Day 50, Larned to Ness Citry, Kansas

This guy really looks like he knows what he's doing, doesn't he?

Ted entering Fort Larned.

What do you think this guy just got done doing?

This wind mill was at a rest area. It was over a hundred degrees out there.

Another award winning mail box from Kansas.

I always take my camera with me when i go to take a um, break............... and some times it pays off.

Can you imagine living way out here with nothing for miles in any direction?
This is Bob from England. I stopped to see if he needed help. He's on his way to Yorktown. Good luck Bob.

The barracks at Fort Larned.

These are real guns from time past.

The Indians used these on the settlers.

This came from The World Trade Center aster 911.

The barracks at Fort Larned. The NPS really did a good job at preserving this place.

More of Fort Larned.

Lisa at the entrance of Fort Larned.

This is the prison at Larned. We passed it coming out of the town.

This is only the second SDA church we came across on our trip so far.


This flag pole is at the center of the fort.

The bank in Ness City is the tallest sky scraper in the plains. That's what the sign said.

An old school house from the 1800's. It is an historical attraction here in Ness City.


In the middle of no where, they still have a problem with graffiti.



We were really moving along. Wind at our backs, and cruising. I told Lisa, I think we can catch that train.

And we were, we were flying.

We actually caught up with it and passed it. Later we found out that the train was parked there for the last two day. Bummer, it was the only time I thought we were really making progress.

We ran into a total of six east bounders today. I stopped taking their pictures cause we see too many of them lately.

Down hill into Alexander.

This machine make hay bails in one continuous length.

This guy must do well for himself. Maybe he's the mayor or something.

Rolling into the town of Larned, Kansas.


Day 50, Larned to Ness City, Kansas. “A Better Day” 66.59 miles.

It’s good when you can say it was a better day. I say it was better, because we had an early start, the temperature wasn’t that bad, and a couple of good things happened. As we left the Best Western Motel, it was only 69 degrees. Perfect for a bike ride. The route took us on a loop for some reason, so we actually went a mile or so further than we had to, but what the hey, what’s a mile more on a 4,250 plus mile ride, right? We finally got back on track, and was headed west under ideal conditions. Just out of town, we passed a Seventh-day Adventist church. I was excited, because it was only the second one we saw since we started. The other one was in Virginia. I stopped to take a couple of pictures to post so pastor Kurt and my mom could see it. We continued n, and went past the largest cemetery I’ve seen so far. This thing was huge. I didn’t get any pictures, but it was probably a half mile long, and a quarter mile wide. Very nicely kept. I bet the occupants of that one were very happy…………….. About 9 miles further down the road, we came across Fort Larned. A historical land mark run by the national Park Service. We pulled in and spent some time checking out this well preserved monument. It was one of the many forts used to guard the Santa Fe Trail against the Indians.
A short time later, I noticed an east bounder on the side of the road looking over his bike. I stopped to see if he needed any help. His name is Bob, from England. He had a flat, and had just repaired it when I came along. We chatted for a few minutes, exchanging information about the road ahead. Bob told me that he ran into 6 inches of snow in Wyoming two weeks earlier, but it should be gone by the time we got there. He was a pleasant chap, and I didn’t want to dampen his spirits by telling him what he was in for in Missouri and beyond. I then left to catch up with Lisa who was long gone by now.
As our route turned north, we had the advantage of a tail wind. A welcome change from the 20 mile an hour head wind we battled most of the day yesterday. We made good time, and spent the rest of the day in the big ring.
At the town of Alexander, we stopped at a place called
“Ethal’s Place”. It was the only place in this small town to get anything to eat. A really neat Bar and Restaurant with tons of old soda, beer, and tobacco cans on display from years gone by. The service was slow, it took almost an hour to get our order, but that’s cause it was lunch hour, and every one wanted to eat at the same time. When we went to pay for our lunch. The lady at the counter said to Lisa, “I gotta tell you this, but someone wanted to buy you guys dinner, but all she had was three bucks, so she gave me the three bucks toward you dinner.” We were blown away. She wouldn’t tell us who it was, and said that we would never know. People here are so kind, that city folks could learn a lot from country folks…………………… As we were leaving, I noticed a rattling sound coming from my trailer. I stopped to check it out, and I had a flat. A bad one too. The slime sealant wasn’t able to stop it cause there was a big hole in the tire. I ended up changing the tube and the tire. Lucky I carried a spare, in this town, there is nothing. We turned on to HWY 95 that will take us all the way to Pueblo, Colorado. A few hundred miles to the west. By this time the temperature had risen to over a hundred degrees, and when we entered the town of Bazine, about 10 miles up the road, I was ready for something cold. A Gatorade. But this town was even worse than Alexander. All we found was a soda machine. We left in disgust and continued on. At a rest area 12 miles later, we stopped and was rewarded by a drinking fountain, a water spigot, and just important, SHADE!
The rest of the ride was pretty easy going, baring the heat. But fortunately, we had cloud cover when we really needed it. I offered a prayer of thanks to The Lord when ever it happened I believe He gave us that shade when we really needed it. I really do…………….. We rolled into Ness City at about 5:30, and found the “Derrick Inn”, where we are spending the night. We had dinner at the “Cactus Club”. All you can eat tacos for $4.95. Good night, we miss you all. Ted.