Today’s Highlights:
Kansas just keeps getting better on our easterly journey through it! Today’s ride was one of my favorite of the trip so far. We were back on quite, narrow country roads, surrounded by farms and pastures and fields of tall grass. There was a lot of green and lots of trees. In places, tall trees lined the road and provided shade that we have been without for many days. It reminded me of the rural roads I often ride in Pleasant Valley and Millbrook New York, and it felt like home.
We had another early start at 6:15 AM. Last night’s violent rainstorm cooled things down significantly, and the humidity also dropped a little, giving us a very pleasant morning. The roads were smooth and lightly traveled. While the route was still “flat” by most standards, there were many gentle hills that added interest to the landscape. We passed through a few little towns again today. There is something about all of them that makes you feel like they are very friendly places. Even early in the morning when the streets are quite and no people are out, there is a welcoming sense that is comforting. I saw two buffalo today, but was not able to get a good picture of them. Other than that surprise, there were only a few sightings of cows, goats and horses. The land use here is primarily for crops of wheat, corn and clover. At a couple river crossings (I think it’s the Smokey Hill River), the sky filled with swallows. They like to be near the water and take advantage of nesting under bridges. I’ve noticed this as a common occurrence since Nevada.
One highlight of the day was reaching the halfway point in our adventure. We have covered 1,948 miles so far, and have about that much more before reaching the Maine border.
I arrived in Abilene around 11:00, and since there was plenty of time left in the day, I took a side trip to the Dwight Eisenhower home and museum. It was interesting to see the small house where he and five brothers were raised, and to be reminded how some of our most important presidents came from such simple beginnings. The museum was filled with history that would have taken hours to go through, but I took a quick tour.
Pictures Of The Day:
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