Day 21: Dodge City to Great Bend, KS

I woke up this morning hoping to feel 100% better than yesterday before starting our ride, but that was not the case.  The muscle aches were less noticeable, but the fatigue was still present.  I told myself  "No worries, you've been here before.  Be mindful and satisfied with whatever the day gives you."

At 7am the air was a bit cool at 62F, and the humidity was high (88%).  From what we saw on the weather channel during breakfast, a front was moving in, but we had a good chance of staying ahead of any rain.  I still wadded up my rain jacket and shoved it in my center jersey pocket just in case.  I was already feeling a bit clammy from the cool moist air, the last thing I wanted was to get caught in a cold early rain.

Our traverse of Kansas continued along the broad smooth paved shoulders of US 50E.  The main difference this morning was we didn't have the bright morning sun in our eyes as we headed east.  The reason -- dense cloud cover of the approaching weather front.  We did have a mild cross wind that tended to shift around somewhat, but it was generally favorable.

Early morning cloud cover
(note steam from a distant nitrogen plant being blown north across the road)

Extensive wind turbine farms on both sides of US 50E for approximately 10 miles.

Our first SAG stop of the day along US 50E was in the small town of Offerle adjacent to the Offerle Cafe.  On the eastern exterior wall of the cafe was a large mural -- "The Saga of the Santa Fe".  The artist is Dennis Burghart.

"The Saga of the Santa Fe"
(Note:  Look closely at the grain elevator buildings just above the flag on the bike furthest to the right.)

Old wooden grain elevator buildings next to railroad tracks a few miles east of Offerle, KS.
Do they look familiar?  If not, go back and look at the mural again.

Eastern-most grain elevator

Western-most grain elevator
(smaller weigh house on left)

After Offerle, the next little town along our route was Kinsley which we approached just after we left
US 50E to continue our ride along US56E.  Kinsley declares itself as the midway point between San Francisco, CA and New York, NY. Of course, it's also the midway point between an infinite number of other places, but New York and San Francisco are probably the most recognizable pair.

Large sign at the Edwards County Historical Society Museum complex.
Among the many features of this complex were an enclosed sod house (for our UK readers, that's a house made of square patches of  dirt with grass), antique farm machinery, and a steam locomotive.

Steam locomotive at the Edwards County Historical Society Museum complex.

It's massive!  You can feel raw power emanate from it.
I can only imagine what the Native Americans thought upon
seeing, hearing, and feeling one for the first time. 

Roadside blooms have been rare in Kansas.

With it's two lanes, frequent semi trucks, and often with just a 1-2 feet wide paved shoulder,
US 56E was not particularly rider friendly.  That said, most of the large trucks pulled over
into the other  lane when passing us.

Quaint small-town America was on display in Larned, the next town we passed through on US 56E.
Larned is the county seat of Pawnee County.

Main Street in Larned, KS.

Pawnee County Courthouse in Larned, KS

About 10 miles past Larned, we visited Pawnee Rock, a large rocky area that arises out of an otherwise relatively flat prairie, and an historic landmark on the Santa Fe Trail.  It was a frequent battle ground among Native American tribes, and served as an observation point for spotting herds of bison, and later on, herds of white people.

Plaque along US 56E.

360 degree view from Pawnee Rock

After leaving Pawnee Rock, we rode the final 10 miles into Great Bend along US 56E.  Although I missed the first two wide load trucks each carrying a wind turbine blade, I captured this third one in their loosely organized caravan:

So, I guess that's enough for tonight.  Although  I felt sluggish at the start of this day, I felt better with each passing hour despite the cloud cover disappearing early and temperatures that approached 90F by noon.  I think the big factors for this improvement were slowing down a bit more today to take in the sights and sounds of the road, and ingesting more fresh food and water than I've done previously.  Of course, having favorable wind conditions and an insignificant amount of climbing didn't hurt either!

