Day 21 - Friday, June 1st - Liberal to Dodge City, KS

Distance:  83.2 miles

Elevation Gain: 1054 ft. or 12.7 ft./mile

Net elevation change:  -333 ft.

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Coming out of the hotel we had a mix of cross/headwinds as we went northeast for the first 61 miles. I was able to join up with Bruce and Cathy for about 50 of those miles and Barry for a portion as well as he continued his streak of getting to the next hotel first. There were two small hills today, even by my standards they were small, I just couldn't hang on for the entire 61. I caught Cathy and Bruce at a water stop at mile 61 as we turned north with a tailwind for the last 22 miles. I started out with them on this final stretch but I decided that even with the heat I'd be better off backing off their pace a bit as we have another 85 mile day tomorrow.

Out of the hotel we turned right (east) on E Pancake Blvd. No clue why it is called that but there was a Pancake House less then a mile down the road. It took about 4 miles to leave the obvious signs of Liberal behind us and at mile 15 we reach Kismet, a town of about 450 people where the post office was established in 1888.

Next up was Plains at mile 24 with a population of around 1100. Originally named West Plains the town was laid out in 1885. The name was later changed to just Plains, I guess because Plains didn't exist for West Plains to be west of. In any case Plains is notable for having the widest main street in the US at 155 feet 5 inches. Chuck O'Hara, you should nail that Jeopardy question.

Four miles later the road turned directly east for the next 12 miles where it turned northeast once again. Before that we reach Meade at mile 38, home to the Dalton Gang Hideout and the location of our only full SAG stop of the day.  With a population of about 1700, Meade isn't much larger than Plains, but it is the county seat of Meade County. It was incorporated in 1885 and is named after General George Meade, a career US Army officer and civil engineer who is best known for defeating Robert E Lee at Gettysburg.  As mentioned, Meade was home to one of the hideouts used by the Dalton Gang. The home belonged to  Eva Dalton Whipple, sister to the Dalton gang, a group of old west outlaws that specialized in bank and train robberies that were active from 1890-1892  Three of the gang members were Dalton brothers. Two of the brothers and two other gang members were killed during an attempted bank robbery in Coffeyville, KS in 1892. The remaining brother, was paroled after serving 14 years in prison. The Dalton brothers were seen in Meade several times before a price was put on their heads. The Whipples left town in 1892 and the home was sold under foreclosure. The new owners discovered a tunnel connecting the home to the barn and on more than one occasion were surprised when horseback riders came into the house through the tunnel after putting their horses in the barn, only to quickly retreat after learning a new family was living there.

Here are some pictures from the ride up to this point.

Dropping back to the end of the pace line after my pull, I had just enough time for a quick shot.

Flat and green to the horizon.

Random signs of natural gas wells in many of the fields

I stopped to take this one about a mile from the SAG, and after one of those pesky hills.

The flags do not lie

Not exactly bustling with activity.

At the SAG we rejoin Barry and passed along the south side of Fowler at mile 50, a small town of about 540 people. It is named after George Fowler, the original owner of the town site that was laid out in 1886 as a shipping point on the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad. After Fowler I lose contact with the group because of that second pesky hill and 10 miles later I reconnect with Bruce and Cathy at the water stop in Minneola where we turn north on US 283. Minneola is home to about 745 people and founded in 1887. Its name is a combination of the first names of the wives of two pioneer settlers, Minnie Davis and Ola Watson.

This really is a different picture.

Until we reached Dodge City at mile 80 there is nothing but farmland as far as the eye can see along with the occasional piece of farm equipment and windmill. 

Not your grandfathers' windmill. The sound of those blades cutting through the air is almost eerie.

Well we are in Kansas. Can't say I would have expected anything else.

We reached Dodge City where I'm able to get a few pictures of the Old Town before turning left on Wyatt Earp Blvd. to the hotel.

Sneak Peek at Tomorrow

Tomorrow we head northeast 85 miles to Great Bend, KS. Weather forecast looks to be a bit cooler then today with afternoon high around 83. 

Great Bend is the county seat of Barton County, Kansas with a population of about 16,000. The city takes its name for its location which is at the point where Arkansas River bends east. The first settlers arrived in 1870 and worked as buffalo hunters while living in sod houses. The railroad arrived in 1872 and in 1873 Great Bend became a shipping point for cattle transforming the city into a rowdy, violent Cowtown.  The city became more peaceful when, in 1876, the Kansas legislature restricted the presence of Texas cattle to 30 miles west of Barton county.