Nice video. Great memories of a monumental mental challenge. It's the winds of KS that make it such a challenge and they seem to be more often out of the east than west. I crossed a few years ago through very north Nebraska/southern SD/and very north Iowa. It was much better than Kansas. We were headed for Minneapolis and onward to join the Northern Tier but could never get there because of crazy NW winds for 5 days. We ended up making lemonade out of our lemons and riding the winds to Madison and then headed south across IL, and east through IN, OH, PA, NJ. It's not a route that you'd typically draw up because you're trying to set up to get to either the N or S ends of Lake Michigan so you're usually vectoring NE or SE in the Plains to set that up. I think that's why most people end up far enough south in Iowa where they get hammered by the hills (mini Ozarks from what I've heard). We basically followed route 9 which had limited shoulders but almost no traffic, and the Iowa drivers are perhaps the nations most courteous. There's a surprisingly scenic and touristy lake area called Okoboji that appears out of nowhere. As you get 2/3 of they way across it's starts to get forested which makes for a great change of scenery. Some Amish/Mennonite communities in this part and even little surprises like a town called Spillville which reminded me of a village in the wine country of Provence or Tuscany. McGregor and Marquette are touristy but off the beaten path spots on the Mississippi River and then the climb out of the river valley through heavy lush forests on the Wisconsin side is quite scenic and a wonderful treat after several days in the arid Great Plains. From Madison it's a few easy days riding to hook into the Fox River Trail which will efficiently get you through the western Chicago suburbs and on your way to northern Indiana. Worth a look if you're seeking to avoid the relentless rollers of central and southern Iowa and the head case that is Kansas!