CrossRoads Day 21 Google Earth image and Elevation Profile
Dodge City to Great Bend, KS

Geoffrey has informed me that he has tasted two new milk shakes.  The first of these consumed two days ago was a Royal Mint Chocolate Chip shake at Dairy Queen.  Geoffrey felt this shake was Very Good.  However, he uncharacteristically and inexplicably avoided giving me a straight answer when I asked him if it supplanted the DQ cherry shake as the board leader. Concerning the second shake, Geoffrey went to a Braum's Ice Cream & Dairy store today and requested that they prepare a milk shake using Black Forest ice cream. Braum's employees informed Geoffrey that this particular shake is Braum's "first one ever".  Geoffrey feels he has raised the bar on Brick Susko's original trans-America milk shake evaluation.  And almost as if it were a new grandchild and immediately occupied a special place in his heart, Geoffrey proudly judged his Black Forest creation to be "Lovely".

Tomorrow we ride 64 miles to McPherson, KS.

Day 20: Liberal to Dodge City, KS

Once again, the skies were clear blue and light south winds were in the forecast.  I knew our northeasterly route would start as the continuation of the smooth, wide, and safe US 54E and eventually turn north for the final 20 miles into Dodge City.  Additionally, we learned there would be only 1200 feet of climbing. Consequently, I expected a fast and friendly 82 miles today, time to take in a few historical sites, and time to walk around a bit after the ride ended.  Unfortunately, that would not be the case. What would become my day reminds me of a bit on "heaviness" done by Rodney Dangerfield, an American comedian known for his self-deprecating jokes.

"I wake up, and the heaviness is waiting for me.  Sometimes I even talk to it.  I say cheerfully 'Hi Heaviness!'.  Heaviness looks back at me and in a gravelly voice says ominously 'Today you're going to get it good.  You'll be drinking early today.'"

Yep, I got it good (no energy and aching leg muscles), and I did drink early and often (iced water, Gatorade, Cherry Coke).  Let's just say I had a bad day.  Unfortunately, that made me focus only on getting to our Dodge City hotel, and not savoring the journey as I would otherwise.  

Continuation of  US 54E.  Smooth roads, wide shoulders, and .......

..........low amber waves of grain.

At Mile 38, we entered the town of Meade.  Meade's major tourist attraction is the purported hideout of the Dalton Gang, notorious bank and train robbers of the American Old West.  The temperature by this time was in the 90Fs and heat is never felt more intensely then when one stops riding.  Because I was uncomfortable on the bike from the start and the heat was starting to get to me,  I really cared only about taking a few photos and then moving on without attending the Hideout tour.  My loss.  I heard later from other riders that it was very interesting and informative.

Finding the Dalton Gang Hideout is not all that difficult these days.

Home of Eva Dalton Whipple, a sister of the Dalton brothers.  A tunnel leading from the house to a nearby barn
was ostensibly used by the Dalton Gang to avoid detection of their comings and goings.

At Mile 60, we turned north onto US 283N for the final 20-mile stretch to Dodge City.

The road surface was just as good as US 54E, but the width of the shoulder was now only 3-4 ft. which feels like 3-4 inches when large semi trucks are passing in opposite directions next to you.

Entering Dodge City from the south along US 283 N

CrossRoads Day 20 Google Earth image and Elevation Profile
Liberal to Dodge City, KS

After taking a mid-afternoon nap, eating a large dinner, and hydrating well the remainder of the day, I hope to avoid any "heaviness" during our 84 mile ride tomorrow to Great Bend, KS.

Day 19: Guymon OK to Liberal KS

Well, I have to tell you, the riding was easy today, almost embarrassingly so.  We had little wind, or maybe a slight tailwind vector, and the temperature at our later starting time of 9am was 75F.  We rode once again along silky smooth, wide, and clean US 54E.  The distance from Guymon, OK to Liberal, KS was only 39 miles. Oh sure, the humidity was higher  and the temperature peaked in the 90Fs, but I'll take heat any day over a "Where do you think you're going, buddy?" headwind.   Let's call today an active rest day.

