Day 22 - Saturday, June 2nd - Dodge City to Great Bend, KS

Distance: 84.8 miles

Elevation Gain: 431 ft. or 5.1 ft./mile

Net elevation change: -655 ft.

Today started with a mix of cross and headwinds that were running 20-30 mph with gusts of 35 to 45 coming mostly from the north. It was a very difficult day to ride a bike 85 miles. At the 18 mile mark there was a water stop at a convenience store. Having been blown off the shoulder of the road once, I concluded that I didn't feel comfortable dealing with the wind and the turbulence from oncoming and passing trucks that buffeted you from left to right in the shoulder and I elected to get in the van and wait to see if the winds calmed a bit.  When we got to the second SAG stop at mile 52 the wind was still strong but the gusts weren't as bad, so I decided to get back on the bike and ride the last 33 miles into Great Bend. All told I got 51 of the 85 miles for the day. I tip my cap to all the riders who gutted out the entire 85 miles. Chapeau! 

We started out heading north on 14^th Avenue and at 1.5 miles turned right on US 56 and reached the small community of Wright at mile 9 that is named for one of the founders and mayors of Dodge City who also was a member of the Kansas House of Representatives from 1875 to 1883.

At mile 18 we passed along the northern border of Spearville, a town of about 750 people. Like a number of the small communities in the area it is the result of railroad officials forming town companies to promote the town and sell lots to settlers. The land for Spearville was deeded to the Arkansas Valley Town Company in 1873. The town was named for the town company president Alden Speare.

At mile 29 we reached Offerle, the first of two SAG stops and a community of about 200 people with a large grain elevator operated by the Offerle Co-Op Grain Supply Co. next to US 50 and the train tracks.

A few pictures from the road to Offerle.

When there are this many windmills you can be sure there is wind most of the time.

Offerle Tornado Siren (below)

At about mile 38 we found ourselves smack in the middle of Kinsley, the county seat of Edwards County, Kansas with a population of about 1450. It is often referred to as “Midway USA” since it is exactly 1561 miles from both San Francisco and New York.  Kinsley was originally named Petersburg when founded in 1872 after TJ Peter. The town was renamed Kinsley after a Boston philanthropist who built a block of brick buildings in downtown Kinsley.

A few pics from the road into Kinsley.

While Kinsley is midway between New York and San Francisco, it is not our midpoint. We will reach that on Wednesday on the ride from Abilene to Topeka.

Garfield was next at mile 52. With a population of about 200 it was named in honor of James Garfield, the 20^th president of the United States, by residents who had previously lived in Garfield's District when he was an Ohio Congressman. Our second SAG stop of the day is just past Garfield in Downey Park.

At about mile 62 we crossed the Pawnee River and enter Larned, the county seat of Pawnee County, Kansas with a population of about 4000.  The city was laid out in 1873 and took its name from Fort Larned which operated from 1859 to 1878. The fort in turn was named for Colonel Benjamin Larned, an Army paymaster from 1854 until his death in 1862.

A few pictures of Larned.

Pawnee Rock was next at mile 73. Incorporated in 1874, it is a town of about 250 people that is named after the nearby historic landmark, which is the most famous landmark on the Santa Fe Trail. Pawnee Rock was a meeting place of the Comanche, Kiowa, Arapaho and Cheyenne Indians. This is where these tribes held their councils of war and peace and many battles were fought here. It was also used by the Plains tribes as an observation point from which they could track and swoop down on buffalo herds and wagon trains. White travelers often considered it the most dangerous point they needed to pass.  Unfortunately much of Pawnee Rock was destroyed by the railroad and settlers in search of stone for buildings.

Finally we got to Great Bend and here are a few pics form that leg of the journey.

I think these were soybeans. I saw corn that looked to be about a foot tall...well on its' way to being "knee high by the fourth of July"

When I saw the sign above I really thought I had taken a wrong turn somewhere. Turns out it is a community of maybe 20-25 people. There is a Tumblr blog that states it was once thriving but now it exists only virtually on the blog.  I was able to find newspaper articles from the early 1960's that indicate there was a high school that had a successful relay team,which I assumed meant track. Found a picture of the high school senior class from 1964. Maybe 10 graduates. I really would like to know how it got the name Radium....or maybe I don't.

While still 2-3 miles from our hotel this was a most welcome sight, even more so for those who rode the whole route. Chapeau once again to all of you!!

Sneak Peek at Tomorrow

Tomorrow is a straight shot due east on US 56 for 65 miles that will get us to McPherson, KS, the county seat of McPherson County and a city with a population of about 13,000. It is named after Union General James Birdseye McPherson who was killed in 1864 at age 35 in the battle of Atlanta having never set foot in Kansas.  The city was founded in 1872 by the 12 members of the McPherson Town Company.  By 1888, the city was at the junction of four different railroad lines. Major industries have included a flour mill, an oil refinery and an insurance company headquarters.

Winds are forecasted to be a lot lighter, like single digits. I'll believe it when I see it