Day 25: Dodge City, KS to Great Bend, KS

Day 25: 27 June 2007

Dodge City, KS (2500 ft) to Great Bend, KS (1843 ft).
86 Miles.

Blog Address:
http://bikeboyglovach.blogspot.com
Friends – feel free to encourage or make fun of me on this blog.

Videos on the WWW
http://public.box.net//greg98266
Friends – access this link to view some videos I am making with my digital camera. Not advised while riding, but, at least I have a helmet on…..

New Videos:


Day’s Theme:
It had to happen eventually……

Weather/Terrain:
Well, the weather gods had been kind to us overall this trip, so, today, they evened it up a bit. The temps were cool, but the rain came and, coupled with the wind and the cow poop on the road, made this a long day. It was a long road – into the wind and rain, with the continued poop smell of Kansas…

How I feel:
I am hanging in there – left knee is a little sore, and I feel like 3 days on a couch would be nice. I was concerned about the rain today – does NASTY things to people’s butt and groin areas, but, I think I made out OK today….

Notable Events:
Absolutely nothing for today. Today was a grind….


Rider Profile: Jeff, 33, and Tim, 36 Glover from Michigan.


Jeff and Tim are brothers and decided to do this trip together this year as Jeff moved back to the States from Australia and they hadn’t seem much of each other in like 10 years. They both also felt like they needed “a challenge”.
Jeff is a chef and recently moved back to the US with his wife Alicia.
Tim is a Certified Athletic Trainer for Ferris State University (note his shirt – I will get that one on the “t-shirt swap”).
The boys quote:
Jeff: “The only good wind is the one that makes people leave the room.”
Tim: “In the Cross Country Challenge you only have two choices – uphill or into the wind”

Check out Jeff’s Blog http://tg.jedi.googlepages.com

Good guys – good fun…………….

Pictures:
What’s Happening:





I felt like riding today – but not my bike.
The horseshoe bull was not as exciting as it looked…………..










Well, apparently it isn’t just corn and cattle in Kansas – we have some wind farms too……







We’ve seen a few of these babies the last couple days – I think they are called grain elevators. It seems every town or county has one, and I gather farmers take their grain here for sale.
These thinks are big, and from a distance as you approach these things they look like skyscrapers!




Colorado and Kansas had several of these wall murals – very nice.
For a moment, I stepped into this Kansas Fantasy and boarded the railroad.






SAG I today was in Midway, KS – halfway between San Francisco and New York.
Tomorrow will be our midway point for days to ride, and I think we hit our mileage midway pint in Thursday or Friday.






SAG II was right near Subway – so, we decided to eat fresh.
That is Mike “Rocket”, Arlene, Tim, and “Erin Go Bike”.
FYI – Arlene bought a brand new bike last weekend in Pueblo. She is super fast now!!






We stopped along the road to read this historical marker.
We have been surrounded by these all through Nevada, Utah, Colorado, and Kansas – all about the US Western Migration.
It was raining at this time……….







Well, we are in Kansas, and there is hay.






The road behind us as we approached Dundee, KS.
Grain elevators in the distance….






Sorry to be gross, but, what the hell – this is about the Cross Country Challenge, including the good and the bad.
This is what I washed off myself as I finished the day.
These roads are filthy and every day we wash incredible grime off ourselves.