Day 49: 64 miles, Jul 6

I rode to Woodson Cove on Toronto Lake today. The terrain is getting somewhat hilly! It dawned on me as I was descending that my cyclometer hasn't registered more than 18 mph for the past week. Nice to feel some speed again! Actually, I think I do better in hilly areas -- I tend to get so distracted on the plains I just forget to put any power into the crank and end up going slower and slower. Hills remind me that I have to work a little, and then I get the reward of a descent.

The climate has gradually become more and more humid. Western Kansas is dry -- about 10 inches of rain a year. Here, however, where there's close to 40 inches yearly rainfall, I'm noticing sweat on my shirt at the end of the day for the first time since western Oregon. No kidding! That's one definite plus for these arid places I've been -- things stay dry.

Here's the sunset over the lake where I took a much-needed swim.