Riders on the Storm

Day 90 • May 30, 2012 • Atwood to Oberlin, KS •  29 miles

Atwood was a nice town so we decided to stick around and do some laundry, ensuring a shorter day today.  A woman and her 3-year-old daughter walked into the laundromat while I was working on the “slate”.  The little girl pointed to me, looked at her mom, and said “iPad”. Indoctrination complete.

A good ol’ Kansas thunderstorm also helped ensure a short ride today.  We left Atwood late morning in bright sunshine but within ten miles the skies were darkening behind us.  We were still in the clear as I watched Atwood get consumed by red on the weather radar map on my phone.  About five miles out of Oberlin our headwind turned into a tailwind from the blow-out of the storm behind us.  We rode that wave as fast as we could while menacing clouds closed in from all sides.  We got within a mile before the sky let loose and we pulled off under a tree to wait it out, getting a little wet by transitioning to our rain gear so late in the game.  Within ten minutes the rain had subsided enough for us to ride the rest of the way into Oberlin, which was under a severe thunderstorm warning.  The storm was just getting started but we waited it out in the safety of a convenience store and eventually pitched our tent in a small city park east of town.  The park didn’t have a bathroom but there was a restaurant across the street that provided that service.