Day 48: Larned

Distance: 57 avg: 13.1

This morning things started getting uncomfortable for me with Dan and Elaine. They have such intense ideologies, and kept pushing at me. What’s worse is that I slept horribly.

I had told them I might stay another day. It turned out that they had planned a day for me. Dan wanted to take me to the Barb Wire Museum, then the Limestone Museum( I am not making this up). Elaine wanted to take me to meet some nice people ‘who used to use drugs’ at her church.

At this point I was creeped out. I had cat hair all over my stuff. I was getting tired of the passive agressive questions about my moral footing. I left on questionable terms. They were definitely hurt that I didn’t want to stay another day.

But they had co-opted my stay. I couldn’t go to the bathroom without some long conversation which always contained something like,” well I don’t know what faith you are but…”. So I finally admitted to them that I was an atheist and the eggshell-walking started.

Finally I got on the road and just laughed and laughed about how crazy the whole experience was. Some of that laughter was also relief that I was gone.

One last thing. Pet owners: you are in denial about your pets. Just…please…realize this. Your house, regardless of how clean you think it is, is covered in pet hair! And if someone is allergic to your pet, the only thing you accomplish by saying,” oh I’ll put the cat outside”, is looking like an idiot. Your house is covered in pet hair!

So, the rest of my day has been awesome. I got to pick up a turtle! :O I had a very nice lunch at Effie’s cafe for only $2.50. I went to the Fort Larned Historic Site. It was a great historical site of an old fort with gorgeous displays of 1870s period furniture.

I also met Peter, who was a period blacksmith at the fort. He worked the bellows and fire and made a wall hook for me. We talked about blacksmithing techniques, which is exactly the kind of thing I find interesting.

I continued on to Larned and, surprise, there are two other cyclists in the park, too. I met Dane and Jim. Dane was playing his Japanese flute while I write this. He has been practicing and it has a great sound.

And now, off to bed! 🙂