Day 21: Liberal to Dodge City, KS

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https://ridewithgps.com/trips/122429488

Today’s Ride

The Stats

84 miles (partly against headwinds, partly with killer tailwind)

1,181 ft. climbing

No major milestones today 😢

Miles Completed: 1,417

Miles to Go: 1,979

States Visited: 6 of 15

Feet Climbed: 51,377

The Ride

After a colorful and optimistic sunrise, the skies turned gray and once again threatened rain in morning as we started out. The winds seems somewhat favorably off the right rear quarter (like a broad reach, for those sailors out there), but soon turned into those relentless headwinds we fought the other day. 

The landscape was consistently flat, and arguably monotonous, but I still found peace in the vast space and increasingly green landscape. While there's nothing particularly remarkable about deciduous trees, they gave me pause when I realize I hadn't seen any in several weeks, another mark of the changing terrain as we moved east. 

We were also experiencing humidity for the first time, though it took someone commenting about it for me to realize why I was feeling so sticky!

Flat as a pancake!

It's hard to appreciate the size of these windmills.

Our SAG was at the Dalton Gang Hideout (apparently bank robbers from the 1800's -- the area has quite the "wild west" history). 

Double-headed taxidermy

After the SAG, our route headed northward, and we were treated to a spectacular tailwind, heading into Dodge City. 

On the way, I found my lean photo of the day (I'm a sucker for sunflowers, and this is the Sunflower State!)

The area bears no resemblances to the Mineola on Long Island!

At times, the ride had me wondering if I should head to Dodge City, or back home to Englewood!

Dodge City

So of course, I went to Dodge. There's an "old" downtown apparently with much history built around commerce on the Santa Fe trail, and eventually the railways. There also seems to be (as in Liberal) a continued Mexican influence, both in food and culture. Not something I otherwise would have associated with Kansas. 

This mural was just revealed earlier this month.

The original "Gunsmoke" on Gunsmoke St.

I continue to struggle with the timing of midday meals (other than breakfast, which is predictably at 6, except when it's at 6:30). I don't want to stop while there are too many miles to go, and once I get close to the hotel I just want to peel off my bike shorts. But by the time I do that, I need to wash and hang the bike clothes, and often it's too late for any proper "lunch" places, if there are any nearby. As I'm not a fan of fast food (which is generally plentiful near our hotels), it has been a challenge. 

Today we were less than a mile from the "old town" so I grabbed a late lunch at the Cowboy Capital Saloon & Grill -- which meant that a 5 pm dinner at IHOP was not in the cards (though I'll likely be starving at 2 a.m.!) 

Instead, I stopped into the Boot Hill Distillery, a charming place where I could have done lots of damage if I hadn't been so totally crashed (I didn't even finish my drink -- and that never happens!). But it had a great vibe, and seems to be a bit of a tourist destination, though it may transform into a more local spot later in the evening. 

Outdoor patio area at the distillery

The Soundtracks of the Day

Kansas

The Route Rap Rappers started the day with a not too horrible rendition of the chorus from Kansas' "Point of No Return." Given that we are soon approaching the halfway point (for which we have a relatively obvious musical selection already chosen!), it seemed fitting -- though Paula reminded us that the "point of no return" was the minute we left Manhattan Beach! 

The Little Mermaid

With the release of the live action film, every TV morning show seems to be featuring The Little Mermaid. Perhaps there's not that much other news in these parts. But it got the soundtrack running through my head, and I gave it a listen -- truly brilliant lyrics so clearly crafted for the adults in the audiences, not the children who insist on watching it over and over again. 

Which all got me to thinking about my girls (now in their 20s), and my mom (their Nana). She was ever gracious and unceasing in response to their playacting requests, "You be Ursula, I be Ariel. You be King Triton, I be Ariel...." You get the idea. The making of those memories were all the justification I needed to explain our move from LA back to NY when I was pregnant with Deena. She and Alana get the benefit of having Nana involved in their daily life for so many years. She was the best Nana ever and I miss her every day. 

The Rich Roll Podcast

So, given the slog against the wind, I listened to more on my phone today than I have on most rides. I must give a shoutout to Kevin Rowell not only for being such a great cheerleader throughout this journey, but for sharing the Rich Roll Podcast, and the episode with James Lawrence (aka "The Iron Cowboy) and his wife Sunny Lawrence. I hadn't heard their story before, but James Lawrence completed 50 IRONMAN triathlons in 50 days in 50 states several years ago. Not satisfied that he was "done," in 2021 he completed 100 Ironman triathlons in 100 days, and just for kicks did another the following day -- because he still could (and some think I am crazy!). It's hard to contemplate the toll that would take on body and mind (including those people, like his wife Sunny, who served as his support team for this journey). It makes our daily task of "just biking" seem simple by comparison. But, like James' mission, our journey is "100% physical and 100% mental" -- neither by itself is sufficient. Each day, for one reason or another, that becomes more apparently true.  

L&E Geek Out

National Beef Factory

In the post-COVID-era, many of us have begun to take the notion of remote, or at least hybrid, work arrangements for granted. Employees often demand and expect this new-found flexibility, and many employers competing for top talent have been forced to adapt. 

But traveling in this part of the country was a stark reminder that many employees don't, and can't, enjoy the privilege of remote work. Meat factory workers, train conductors, grain silo operators, infrastructure repair crews (who often are the only ones who beat us to breakfast at our hotels!), cattle ranchers, truckers, and so many more, cannot remain employed from the comfort of their homes. Watching these workers mile after mile just may help me appreciated a different perspective on the challenges these workers face.