Looking back on the road surface just a few miles outside of Guyton, OK

Small cattle feed lot along the highway.

US 54E should be the model for other states to follow.

At Mile 19, our SAG stop was at the Chamber of Commerce in Hooker, OK.  In an unfortunate coincidence, Chuck and I independently wore the shop jerseys we bought from Beaver River Cycling in Guymon, OK.  

Strange coincidence?  Or testament to the power of the Y-chromosome to dominate weak minds?

Our 5th state line!

Once we arrived in Liberal, we passed the local high school which had their football game schedule posted below the football championships garnered by an accomplished graduate, one being the 1997 NCAA Division 1 Championship while playing for the University of Michigan.

Jerame Tuman earned HS, NCAA D1, and Professional football championships within a 13- year period.
Can you name an athlete who accomplished that feat within a 4-year period?
(Hint:  His sport was basketball.)

Chuck and I sought out the Air Museum, the fifth largest aircraft museum in the US.  We met Curator Harriet who was very informative and had a very entertaining wit.  Unfortunately, the aircraft and associated stories were so spellbinding that I became lost in thought and forgot to take photos.

Upon concluding our tour of the air museum, we pressed on to find the International Pancake Day Hall of Fame.  This house of memorabilia celebrates the competition between women of Liberal, KS and women of Olney, England on the Tuesday preceding Ash Wednesday (aka Fat Tuesday, Shrove Day) -- a competition in which women race down the streets of each town carrying skillets and pancakes.   I was driven by the single thought that this might be similar to a Monty Python Batley Ladies Townswomen's Guild re-enactment. Unfortunately, the IPD HoF was closed today.

What I didn't opt to visit was anything having to do with Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz, a very big business in this city.  Why not?  Well, I've had issues with the Wizard of Oz movie ever since studying states of matter in junior high Chemistry class.  In the scene in which Dorothy inadvertently splashes the Wicked Witch with water, the witch shrinks within her clothing and shrieks "I'm melting, I'm melting".  However, she clearly transformed from a solid to a gas, so her line should have been "I'm sublimating, I'm sublimating". Is the desire for scientific rigor asking too much?

Geoffrey has announced that McDonald's vanilla and strawberry shakes have been recently consumed and contemplated.  Although not bad enough to rate as Poor, he says they were thin in flavor and certainly not challenging the leadership of the cherry shake.

We also learned today that "Big Train" Randy's ITB syndrome symptoms are becoming worse, to the point of being tender and painful upon walking.  Really, for most of the last 2 weeks Randy has ridden large portions of each day's route strongly, but with considerable pain.  He announced he is returning to Springfield for further medical examination and treatment.  He was a fun, friendly, and inspirational riding companion and we hope he will  be able to heal completely and quickly, and subsequently return to the tour.

CrossRoads Day 19 Google Earth image and Elevation Profile
Guymon, OK to Liberal, KS

Tomorrow we ride 82 miles to Dodge City, KS.

Day 18: Dalhart TX to Guyman OK

Well, after checking out the weather forecast for today, I realized it's going to be a great day for someone whose legs don't feel energized or fresh, the new normal.  The predicted WNW wind at 9mph was expected to give us a slight tailwind vector push to Guymon along a relatively flat and ruler-straight US 54.

Because of the time zone change from Mountain to Central, we were given a one hour later starting time this morning.  We were greeted by bright blue skies and a temperature in the low 60Fs.

We stayed at LaQuinta Inn and Suites in Dalhart, TX
.......... just look for the 20 ft. Palomino horse statues performing a Temptations dance move.

Tim and Michael have inflated their tires, loaded their bags on the truck, and are ready to rock.

US 54 from Dalhart, TX to Guyton, OK
-- asphalt as black and smooth as a Chow Chow's tongue

Chuck and Randy on US 54.

