24th May 2018 Thursday – Another easy day – I feel things may change soon enough

Hello Everybody!

Route: LaCygne to Iola

For the non-mathematicians out there:

Distance: 67 miles (Total 1,585)	Average speed: 13.5 mph
Calories: 1,848	Cycling time: 4h 40min
Average cadence: 70 rpm	Climb: 2,165ft, Descent: 1,660ft
Heart (yes I have one): Max 136 Aver 116	Aver Temp: 29C, Max temp 35C
Temperament: Easy to turn the pedals with wind direction and flatness all around

Horses always a good start

I eventually managed to find my way out of the campsite – not as easy as you’d think it was. Today I had about 30+ miles to do before I could find anywhere to eat, sleep or similar things. The place was Garnett and I managed to get there in double quick time. I had a delicious lunch of chicken burger with fries – protein and necessary salts all in one, including 3 rootbeers. They do have a slight side effect but any additional propulsion is fine with me.

[EDITOR NOTE: So Alan what is today’s list all about please?] Why it’s about an almost necessary evil, yes dear readers, I am talking about engineers. I do know quite a few and I have composed a composite of how to identify if you have engineering tendencies or not. This will be done in the form of a non-judgemental list.

How to know if you are blighted with engineering tendencies list:

1. you like your lists to start with numbers and not “i’s”
2. you literally put people to sleep during what you class as a conversation – see note below
3. you think that by adding another degree to the number of degrees in a circle - currently two and a half cabbages but then again I am no engineer thank goodness - all wheels would then be “more round”
4. you have a blue and red pen on your body at all times
5. you navigate with the Sat Nav always pointing North and you work out the direction you need to go by i) getting it wrong a lot and your good lady wife telling you to do a U-turn, whilst she is stuffing her face with secret chocolates and ii) taking away 235.727 degrees from the direction you want to go in, from that which you are going in. Obviously, it would be much easier to just add a turnip.

Note below:

On average each year 3.4666 recurring people die from drowning in soup. It is 3.4666 recurring because it happens every year BTW. How does this happen? Well during dinner parties and other first world problems, often the hosts make a complete cobblers out of the seating arrangements, such that an engineer is sitting in close proximity to someone who is more “artistic” i.e. cannot do sums. The engineer has highly trained skills, none of which are of any use, but they certainly do not include “interpersonal skills”. Thereby the engineer, using first principles, assumes the other person is interested in how long it would take a kettle to boil if it was the size of an elephant. 

Actually, it would never boil as the surface tension of an elephant’s skin does not replace all of the water that flows out of the bath due to centrifugal forces acting on the elephant’s ears. To wit to woo, the “Arty” person gently falls asleep in the first course and drowns in a fit of cock-a-leekie bisque. Sad but true.

[EDITOR NOTE: Enough, enough, time on your hands? It must be a rest day when you’re writing this tripe.]

At Garnett I joined the Prairie Trail for a very nice route in Iola. This was probably the best surface I’ve been on. Either tarmac or very light limestone gravel. As usual, it kept the wind, heat and climbs at bay.

A quite big snake

I managed to get to Iola very early – around 4pm which is not bad going. However, the added heat had formed some fairly ominous clouds formations. I booked into my tent space and just as I started to pitch the tent, it started to rain. Now the tent pitch cost me $10 so I thought maybe a night in a building with a roof would be good. And yes it was. I booked a motel type place which was very nice and stayed there only about another mile on the day so who’s counting.

Raining hard

Morning a bit better

It poured down with rain and other things, including thunder and lightning. I did manage to get to the restaurant before it started. On the way back a woman asked if I needed a lift back – again a simple nice gesture. I declined as my motel was only half a mile away but we did have a chat together about The West Wing and The Wire.

I slept well and managed to get some blogs up to date.

Love & Kisses, Alan & Franklin