Saturday, April 12, 2008

my love/hate relationship with KS

My opinion of this state really varies wildly according on what the weather is like. Kansas has some really weird weather, and I knew this coming out here but I had no inclinations it would be like this. I got to looking at the climate data for manhattan and the weather data for the upper mountain research station in laurel Springs, NC. the mtn top wind meter records wind speeds that are not all that much less than wind averages here. So whats the big difference?
Well in the mountains you have enough sense to get to the other side of the mountain or down into the holler to get out of the wind (hollers are where all the moonshine and inbreedin happens in case you were wondering)
I went out for a trot this morning and took some new unexplored cowpaths across the prairie north of Manhattan to get my mileage in, see some new ground, and rock out some hills (this is a source of much mocking from my cycling friends that do not approve of my running. They seem to think cycling is a more manly sport. what with shaved legs and socks that match your outfit?).
I loved climbing hills back home both running and cycling, cuz you can always look forward to long descents and easy cruising. There are several long rides in Pisgah that are literally 11 miles of climbing to do a life altering 5 mile descent that is so steep your fore arms will start to cramp from hanging onto the brake levers and steam will come off your rotor when you cross the creek at the bottom (Black mountain, Squirell gap, Clawhammer)
anyway this morning I was really grinding it out up this long hill to get to the top only to be blasted backwards by a 30 mph wind. Getting to the top of a hill around here just means that your gonna get pelted by the wind. So in the midst of my ill fated trot I conceived a new motto for the state of Kansas:

Kansas: It Blows
I have to say that when the weather is good here it is incredible, low humidity, lots of sunshine, and the people are so awesome, but when the weather is bad it can rain like piss pouring out of a boot. I will contact Gov. Sebelius and get this legislation rolling immediately.

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