Holiday Inn Express Dodge City, Ks

... The little old laidies that ran the place were so sweet and couldn't have been more interested in the boys in the colorful shirts and lycra shorts. It was well worth the time. Back at the hotel my room still wasn't ready so I dropped into the pool in my riding outfit to do some stretching. Tonight we are going to "Miss Kitty's" for dinner and some real western entertainment? Maybe some pictures tomorrow.

... provided a really good afternoons worth of distraction, it is set up like 'old Dodge' complete with the Boot Hill Cemetary so called because the people buried there were usually carried up after a gun fight and buried with their boots on. They have a replica of the main street as it would have been complete with Saloon where you can buy a beer (or Saspirella) and catch a dance show. Sam was quite ...

... all but destroyed by a massive EF5 tornado that was nearly 2 miles wide tore a path of destruction through the town. This small town also, usually houses the "Space Wanderer" a Pallasite Meteorite weighing in at 1000lbs, the largest found to date, but this has been moved to a nearby town until the rebuilt museum is completed by the town. We continued our westward journey towards Dodge City, This road travelled along one of the Famous Pony Express routes for about ...

OK, I am ready for my lobby breakfast after that long ride yesterday and thinking that 288 mi for today is a piece of cake. Hot cereal would be great and there it is, a big hot pot with hmmm, something porridge colored but grainy with dark dots. Could be a variety of Red River cereal, so I grab a bowl. Beside it are trays of hot biscuits. Sure, why not? With those a coffee, I feel good. A bite of the cereal ...

My longest ride yet at 418 mi and I arrived by 5:15pm. Felt a little buzzy after a long windy ride which started in fog! The breakfast was also monumental for 6:40 at that Sedalia Comfort Inn - hot choices, yoghurt, melon, etc. Did my best since I knew I wouldn't want to stop much. Lots of fields and little oil derricks (?) and ...

... t much else to keep us in this town so we left late afternoon. Our next stop was Dodge City which was only another hour away. Steve said it was the most stressful bit of driving so far as the wind was pushing us towards the centre of the road all the time and there were lots of trucks coming the opposite way too which made it worse. We finally arrived in famous Dodge City and we were very relieved to stop. We considered ...

... which last about 5 minutes. Whinge aside, today was gorgeous, beautiful clear blue skies with a slight breeze in the air. Left Colorado for good today and entered the flat plain which is known as Kansas. We normally take a photo of the State sign as we pass them but Kansas was so plain and uninteresting we only saw it at the last minute, the adverts for road safety were bigger.

... composure. He was innocent, happy, and giving me his usual look. The tears began to flow and my newfound manhood was now newly lost. After hugging him for what I wished was forever, I walked out the door, leaving my old life behind. I'm in the middle of nowhere, and on my way to my aunts house. I have about 7 and half more hours till we arrive. Jesus I hate car rides.

Worked all week, but enjoyed my off time. The company I was working for was very hospitable, and everyone I met was incredibly friendly. Lots of talk with insurance people, and the lucky few from Greensburg who were able to get a hotel room after the Tornado. Some pretty wild stories. We ate our way through Dodge ...

... and businesses. We walked through a mock of what Dodge City looked like in the olden days. There was a demonstration of a shoot out. After that, we headed for Colorado. Outside of Dodge City was an area to stop to look at tracks left over from the Sante Fe Trail. When we stopped, the radiator overflowed. Something malfunctioned, but it still ran so we continued on. Again, I'll have to borrow Uncle Bill's pictures ...