When the day started out I didn't know I would be taking a hike later on, but I'm getting ahead of myself. I stayed at a Best Western and it was a great motel. I had a ground floor room as most of them were. When I checked in she said for the continental breakfast the next morning they would have a breakfast burrito. I figured something I would have to warm up, but no. They had a cook there making them fresh and it was very good. I had coffee and orange juice with it. They had many other items to choose from. I also took an apple and a packaged pastry. Maybe lunch?
It was very cool yesterday morning, probably low 40's, so I put an extra coat and pants and even had to use the heated grips for a couple of hours. I really wasn't planning to take pictures unless something really piqued my interest. I took off northeast on 10 highway and the first couple of hours the sun really bothered. I went through La Junta and took 50 hwy there. Just east of there I came to this feed lot and couldn't believe all the dust. Those poor cattle must have their lungs full.
This dust hung in the air for about a mile. There wasn't any wind so that probably was the reason it hung in there.
The area between La Junta and Lamar is very interesting especially this time of year. There are many, many acres of alfalfa, corn, and soybeans with alfalfa dominating. There are mostly large square bales and hay stacks that look like loaves of bread. Then there are some feedlots but not the large ones in this area. The land is to valuable for that. Most of it is irrigated either by flooding or pivot. This land is all along the Arkansas river.
Just east of Lamar at Granada I headed north on 385 highway. I mostly ran 80 mph and passed one truck and met about three vehicles on this 23 mile stretch. I only saw two or three home steads.
I headed east on 96 highway and soon entered Kansas. 96 is a nice road with very little traffic and 65 mph speed limits, not that I paid that much attention to it. There were many farmers in the field either harvesting corn or sowing wheat.
Just west of Ness City I pulled into a rest stop that had a historical marker.
It was so pleasant there and quiet. I ate the pastry and apple and drank some water. There were lots of grasshoppers in the grass. If they were full size they could eat a lot in a day.
I was running along about 75 when I noticed a coyote just leaving a pond by a herd of cattle. I braked hard, pulled to the shoulder and put the kickstand down which kills the engine. I quickly got the camera out and took these pictures.
I rode on in to Ness City and wanted another picture of the Ness City Bank. It was completed in 1890 at a cost of between $34,000 and $75,000. For more information go to: http://www.texasescapes.com/KansasUSA/Kansas-Ness-City-Skyscraper-1890-Bank.htm
And to show you I actually was along on this trip:
I stayed on 96 until Rush Center, then went north to La Crosse and K4 hwy. I filled up with gas there. I stayed on K4 and just before I came to 196 there was a pull over to view Cheyenne Bottoms. I really want to go back there and take some bird pictures. I used to go out there from McPherson and bow fish for carp.
A barn across the road.
I got on 196 and headed northeast to I-70. The way I had it figured I should be home by 5 PM. When I came to Salina my fuel gauge was still showing full which it does until it drops to a half tank. I just got by Salina and it dropped to half. I could have stopped at Chapman or Junction City but didn't. The reserve light came on just east of Junction City. The next gas is at Maple Hill exit. I figured it was cutting it close but at this point no other option except keep going. I should have slowed down and conserved fuel but didn't. Just east of the rest area going up the long hill it started to sputter. I said a prayer to let me make it over the hill and I just made it running 80 mph. I pulled in on the clutch and let it coast. The engine died. I coasted all the way down the hill but the only problem was there was one more hill before the exit. I made it half way up and came to stop on the shoulder. This is where the hike comes in. I started walking and went about a quarter mile and this nice young man asked if I wanted a ride. He took me to the station and I asked if they had a gas can I could borrow. No because every ones keeps them. Looking around I saw a gallon of windshield washer fluid. So I bought it for $3.85 planning on dumping it. The station attendant said to not let him see me putting gas in that knowing I was going to. We went out and I told the young man, failed to get his name, to pop the hood on his car and we would see if it needed fluid. I put all but about a cup in it, shook the jug out good and got a gallon of gas. He insisted on taking me back. He is a college student at Johnson County Community College. He went to the next exit and turned around and dropped me off. I tried to get him to take ten dollars but he wouldn't take insisting I pass it on. I gave it to the Mission in India as we had a visiting priest today. So hopefully they will get some good out of it. I poured the gas in and it started right up. I had enough to get home now and stopped at Dillon's by home and filled up arriving home at 5:30. The jug:
I don't know what it is about me arriving home from a trip but it's usually time to harvest. This spring it was cherries and today I rode the cycle up to Roger and Jenea's and picked about 8 gallon of apples. I put them in my side boxes and even through they were not empty I got 4 gallon in each side easy. A five gallon bucket plus bag.
I was going to wait until tomorrow to fix them but Mary said she would make applesauce out of some of them if I would fix them today, so I did. We ended up with 5 pints, 8- 1/2 pints, 16- 1/2 cups canned and then 8 quarts pie filling frozen plus 3 pints applesauce and 4- 1/2 pints frozen. Yesterday she made 12- 1/2 pints salsa and 5- 1/2 pints tomato juice. I apples were very nice to work with and no worms. They are a good eating apple and the applesauce is made without sugar added.
I traveled 1,504 miles in three days and had great weather most of the time. Saturday was just great with the cool temps and no wind. It is unusual to go through western Kansas without wind. Glad you traveled along and hope to be on the road again soon. That is 19 states so far this year! I have put over 27,000 on this bike in 2 years and two months.
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