DAY 24: JUNE 24: GARDEN CITY (KS) TO DODGE CITY (KS)

Time Zone : Central (GMT -6)
Todays Distance: 52 miles
Cycling time: 3hrs 33 mins
Average Speed: 14.1 mph

Today’s cumulative ascent: 558 ft

Average Heart rate: 105 bpm

Distance so far: 1728 miles

Ascent so far: 60,620 ft.

Centuries so far: 5

Punctures so far: 3

Today’s Profile:

Today’s Route:

Dedication: Today is for all the pupils in Providence School, Shillong including Saimon, Mumpy and Risalin and praying that they always enjoy good health and abundant energy.

Today was a recovery day after two tough centuries back to back. 52 miles wouldn’t be too bad and a chance to complete it before the heat and the winds of the afternoon. Loading and breakfast were a little later than usual and all hit the road by 7.30 at the latest.
Our route took us back onto Route 50 East and there we cycled for the duration.
Steve had to sit it out today. Yesterday’s last 15 miles drained him completely as he had been less than 100% since last Saturday evening. Better to be cautious at this stage- there are plenty days left.
So ‘Sarge’ and I set out together in the crisp morning air as the grain trucks lined up to unload their cargos at the collection points on the edge of Garden City. Grain, silos, maize in its early stages and irrigation dominated the scenery as we moved along. We maintained a steady pace of 15mph and others joined in for periods along the way.
The different communities along the route had their own co-op each with its massive silos. Dodge City Co-Op had one out the country and there is a much larger one on the principal road (Wyatt Earp Boulavard) into the Old Town.
Again we passed several feedlots with one easily measuring half-mile along the road. It was feeding time and all were feeding at the same precise time They are used for finishing livestock, notably beef, cattle, prior to slaughter. They may contain thousands of animals in an collection of pens Before entering a feedlot, cattle spend most of their life grazing on rangeland .Once cattle obtain an entry-level weight, about 650 pounds (300 kg), they are transferred to a feedlot to be fed a specialized diet. The animal may gain an additional 400 pounds (180 kg) during its 3-4 months in the feedlot. Didn’t come across any longhorn cattle today.

Only one SAG stop today and it was located beneath the water tower in Ingalls at the 27 mile mark. Each community has its water tower to enable gravity feed. The older ones (see Sunday June 22) create a real western feel. But the more modern ones have their own beauty and symmetry.
Our route generally follows the old Santa Fe Trail that linked Missouri and New Mexico. On the Santa Fe Trail, hundreds of freight wagons laden with trade goods lumbered along taking 6 or 7 weeks to cover the 800 miles just doing 12 to 1 miles per day and always with the threat of attack. It was in use for 50 years till the railroad eventually went west. The ruts from the constant use can still be spotted in places on the slopes as in the centre background. We on our bikes are moving a lot faster than wagons and still we are almost 4 weeks away from California.

Numerous pumps are to be seen and heard as we move along. Pumpjacks were pumping oil at a slow but constant rate. The electric motors signified that water was being drawn up to irrigate the fields.

By far the most common tractor I have seen for the last two days is the John Deere with agents in all the towns. That familiar green livery is unmistakable.

In Dodge City itself I spotted an auto-shop that has to have one of our own somewhere in the ownership line….and probably a Cavan connection.I dropped into the Kansas Teachers Hall of Fame and met another customer there from Ballymahon in Longford who was returning home for a visit in 3 weeks. Told her to bring her brolly and heavy coat.
A few miles short of Dodge City there was no mistaking what lay ahead. The approach is dominated by wild cowboys in silhouette and it provided a great photo op. One extra cowboy up there.. It is regarded now as the meat-packing capital of the US with 11,000 cattle being processed each day.

Dodge City had more famous (and infamous) gunfighters working at one time or another than any other town in the West. Wyatt Earp and Doc Halliday were lawmen here and earned their pay.

Just on the way into Dodge is Boot Hill where they buried them with their boots on and I paid it a visit. All remains have been moved ond only a few plaques remain. A section of the Old Town has been somewhat preserved for the tourist and the Boot Hill Museum allow the visitor to relive the legends.

WE arrived safely at our Comfort Motel in Dodge City at 11.45 am and our rooms were ready. An early finish and a chance to rest. Tomorrow will be 85 miles and a lot depends on the wind and heat in the mid afternoon.

In the evening a number of us went to a short Western variety show in the Boot Hill Museum with a bit of gunfire on the old Dodge City street

It was an ideal recovery day. One needs such days once in a while. It was mainly downhill and wind was not a factor. I know that the scenery was much the same as yesterday (and probably the same tomorrow) but that's life! Really enjoyed it.

Thank God for the health and thank God for the energy.

Heard today: 'The journey is the destination'