That sounds like a lovely ride and it's so nice that you have a bit of time to yourself first thing.

I'm certainly no expert on training, but I'll bet those rolling hills are terrific for quickly making you stronger so you can ride even longer.

I personally find the Kansas landscape to be serenely beautiful. And how wonderful to be out in the fresh air. The problem for me on the bike trail today was constantly passing pedestrians, being passed by other bikers, etc. It's BUSY on the trails here. I was thinking about taking my bike out east for some peace!