DAY 20: There will be blood

173 km (107 miles) - total: 2842 km (1765 miles)

Wichita, Ks to Greensburg, Ks

Black blood of the earth has dug a deep scar on the face of humankind. People have been slaughtered, wars have been waged, lies have been told and questions are left unanswered. Hubris, fear, obsession, gain, greed, domination, rage, through these words one can take a journey through the deep dark heart of 20th century America. Kansas oil drills lay solitary, quiet, innocent almost guileless in their simplicity, surreal in these surroundings but undeniable. The image of these oscillating black pumps that swing under the sun is strange and disquieting. And the black blood that is sucked out from the earth has contaminated the human spirit. What has occurred is tragic and probably inevitable. Humankind has enslaved itself, oil its landlord, to the extent that any dysfunctionality has its own excuses, any excess had its explanation, any murder, any war. Oil has brought about dark times, oil feeds the heart of darkness that it is the heart of our most basic needs so basic that they have become unnoticed. Oil is the once glorious lubricant of commercial triumph and technological innovation, and now it has become the dwindling lifeblood of material prosperity, the unacknowledged driving force of military conflicts, and even the cause of an ecological catastrophe that is here for all to see.
This morning I had a typical Monday morning feeling and I found it hard to get out of bed. After yesterday's masterful display of 162 miles (sorry, I do get carried away!) I felt complacent and in no need to hurry. I was on the road very late, 9am but after my accomplishment of a long long ride yesterday, I think I deserved a lie in. I managed to get out of Wichita city belt pretty easily and set my course West praying that the wind would be weak today. I think my prayers have been answered as there was a crosswind from Northeast but it wasn't strong enough to slow me down considerably. I don't want to push my luck but the weather today was superb, sunny, not a spot in the sky and temperatures of 79-84. Just another perfect day to be on the bike. I really cannot believe how lucky I have been with the weather so far.

Today, I felt a bit sluggish for the first few miles, my muscles felt slightly stiff but after the first 20 miles I warmed up nicely and began to go through my pedal strokes with ease. The terrain was mostly flat, however, I have noticed a minimal but steady incline. I checked the numbers and I was right. I went from 1305 feet, Wichita to the elevation of 2234ft of Greensburg. I climbed almost a 1000ft within 100 miles, which is nothing compared to the 1500feet over 4 miles back in the Appalachians!

Tonight I am staying in Greensburg, a small village of less than 2000 souls. I checked into the only inn in town. Greensburg has a sad history as it was struck by a EF5 tornado on May 4, 2007, which leveled 95% of the buildings. In the aftermath the city council issued a resolution stating that all city buildings would be built to LEED-platinum standards, making it the first city in the nation to do so. Greensburg has been rebuilt with the support of an ngo that works to create green initiatives. It's really impressive how far the city has come since then, although I must admit that the entire place still looks like a giant construction site and the buildings that have been completed still have the "wrapping paper" feel about them. During my last 20 miles or so I had seen signs advertising that not only was Greensburg home to the worlds largest hand-dug well, but it also exhibited a 1000-pound pallasite meteorite thought to have impacted earth about 20,000 years ago. However, after the severe devastation caused by the tornado, the meteorite was moved to Wichita.

The ride was monotonous as the road and the scenery were pretty similar from start to finish. It has been a steady ride with a few stops along the way. After the hard ride yesterday I thought my legs would be in trouble but I must say that I felt pretty good. The uneventful ride gave me plenty of time to think and to admire the simple scenery around me. This part of Kansas has an indefinable quality about it. The amount of space is staggering, the only thing that stops you from seeing further is the curve of the horizon. The horizon itself is the limit, nothing else. And the sky above is also limitless, and at times, cycling these long flat roads you are befuddled by the immensity and the simplicity of the spaces. Kansas is epic in its simplicity. Its lines are clean and uncluttered. Land and sky. That's it. Only a handful of colors - yellow, blue, green and sometimes red. Nothing hems you in, no barriers, no hurdles, no walls, just endless horizon. Kansas is far from boring and there is something about it that just puts you in a good mood.

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Dedico la tappa di oggi agli Alessandri che festaggiano il primo anniversario di matrimonio, auguri di cuore!



Green Flint hills of Kansas


Kansas field


The horizon flickers under the Kansas sun


At a cattle auction in Pratt, Ks


Cattle auction


3 men out of 4 here wear jeans, cowboy boots and the famous hat!


Lonely road


Another oil drill, I must have seen at least 20 of these today


Side street, Greensburg


Greensburg, recently rebuilt downtown


Not much has been spared by the tornado, what's left of a gas station in Greensburg