This morning it was overcast and although it wasn’t raining, there was a heavy mist in the air.  Delay wipers on low would be more than enough – on a motorcycle you’re gonna be a little moist.  More importantly, the roads are gonna be slick enough that you wanna be real careful in the corners.  Reminded me of our ride around the Ring of Kerry in Ireland.Didn’t see any buffalo in Ireland but here in Kansas you will.  I can’t believe that this little fence gets the job done though.

Road Closed: I was trying to figure out my alternate when a local pulled up and gave me directions that included just going around the barriers.  Old tapes were playing in my head.  I got some “just go around the barrier” directions from a local a while back, and the ONLY thing that kept me from being stuck in a sand wash in the middle of nowhere was my experience on a dirt bike and a lot of luck.  This time around though, it was all good.

This is for the readers that think these baby calves are SO cute.  I’ve tried to get a good baby cow picture before but they always run away.  These girls seemed very interested….

I got a feeling that it was going to be a while before the next gas station so I checked my GPS.  Fifty miles ahead or fourteen miles back.  My gauge said I had 65 miles worth of fuel, but experience with that gauge had me on the fence.  I hate to do it, but I turned around, and I’m very glad I did.  At the gas station I met a fellow motorcycle rider.  He’s a bit more seasoned than I, but he did his riding on a real motorcycle.  We talked for a while and I imagine we could swap stories for hours or days.  Sir – it was a pleasure to meet you and you have my respect.  Enjoy the blog.

Many of the little towns out here still have brick streets.  I found out that the first brick paved street in America was laid in Charleston, West Virginia, in 1873 to solve the problem of muddy streets.  My experience with brick roads is that while they are quaint, they are pretty rough and poorly maintained.

I feel like I’m pretty lucky, but just in case I needed a boost – this guy hopped on for awhile.

Dodge City:  In 1866 Texas Longhorn cattle were driven from Texas to railheads in Kansas via the Shawnee Trail. However, they carried a tick that spread Texas cattle fever, among other breeds of cattle and Kansas established a quarantine line in central Kansas, pushing the cattle drive west.  Texas Longhorns began moving north along the Chisholm Trail and in 1867, the main cowtown was Abilene, Kansas. In 1876, the Kansas Legislature shifted the quarantine line westward, which essentially eliminated Abilene from the cattle trade.

The new Great Western Cattle Trail branched off from the Chisholm Trail to lead cattle into Dodge City which became the “queen of cow towns”.  Dodge City became famous, and no town could match its reputation as a true frontier settlement of the Old West.  Dodge City had more famous (and infamous) gunfighters working at one time or another than any other town in the West.

Nine years later, the Longhorn quarantine line was extended across the state and the Western Trail was all but shut down. By 1886, the cowboys, saloon keepers, gamblers, and brothel owners moved west to greener pastures, and Dodge City became a sleepy little town much like other communities in western Kansas.

I kinda expected to see a western town with lots of cowboy hats and boots, but that’s the past, and today Dodge City is much like any other city.  There is still plenty of cattle business around but it’s mostly feed lots far as I can tell.