We rolled out of the Baltzell Lodge in Great Bend KS around 4:45a and the wind was already blowing pretty hard and just continued to get worse as the day progressed. Kansas is brutal! I think we have been pedaling through twisters, Auntie Em!! As you can see, the route is pretty unremarkable: flat and due west. Pedaled around 32 miles with the goal of taking a break in Rush Center and getting some coffee or goodies at a convenience store, but it was a no go. There is literally nothing out here on the prairie. Rush City had a bar and grill (closed of course because it was 7am), the ever present Baptist church, a couple abandon gas stations with 50s or 60s looking pumps and various old dilapidated buildings. This seems to typical of this region; a bit economically depressed and stuck in a 60s time warp. We took a potty stop behind some bushes and found a bench in the shade for our. 2nd breakfast, peanut butter tortillas.
Arrived in Ness City wind blown and a bit parched. Eric already had the ceremonial ice cold Bud Light ready. Checked into the Derrick Inn Motel. Ahhh air conditioned, clean enough and comfortable. But what is this? An empty pool in the middle of the court? Wonky wiring? The smell of spilled bong water in the lobby? And apparently no business license displayed? Courtney and her husband recently purchased The Derrick and have been trying to renovate it. The motor lodge has potential but oy what a project and money pit. Shortly after they purchased, robbers stripped the copper wiring and various other things. Of the ~40 rooms, only a couple were opened for guests and Courtney and her family and friends seemed to be occupying a few others. Anyway, all very strange. We concluded they must be operating illegally because so much is out of code. An unfenced pool in the middle of the court? Filled or infilled, what if someone fell in?
Got some killer Mexican food at El Dos De Oros and checked out the “Skyscraper of the Plains” downtown on our way to the grocery run. A beautiful sandstone building erected in 1885, variously serving as Prairie Mercantile, courthouse and bank.
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