July 19, 2014
Day 51 - Eads to Tribune, Kansas: Welcome to Kansas!!
Five AM comes around very quickly.......however we/I slept very well. If you have trouble sleeping go out and ride a bicycle for six to seven hours a day. The best sleeping pill around. We had our breakfast burritos and were out the door by six.
Riding in the very early morning is very pleasant. The birds are singing, the flowers are waking up and stretching for the sun and the earth smells fresh......well at least this morning. The two previous days the earth was smelling a little sour from all the standing water. Eads is on the dryer side. We rode for about fifteen miles and ran into fog again today. That lasted for about five miles and then the sun started coming up in full glory. By the time we stopped it was 89 and rising.
Today's flowers along the road were tiny morning glories some pink and some white but all loaded with tiny moths that were loving the nectar. We also found or came upon our first 'box' turtle today in the road. Jack picked him up and put him in the grass along side the road heading inland. We watched him maneuver over the tall weeds and he moved just like a tank. We wondered if tank designers had watched turtles for their design? Not far down the road we came upon our second turtle. He was not as fortunate as the first.
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Early on in the day, when it was cool and our bottoms were fresh, I looked at Jack and said "I think we should go on to that town on the other side of Tribune" (another 20+ miles). Four or five hours later I could barely get off the bike and in the room fast enough. Fifty-eight miles was far enough today. At just about eleven the temp kicked up and so did the wind. It was our official Welcome to Kansas. The wind was again out of the south east but today it landed more as a cross wind. Just as we were getting off the bikes it was turning into a headwind.
We crossed into Kansas today. I would have thought I might be emotional but no not yet. We still have a few hundred miles to go. You know, don't count your chickens and all that. It was still a moment to celebrate!! So we had our lunch break by the Kansas sign today. Just us and a few hundred biting/stinging flies.
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We are in the Trails End Motel. It is just one or two points above last nights accommodations. Looks like we are done with camping. There are city parks that let you camp but most do not have bathrooms and it is 90+ degrees and the flies are terrible. So, we are staying in the local old motels that have survived. Most are blemished and worse for wear but basically clean. Ok for a night. This one tonight was $50 cash or $65 to charge! As, I am writing this update in Scott City I have noticed I have a flea or two. Guess it wasn't as clean as I thought last night.
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Today there were two opportunities for history lessons. We passed the site of the "Sand Creek Massacre". The site was eight miles off route so I had to wait to get here to look up some info. Seems that the Cheyenne were told they could camp north of Chivington, CO as long as they were peaceful. However, a new commander came to the fort and was told by Colonel Chivington that they were not peaceful and needed to be marched on. The military attacked the camp and killed and mutilated men, women and children. Killing nearly 150 of the 500 living there.
The second lesson was the town of Horace, Ks. We have all heard of Horace Greeley and "Go West Young Men". Seems he was a strong supporter of 'agrarianism' and stood up for people making their living on the plains, advocated equality for women in employment and education, championed free trade and fought against slavery. All this in the early to mid 1800's.
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Today's ride: 58 miles (93 km)
Total: 1,981 miles (3,188 km)
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