Liberal to Dodge City

As the winds in Kansas go, today was a relatively easy day. There were some headwinds, quartering tailwinds, crosswinds. The normal array of wind for Kansas. Luckily they were not very strong. So it was an OK day to be out for 43 miles. I drove the truck to the SAG at the Dalton Gang Hideout and rode in from there. That is such a green shady spot for a SAG that I hated to leave.

Kansas apparently has not had a lot of rain. The wheat we have seen so far is very short and looks quite parched. This is the part of the country with small towns and grain elevators. And the people are fun to talk to. One poor little girl in the convenience store hid behind the counter. She told her older sister she was afraid of me because I looked like a biker. Two women in the same store, when finding out I was going to Dodge City, expressed their condolences. I asked why. The answer was that a huge stench comes from the sewage treatment plant outside of town. And it is the Dodge City people who are creating all that sewage. Good reasoning I guess. Probably as logical as most of us are.

Yesterday one of our riders had to go home. Randy has been trying to ride with a very sore knee/leg since leaving LA. Finally he decided to drive home to Springfield and get it checked out. We are hoping he can rejoin. Such a sweetheart of a guy.

Alan the retired dentist made a discovery today. To quote Alan: "The big discovery today was an electrolyte rich food that I discovered and realized that for those of us unable to eat bananas, it is a fine substitute. It has 280 cal, 140 mg potassium, 75 mg sodium, 4 g of protein, and 24 g of carbs. A GU gel has only 100 cal, 35 mg potassium, 45 mg sodium, no protein, and 25 g of carbs. What is this delightful energy treat you ask? It's a Blue Bunny 'Big Alaska' (Blue Bunny's Klondike alternative). Now, you may say "oh, it's full of fat" and I would say that yes, all of the additional 180 calories over the GU gel do come from fat, but, WHO CARES when you're riding so many miles in the humid heat and it's a choice of ice cream or hot energy gel?" I am sure there will be a run on these in the little stores along the route today. And they will wonder about the sudden interest on them.