Dodge City to Great Bend to McPherson - Kansas Plains and Winda

As you might notice I did not write to my blog yesterday after arriving in Great Bend. That is because I was in a very bad mood and did not want to pass that mood on to readers. The winds were at least 25 mph with higher gusts. They were either a crosswind or headwind depending on where you were. Trucks coming toward you created a huge blast of air that wanted to blow you off the road. Then trucks going by you tried to suck you into them. It wasn't too bad when there was sufficient shoulder on the road. But then when the shoulder became about the width of a bicycle it was pretty dicey At mile 43 I got into the van. That seemed the right thing to do at the time but true to my nature I became upset with myself for giving up so easily. Hence I was in a bad mood.

This morning I left the hotel determined to ride the whole 64 miles. The wind was down to 5-10 mph but was still a quartering headwind. However I seemed to have my biking legs and mind today. So I did well. In fact not everyone who left later than I did caught me today. For those of you who remember my Kansas episode in 2010, I checked to make sure my brake was not rubbing. That helped a lot.

The countryside turned very green today. Lots of wheat fields. And the rivers we crossed even had water in them. One of the pictures shows old farm equipment all lined up out in the field. Unfortunately I did not zoom in on it far enough. But it reminded me of my childhood. I used many of those devices in my time.

On to Abilene tomorrow and then a rest day. That will be welcome.