Get out of Dodge

‘
Bat Masterson (at a gravesite): They say it was the biggest funeral in the history of Dodge
[city]
Bat Masterson: . Of course, the town ain’t that old.

 

Hello everyone

I was thinking of my old friend Brian M. today. he sent me some nice comments last night but the real reason was the old west influence that I saw on today’s ride. My recollection was that he always liked westerns, western lore and was well-read on the topic. Well the ride today was full of old west memories.

We had the opportunity to visit the Dalton Gang hideout along with the escape tunnel between buildings. Dodge City has the Boot Hill Museum and Dodge was the town in the epic TV series Gunsmoke. We also rode past an historical marker depicting a nearby scene of a battle between Natvie Americans and some settlers and surveyors. I did capture a picture of that.

The ride today covered about 84 miles and it started out cool but warmed up rapidly. I actually didn’t know that it was Friday until Hem mentioned it early on. Some days, one just doesn’t feel like riding and this was one f those days. herm and I took our time, enjoyed the scenery and stopped often for refreshments.

Our first and only SAG was around mile 38 near the site of the Dalton Gang hideout. Tom initiated a game of draw poker whereas we each draw a card at the SAG stops over the next several days until we have five cards. That seemed like a fun idea and we all contributed $1.00 to the cause.

Overall we had a good amount of wind today and DodgeCity is known as the windiest city in the USA. Two years ago, I had a marvelous tail wind the last 25 miles but it wasn’t quite that nice today. I did manage to take a few photos along the way but not that many.

One thing that i will note again and it was mentioned two years ago. The people of Kansas tend to be very friendly and respectful of cyclists. The big rigs pull way over to give us room and many motorists give friendly waves and don”t seem to be hurries. At the rest stops strangers are quick to say a kind word, ask questions about our quest and provide a smiling face. One man remarked to a cyclist who was locking his bike to enter a convenience store, “You don’t have to do this, this is Kansas!”. From riding here in my two tours, I believe it. Maybe it is small town America and the bigger cities are different but my hat is off to the state of Kansas. I will say as well that most of the people e have encountered on our journey are respectful and nice but Kansas just seems to take it to a different level.

Tomorrow, we ride another 84 miles and have th opportunity to visit a few historic sites along the way.

Tailwinds

Chuck