Get Out of Dodge

Get Out of Dodge

Saturday 1^th June, 2019

Day 22

Location: Dodge City to Great Bend, KS

Distance: 88 miles

Temp: 67 – 81 F 

    AM cloudy with light rain and Wind: 5 – 10 mph tailwind

    PM sunny with Wind 10 mph headwind

Cumulative climbing distance:  654 ft

Cumulative descending distance:  1212 ft 

This morning I briefly visited the historic Dodge City center and then early morning rain showers hastened our departure.  The rain was tracking in a southeasterly direction as we headed east.  We attempted to outrun the rain system but no luck.  Biked for about 1 hour in light rain as the system moved south of us.

Today’s key highlights were the visit to center of historic Dodge City and a visit to a county historical museum in Garfield, KS (named for the future US President who was a US senator from Kansas).

 

Spent the day biking in a zig-zag direction, east and north, as we work from the southwestern part to northeastern part of Kansas over a 7-day period (including 1 rest day).  Because of the diagonal route, our trip across Kansas is one of longest state crossing on the entire trip, which makes for some long biking days as the terrain does not vary much.

 

This one photograph captures most of today's scenery:  1000's of wind turbines, wheat fields, flat terrain, railroads, and rain clouds.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dodge City in relationship to the major US territorial acquisitions in the 1800's.

 

 

 

 

And then Dodge City in the 1870's and 1880's was a rough and rowdy cattle town due to the cattle drives of long horn cattle from Texas.  This bred of cattle was originally brought to North American by the Spaniards in the 1600's. 

 

As I stated in yesterday's blog, The Texas cattle drives from 1875 to 1886 would end at Dodge City, which then resulted in the wildest town on the Western frontier.  Lawman such as Wyatt Earp and Bat Masterson became legends as they fought to bring law and order to the streets of Dodge City.

  

 

 Wyatt Earp and his famous long barrel 6-shooter.

 

 

 

 Doc Holliday.

 

 

 

 

 

 Front Street (the original main street) today.

  

 Matt Dillon and Gunsmoke.

 

 Sunrise east of Dodge City.  Note the wind turbines on the horizon.

 

Rain looking back toward Dodge City, as we hastily biked east. 

 

 Every small town has a very large grain elevator complex.

 

  Abandoned grain elevators from the early 1900's.

 Morning SAG wagon refreshments.

 

 

 Garfield, KS, the mid-point between New York City and San Francisco.

 

County historical museum in Garfield, KS:

 

 

 

 

 Horse-drawn 1 bottom plow.

 

 

 

In 1902, this 1-speed bicycle was ridden from New York City of Kinsley, KS on country dirt roads.  And we think our trip is arduous using 24-speed bikes on modern roads.

 1930'S Maytag washing machine powered by gasoline engine.

 

1910'S washing machine powered by gasoline engine.  (And Judi's needs 15 different wash cycles on our washing machine.)

 

 1905 telephone operator's switchboard.

 1918 Model T truck.

 

 

One room sod house typically used by early settlers in the late 1800's.

 Tools for cutting sod blocks (about 2 ft long, 1 foot wide and 4" thick).

Kitchen and bed areas in 1-room sod house.  Bed "mattress" was made of straw.

 

 

 

Today we continued to bike on portions of the Santa Fe Trail, which is most interesting as we 2 week earlier had also biked on the Santa Fe Trail as it crossed into New Mexico and then into Santa Fe.

  

 

 

Central Kansas has received more than 30" of rain in May.  Normally they receive about 28" for the entire year.  Since the land is so flat, there is standing water every in farm fields.

 

As this area is so sparsely populated, all county roads are still gravel.

 

 

 Afternoon SAG wagon refreshments.

Stores along main street, in all small towns, are either closed or are antique shops.

This is an especially interesting image as we create our memories from our journey across America.