Another day, another state...time flies when you're having fun

The best news of the day was that we got a chance to sleep in this morning. And after two days of fighting the winds a seven AM wake-up looked pretty good. We had what is probably our shortest day today, only 39 miles by the cue sheet, and it turned into a mini-rest day. The winds were light, the sun was out, and the road was smooth - it just does not get much better than that.

Again we are in the plains now, the mountains are well behind us. And today on either side for as far as the eye could see were wheat fields: miles and miles of one single field broken only occasionally by the big watering devices and the grain elevators.

We started out the morning in a group of 12 or so riders moving at an easy pace, 16/17 mph. Eveeryone knew we had plenty of time and with a flat road and a beautiful morning it was almost a group consensus that we would just cruise. At about 18 miles we came into the little town of Hooker which is a few people and businesses gathered around the grain elevator. However, they do their best to capitalize on the not so subtle implications of the name of the town. Even the local high school gets into the act - their nickname is the Horny Toads - really!

So we stopped for pictures at the CofC sign and store and looked at T-shirts and postcards and were on our way again. The next stop was the border for Kansas. I was somewhat underwhelmed by the sign but did get the picture and drop the obligatory sand.

We were again on US 54 and again riding alongside a railroad track. The photo seems to me a kind of typical view of this area: the flat landscape, the upcoming little town (in this case Tyrone) dominated by the grain elevator, and the oncoming truck and railroad. And by the way this one was a two-fer - we got a honk-honk from the truck and a toot-toot from the train (a tradition I hope you carry on next year Barbie).

On the way in to Liberal (and isn't that a great name for a town Katherine?) we went off course a bit to visit the Air Museum and this turned out to be really interesting. They have somewhere over 100 old airplanes, mostly civilian craft from the 30, 40, and 50s. Early Piper Cubs, Cessnas and a whole variety of planes that I had never heard of. And we went through with Nancy, one of our company, who was herself a pilot and flight instructor and very familiar with a large number of these planes. There also a few military craft, some from WWII like the B25, some old fighter planes and then a small collection of Korea and Vietnam era jets. One of the things we don't get a chance to do is play tourist in any given place and this was a chance to just wander at our leisure.

And so into Liberal...In addition to laying claim to Dorothy - another attraction here is her house- Liberal is the home of the internationally known Shrove Tuesday pancake race and, in fact our motel is located on Pancake boulevard. I don't know all the details but some how they race down the street with pancakes and compete agains a little town in England. Sounds like fun but somehow I doubt I will be back for next year's race.

So we did a mere 44 miles today in only 3 hours of bike time....which will, I hope prepare us for tomorrow's little 83 mile hike to Dodge City....