2014-08-02: Day 38 Colorful Colorado, Leoti, KS to Eads, CO

Post date: Aug 3, 2014 2:00:42 AM

Mileage Today: 81 Total Mileage: 2091

That's right. We crossed the dotted line painted on the ground between Kansas and Colorado today. How do get that paint to be so permanent? So, we are about 110 miles east of Pueblo. We should arrive there around noon day after tomorrow.

Somehow the plants know that the state has changed. Within 10 miles of the Kansas-Colorado border, the abundant grasslands suddenly transitioned into dry sage brush over just a couple of miles. We are now in the rain shadow of the Rockies about 130 miles to the west.

Tough day. On this day the wind was hitting us in the face perhaps worse than any other on the trip. Hopefully a switch tomorrow. There were 3 stretches across Kansas in which we rode many, many miles with no services (food, water, gas). Today we rode a 58 mile stretch with just one convenience store. But that was enough for me to to load up on ice tea, ice cream, and Dr. Pepper.

Here is what I will remember about Kansas:

  • The infinite nature of the western prairie.
  • The crop storage silos that stand like sentries watching over the plains guarding the crops that are the economic life blood of this region. You can see these from 10 miles away lined up across the plains.
  • The city parks at Buhler and Ness City that allowed for free camping and the use of the community pool.

We are camping tonight at the City Park in Eads, CO. It's a tiny strip of grass with a set of playground equipment. The crop silo in the pic to the right is looming over our tent. The map says that 700 people live here. It seems much smaller than that. We were told that the residents here do not drink the water and we should not either. So we purchased bottled water.