Day 19 - On Sleep Deprivation and the Bright Sun

I'm curently in Larned, Kansas. With my skin starting to get a bit pinker than I wanted, I've been doing some all night rides that are doing interesting things to my sleep schedule. While it has helped get me a long ways in a short time (over 150 miles in the last 24 hours, I believe) it has also turned me into something of a zombie. Figuring I could use a day off, I decided to grab a hotel room and spend the entire day lazing about it, letting my skin heal up as well as my body recover. That is not to be, sadly, as everything is booked due to Memorial Day Weekend. Instead, I plan to take a very easy day today, napping as I go and getting into Garden City sometime tomorrow. With any luck, I'll find a good place to stay and really recover there.

I am now past the halfway point of my trip! Sometime in the last 48 hours, I managed to get enough done to put me there and then some. With luck, I'll get a bit of cloud cover today and head west again, making good time.

On meeting interesting people, I was spending the hottest part of yesterday at a park, immediately after posting my last update. Just as I pulled up to the park bench I was going to relax on, another bicyclist pulled up. He apparently has spent the last 4 years working as a carpenter in Antarctica, being moved around to build temporary bases for the scientists. I think he's the first person I've met who has been to the south pole. He and his fiance apparently take advantage of the government flying them into Antarctica through the area around Australia to plan long "layover" vacations and had done some touring in New Zealand and Australia. Really interesting guy!!

Finally, my apologies if these last few posts have been a bit incoherent - I do need a good night's sleep soon!