September 8, 2019
Day 1
For a first day out on tour, I did well. When I got up this morning and went outside while it was still dark, I saw lightning flashes off to the east, my direction of travel. It was 8:30 when I finally got on the road. The part I was worried about most was the first 10 miles, between Montezuma and Ensign, because there is "minimal" shoulder. Also, Hwy 56 is usually very busy with trucks, especially now that the corn harvest has just started. But, the hop from Monte to Ensign was just a Sunday drive.
I had a nice, wide shoulder from Ensign all the way to Kinsley. Some places were rougher than others, but it was better than riding on a gravel road somewhere. About 40 miles into the day, I started feeling the ride, and decided to stop for a while. Pulled off the road on Main Street in Spearville and ate some of my road food and drank some water. While in Spearville, I started watching this big, black cloud that was forming in the area I had just come thru. About 8 miles out of Kinsley, I got sprinkled on for about three or four miles, but that was the extent of the rain I encountered. After I got to Kinsley, I found out that cloud I had been watching was pouring down rain all over Dodge City.
Was I in good enough shape for the ride? If I can get out of bed in the morning and continue on down the road, the answer is "yes". As I was reminded today, the first day out can be a little rough.
The weather guessers are saying 40% chance of thunderboomers in the morning, with a south wind that will turn BUH-REEEZY! If it is pouring down rain in the morning, I may be here another day. Check out time is 11:00, so, I do have a "wait" window.
Today's ride: 63 miles (101 km)
Total: 63 miles (101 km)
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