Photo 1: Riding into the sunrise in Ulysses.

Photo 2: Leaving Ulysses behind.

Photo 3: Corn picker taking up most of the road on SR 144.

Photo 4: Ray having sandwich snack.

Photo 5: Noni Steele in the Lone Lake Country Store, Ensign, KS.

Photo 6: The Lone Lake Country Store, Ensign, KS.

Photo 7: The Wyatt Earp Liquor Store in Dodge City.

Started from: Ulysses, KS [Elev: 934m (3065 ft)]
Ended at: Dodge City,KS [Elev: 777m (2550 ft)]
Distance traveled today: 130.5 km (81.1 mi)
Average speed: 24.1 km/h (15 mph)
Elapsed Time: 7.13.36 (hh.mm)
Max speed: 38 km/h (23.6 mph)
Staying at: Best Western Silver Spur, Dodge City, KS 67801 [tel. 316-227-2125 Rm 110]

Distance traveled so far: 204.8 km (127.3 mi)

Last Modified on 9/21/1999 at 20:31:12

Day's Narrative: This was a cold morning. I wore everything I had -- vest, arm warmers, leg warmers, fingered gloves, ear warmers and jacket. The temperature was 41F (5C). Fortunately, there was no wind.

After breakfast at the restaurant next door I stopped to buy a sandwich to take with me and then headed into the sun, coming directly down the highway (Photo 1). This is actually a dangerous situation because cars sometimes cannot see you due to the sun in their eyes. Luckily there was a bit of a shoulder. The sandwich would be needed because there was no store until Montezuma, 45 miles down the road.

Photo 3 shows a corn picker coming down the road. Meeting a car is a big deal for the driver, since he has to get far over on the shoulder just to let the car past. Fortunately on SR 144 there aren't many cars and corn pickers don't usually have to go very far.

Connie caught up with me just before 11:00 am -- earlier than expected -- and I ate my sandwich sitting in the van (Photo 4). We agreed to have lunch together at the convenience store in Montezuma, just 13 miles further.

About 10 miles after Montezuma, I stopped in Ensign, KS at the Lone Lake Country Store (Photo 6) where I met Noni Steele (Photo 5). She and her friend Doug Hinshaw own the store. Noni is originally from Michigan and lived all over the US before settling here in Ensign. We had a long conversation about bicycling, the weather and several other things before I left to continue on to Dodge City.

As I entered Dodge City I discovered the Wyatt Earp Liquor store. I'm sure Wyatt would be thrilled that there is a drive up window.

When I arrived at the motel at 2:45 pm Connie was out exploring, so I got my key from the motel desk and went to the room. [Note: Connie and I have an agreement that if she's not at the motel I should check at the desk. If she has checked-in she will leave a message telling the desk clerk to give me a key. If she has not checked-in she will leave a message telling me where she has gone.]

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