He Said, She Said: Day 25-So that's what thunderstorms are like in Kansas

We got an email from our cousin Patrick who is doing a map of Paul's progress. If you want to check it out, go to http://gis.ci.meriden.ct.us/website/PaulsRide.pdf
She said: Left from Lamar not long after Paul as we were not far from the Kansas border (about 20 miles) and wanted to get the "Welcome to Kansas" photo. Perfect timing, I caught up to him about 2 miles from the border. While having a drink at the convenience store near the state line, a very nice woman offered us fresh tomatoes. We talked to her and her husband for a while-their daughter does a lot of biking-gave them a bottle of maple syrup, and were off. The forecast was for thunder showers, but so far so good. We agreed to meet about 10 miles down the road to go to the bike shop in Pittsburg Kansas. As it turns out, they are closed on Monday-no problem, just stopping as there are no shops for quite a while and were just doing an in case stop. I stayed behind at the library and about an hour later, I looked up to see a very black sky, pouring rain, wind and lightning. The SAG wagon needed to catch up!! Met Paul about 15 miles down the road and very wet. Had lunch, waited for the rain to let up, and we were off again. The rain continued off and on the rest of the day, with the darkest sky straight in front of us. After another few hours in the rain-Paul had had enough and we called it quits in Chanute, Kansas.
He said: Saw the sun the first half hour and that was it. Met Sharon for breakfast after our mandatory state line picture. We went to the library, Sharon to use the computer and me to use the facilities. They have lights on motion sensors in the bathroom. I guess I used more than my allotted time because I found myself sitting in the dark in the stall. Didn't know if I should wait for someone else to come in to activate the light, or if that would seem funnier than jumping up and down with my pants around my ankles. I opted for number 2-no pun intended. Back on the road and I could see black clouds off to the South. Since I was heading North and West I figured I could outrun them. NOT! There were also black clouds everywhere else. I was willing to ride in some rain and I had just turned on to a main road when the rain stopped coming down and started coming across. Next five minutes was a Red Skeleton routine...I was trying to get my raincoat on with a 20 mile an hour wind blowing at me and pouring cats and dogs, with lightning in the distance thrown in. I had noticed a house with a roofed entry just before turning on to the main road. I turned myself around, and never took one pedal. The wind pushed me up the road at 14 miles an hour. I had to brake to turn back down the road and made myself at home under the roof. Wasn't dry, but it was dryer. Spent about an hour watching a fantastic lightning storm and waiting for the rain to let up enough to move on. Rest of the day was more of the same with another stop about 18 miles later, where I found a convenience store for drowned rats. Waited there for another hour, did another 8 1/2 miles and then called it a day. Looks like more of the same for tomorrow. 73 miles.