I left devils kitchen later than usual this morning as there was a heavy thunderstorm and heavy rain...I thought it best to wait it out while I was still in the tent. I followed the map directions as best I could but the street signs here are hit and miss so I switched on the GPS and still managed a few wrong turns! The lanes around the lake reminded me a lot of some of the Sussex lanes I ride in in England..except for the sound of locusts and the numurous dear in the woods just off the roadside here seemingly interested in my bike..here they are timid if you stop riding I guess because they are pissed off with being shot at by hunters around here.
The wind was against me and the hills remain steep and short. It has cooled down a lot recently and the sky is grey with thunder clouds.
I'm trying to get a message to my friend in Kentucky but haven't been able to get WiFi or phone signal today.
At one point I hit a hole in the road so hard I thought my time had come..the front oannier fell off. But Shinto is ok.
When I got to eddyville I saw a pizza sign and followed my stomache in. Here I met a nice old guy with a ww 2 vets hat on. He had been fighting in the pacific back then and we spoke about that and my trip while I ate pizza. I had to decide if my legs would get me to the next town and the sky was getting darker...so my new friend offered to open up the community centre for me so I could sleep in the dry with a washroom without having to pay for camping or ride another 38 miles in the rain. It is generousity like this that I will remember the American people for. So that's several nights free sleeps on the trot to help make up for the costs of air con heaven in Kansas.

So ...next stop Kentucky!