Massive grain dryers (not shown) and storage silos along US 54.

It's a stick up!.
We've got our hands raised high and our money out.
(Chuck, Randy, me)

Looks like Tex had a scuffle with Steven Seagal.

Pay phone?

Any change left in pay phone?
Hey, I have clothes to wash.
(Thanks Chuck!)

Ice cream treats were free for us at the Dairy Queen next to our SAG stop.
We learned the manager of this DQ heard of  our cross country trip and wanted to show us Texas-size hospitality.
(L to R:  Ross, Alan, Stuart, Joanne)

Not much wind today

Do you see the standard farm windmill in front of the colossal wind turbines?

Sprinkling sand at the Oklahoma-Texas border.

Roadside blooms in Oklahoma

Vertical integration -- Oklahoma style.

It was an easy 72-mile ride to Guymon today.  Although temperatures climbed into the 90Fs, we had
favorable winds; wide, clean, paved shoulders; little significant climbing; an overall drop in elevation; and relatively light traffic almost the entire way.  After hearing about CrossRoad groups enduring strong headwinds on this same route in previous years, it can almost make one in our group feel guilty.  Or not.

CrossRoads Day 18 Google Earth image and Elevation Profile
Dalhart, TX to Guymon, OK

Progress Map
(Black = progress-to-date; Blue = planned route)

Our route tomorrow is a very easy 39 miles to Liberal, KS.  

Day 17: Tucumcari, NM to Dalhart, TX

At breakfast this morning, most everyone was feeling a bit beat up after yesterday. Although we love to ride, we were a bit apprehensive about riding 96 miles today with temperatures expected in the 90Fs.  I think most of those feelings of anxiety were softened during the first 30 miles of the ride.  During this first 30 miles to our SAG stop, we had a net descent, a favorable NW quartering tailwind that eased us along even more, and refreshing 60-70F temperatures.

Diner in Logan, NM along SR 54E doing business as Crossroads Cafe -- a name we could call our SAG stops.

Roadside  bloom along SR 54E.

But for the remaining 66 miles after the SAG stop, we experienced an entirely different ride.  As the miles ticked by, the NW quartering tailwind started to come around and eventually became a NE quartering headwind.  In addition, the temperatures rose steadily throughout the day and eventually reached the mid-90Fs.  Although there were a few interesting sights along the way, most of the time we fought hip pain, butt pain, quad pain, hamstring pain, neck pain, and/or back pain as we struggled to progress against a 20 mph headwind vector along a straight Texas panhandle highway. 

Concrete, bullet-pocked sign at the Texas-New Mexico border marks our fourth state of the tour and a new time zone.
And yes, unlike when I entered New Mexico, I remembered to sprinkle Pacific Ocean beach sand this time.
I wonder if Texas elves and fairies are larger than those in other states.

Apparently Geezerville, Old Goats Lane, and "No Country for Old Men" wasn't enough,
but it is nice to know us guys of a certain age have our own ranch. 

Large areas of sand with no apparent vegetation were common along SR 54E southwest of Dalhart.

Essentially, SR 54E in Texas always looked like this -- straight with rolling hills.  By early afternoon, headwinds were approximately 20mph and the temperature was in the 80Fs to 90Fs.  Although the shoulder looks smooth, it was typically "chip and seal" in most spots making an already difficult segment of the ride even more annoying.

Thousands of steaks on the hoof destined for your table.  The colossal size of these feeder cattle operations prevents the entire feedlot from being captured in a single photograph by a ground level cyclist.

Dalhart was at the center of the Dust Bowl -- an area severely affected by drought and dust storms in the 1930s.

CrossRoads Day 17 Google Earth image and Elevation Profile
Tucumcari NM to Dalhart TX

Tomorrow's ride is reportedly short and flat relative to yesterday's and today's rides.  The X-factors are the wind direction and the temperature.  We will leave the Texas panhandle and cross over into our fifth state as we head to Guyman, OK.