Day 4 Dodge City to Pratt, KS and BARELY A BREEZE

81.60 miles, 5:47 riding time, 8.5 total time on road.

Yippee, barely a breeze today, and what a difference. We awoke to dampness and very cloudy skies so we put on our rain jackets and headed out. Out of Dodge City on a less-traveled road (at least in the early morning), we enjoyed smooth pavement, and a good shoulder, mostly. AND NO WIND! WHAT A RELIEF! But we are definitely weary.
Maybe next time we should actually train for a ride.

























Mullinsville, KS, a tiny one-grain-elevator-town, had an interesting metal artist-political expressionist amongst its citizens.













































A much better pace today kept our spirits higher, and by 11:30 we had ridden the 46 miles into Greensburg. What an amazing place. In May 2007, two tornadoes forming a "wedge" devastated the town, destroying or damaging 95% of the homes and businesses. 1400 people lived there, 900 now. So many homes and businesses have been re-built with the help of Habitat for Humanity, a Mennonite foundation, some grants. Many businesses are LEED certified, with others, and homes of "green" construction. Here and there for blocks and blocks there were empty lots, leafless dead trees, old building foundations and chimneys, and new houses scattered about.


























We had a great lunch in a coffehouse next to a sweet gift shop. Owners of both shops had other careers before the tornado, but when devastation hit they used it in a positive way to do something they each had always wanted to do. The gift shop owner had done fused glass work as a hobby previously, but was now selling in her shop, and her husband, a mechanic-turned-stained glass artist created the most beautiful window in the newly-built Methodist church. We saw scrapbooks with powerful images of the destruction, and were impressed by the strength and spirit of the locals we talked to. A very interesting place. Even before the tornado they boasted the world's largest hand dug well, and a huge meteorite on display. It is an area where many meteors happen to fall. Bill is thinking about buying land to "collect" much-sought-after meteors fallen meteors. Anyone want to buy stock?



After a two hour break we were back on the road. The sun had chased all the clouds away and the temperature was definitely back fairly hot. We had to stop a couple more times in the last 30 miles into Pratt for a bit of shade and stretching.



But, it is still Kansas with flat fields. Kit is amongst the milo
On to the Comfort Suites, and happily anticipating a rest day tomorrow.