Day 32: Stafford, KS Vicinity to Dodge City, KS; Kansas Can be Brutal

June 6, 2015

Stafford, KS (Pine Haven RV Park) to Dodge City, KS (Hampton Inn)

(Note to readers regarding the elevation profiles; the profile is calculated from Point "A" on the map to Point "B" on the map. Since I am traveling east to west on the first half of this transcontinental journey, my route of travel is usually shown on the map as being from right to left. However, the elevation profile is shown from left to right, so it must be "reversed" in your head to understand it.)

Climbing Today; 997 ft -- Total So Far; 82,231 ft

We woke at 4:00 am to get an early start ahead of the Kansas heat. No matter what we might do we would end up in the heat, but every minute you avoid it is worthwhile. We were rolling at 5:30 am, three bicycles with lights heading down the road. Here's the lonely road looking back at the sunrise;

And here's James pedaling off towards our next destination;

James Filmer on the Lonely Road at Sunrise

Daniel used my camera to capture me in the early morn as well.

The Sun is Just Rising, But the Cycling Action is Already Intense

You can see a town coming from many miles away, as they all have grain towers and trees that make them pop out from the barren landscape. A bicyclist can identify a town for more than an hour before arrival, and very slowly the small blip grows bigger.

Grain Towers and Trees Identify Towns From Miles Away

The Arkansas River is just a muddy trickle in Kansas.

The Arkansas River is Little More Than a Mud Waddle in Kansas

Grain bins contrast with modern wind power in central Kansas.

Grain Bins Contrast With Wind Power Generators on the Kansas Plains

This day was already becoming tiring as we approached Kinsley and an automated radar speed check. Fortunately my speed was well below the limit.

Speed Check Verifies That I'm Not Speeding

We turned a bit southwest from Kinsley to travel to Dodge City, and this meant we were turning more into a headwind. Progress slowed to about 7-8 mph. The afternoon wore on, and a little storm cell commenced to form.

A Storm Cell Forming as We Approach Dodge City

This encouraged us all to move on towards Dodge, but really we were already traveling as fast as we could reasonably go in our tired state. As I rolled into Dodge City, some small rain showers can be seen in the distance but they are too far away to be a serious threat.

Dodge City is Close, and the Storm Cell has Produced Only Rain. No Worry.

James had planned to cycle in to Dodge City to see a gunfight re-enactment, so we parted company and I headed directly to the motel. Daniel was about 15 minutes behind. I found the Hampton Inn and checked in. It's adjacent to a casino and is a nice place, very new construction. I had told Daniel and James they could spend the night in my room as I had two beds. The room was adequately sized to hold all three bikes and still give us room to maneuver. I planned a zero day here and had invited them to stay an extra day also, but they had declined as they felt they needed to move on. However, after arriving a bit after me in a tired state and seeing how nice the place was, they changed their minds and now we all plan a zero day tomorrow. We've all earned a day's rest...

Today's ride: 78 miles (126 km)
Total: 1,967 miles (3,166 km)

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