourne. It didn’t take long for the combination of the Kansas sun and the humidity to make the ride harder. Flies greeted us at every stop for the entire state. United Methodist Church provided us with lodging and, thankfully, had dinner for us on arrival. We spent the rest of the afternoon getting laundry taken care of and visited John at Blue Hills Bikes in town who volunteered to tune up most of our bikes. The next day we rode to Miltonvale. We got to stop at Cawker City along the way and helped add onto the world’s largest ball of twine. weighing roughly 20,000 pounds and over 8 million feet long, it was looked like the size of a shed. the ride got much harder after this stop due to the rapid heat changing to 107 degrees mid way into the ride. After a hard 2nd half we settled into the EMS building in town. we got to relax at the pool and had a great dinner. The next day we rode to Manhattan, where we stayed at the Kansas State Fiji house. Even though it was a 95 mile day, we powered through. Getting to see a Fiji chapter house like Kansas State’s was amazing, as well as learning about the life in another chapter from Greg Nelson, one of their house advisors. We had our rest day in Manhattan and spent it exploring the campus of K-State, getting work done and relaxing with fellow FIJI’s.

Team 12 enjoying the day off with K-State Fiji

On June 26th we said goodbye to Kansas and hello to Missouri as we entered Kansas City. After rough rode conditions and confusing navigation, we made it to Faith Community Church in Oak Grove Missouri. We made sure to get good barbeque for dinner. Our first full day in Missouri going to Sweet Springs felt very similar to riding in Kentucky with all the rolling hills. Most of us are beginning the recognize and fathom how close we are to home. We will be back in our home state in less than a week which is crazy to think about. The team has officially made it out of the west and it feels weird being back so close to home yet so far from being done with the trip as a whole. We’re excited to get back home and host big events with supporters.