50 States Day 18 And State 3, Kansas.

Day 18,  310 miles
Colorado Springs to Garden City, KS

"The will to win is important, but the will to prepare is vital."
~Joe Paterno

We travelled more than expected today, partly because I took a wrong turn. I was SURE that we went 3 miles, and it said 24, but I figured it must be 94 as well. 
Oops. 
So I found a short cut.
Double oops. 
We rode a few dozen miles and regrouped. We (Okay, I) found a '94' and took it. After a few miles, it just... ended. Backtracking, we found 24, and eventually found our way. 
East Colorado is the opposite of central and West. Almost completely flat, to every horizon. Lots of cattle and open land. Not a hill or mountain to be found. 
I thought East Colorado would be West Kansas, yet it changed quickly as we entered Midwest country, from pastureland to farmland. At last, state 3. Three times this week people laughed at me when  I answered, "Two," to their question, "How many states?" Apparently we need a couple dozen to achieve credibility.
Americans know the power of scale, and farmers use it well. Huge sprinklers made of aluminum pipes and wheels with suspension cables extend for up to a half mile each. Most roll in arcs, either quarter, half or full circles, hydrating scores of acres of farmland. Amazing.
And the grain elevators! Huge cylinders, towering into the sky. Even their hay is rolled or cubed into sizes many times larger than the traditional bales. 
The temperature climbed, then hovered at 88. For desert rats, not so bad. But the wind? Oh my. It blew constantly all day. We decided to get a motel. No use flapping in the wind all night.
 Trivia test: What nationality of people ended up in Colorado during WWII?     Japanese people were rounded up and herded into internment camps in Colorado. Who would have thought?
Tomorrow Fort Larned and Dodge City.

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