Day 7, Pratt to Goddard IT'S ALL A BLUR OF WIND

72.37 miles, 5:03 hours, 14.32 miles

It felt good to get back out on the bikes after two days in Pratt. We needed to get this tour rolling. The scenery was much improved, at least for a little while. Greener, more rolling. Cunningham, after 17 miles was another town of mostly closed up storefronts, but a school, library, cafe and junkyard were open. We've seen lots of junk/antiques along the way.

A sweet statue outside the library:




Kit used to spend summers here on the farm outside of town with her dad's cousin's family. It looked bigger then, but with an unpaved main street and maybe even wooden sidewalks. Gosh, that must have been a long time ago.

The Ninnescah River. See, it is getting greener with much more water around, and trees!

Next stop, Kingman, where we cruised the main streets, many paved with brick. In these parts the courthouses, depots and other downtown buildings provide great architectural interest. Kingman's depot was not in as good repair as other towns, but did have a tiny museum, closed due to illness of the curator. We rested at the courthouse and talked to the maintenance man, who opened the building so we could use the restrooms (it was Sunday.) He knows many of Kit's second cousins still living in the Cunningham area.

Below is an old mill, the depot, and courthouse in Kingman.















It was hot, and of course, windy. 30 more miles to Goddard, our destination for today. After a few miles the scenery was back to flat and boring, and the road became a four lane divided highway. The shoulder was fine, but traffic fast although not heavy. Bill had gone ahead, and returned to tell us that in a few miles the rumble strips go the width of the shoulder, and appear often. We talked with some locals in a convenience store and got directions to head south and east from there on a smaller road. It was more pleasant off the highway, but still windy, and hot.





We stopped at The Red Barn BBQ Restaurant 6 miles before Goddard for some cold water. The establishment is family owned and run by several really nice young folks, Gerard, Isaiah and Brooke. The menu looked great so we boogied into Goddard for a shower and rest before returning before the Sunday buffet closed at 5 pm. A tail wind the last 3 miles north to Goddard was pleasant to our dumpy motel, the only available lodging, claiming wifi, but not, hence the delay in this posting.


Great barbeque. They had just opened on the shore of a lake full of picnic and boating activity. The pulled pork, brisket, ribs, sausage were really good. And Gerard's cherry cobbler topped off the meal. We wish them well with their new business. It was a wonderful experience to make another day in Kansas unforgettable!