09 WCT Day 1 - KC to Denver

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This is a last minute trip. Things worked out, I thought I might be able to get a magazine article written and check out things on the west coast.

Day 1 - Tuesday

The plan was to get to Denver early. But my schedule the week before I left didn’t leave me anytime to pack so I was up until 3am packing then back up at 7:30am to load it all on the bike. I was beat before I ever started. I didn’t have any real stops planned, it was going to be a straight shot there. I wanted to be into Denver before it got late. Last time I took the long way. I was going to spend the first night with my cousins then Wednesday head to Wendover, UT and the Bonneville Salt Flats.

The trip to Denver was pretty uneventful. I had troubles keeping alert. I have never had troubles like this before. I stopped frequently. There were a couple highlights.

One high lite was at a gas stop located just west of Topeka. Across the street I noticed the sign of the auto repair place. What a hoot. Simple, yet effective. I bet it really cuts down on the number of bad checks he gets.

The second highlight was the stop at the Kansas Merci Boxcar. The history of these boxcars is very interesting. In 1949 they were sent to the US as thanks for the help that the US provided to France when they were rebuilding after WWII. 49 of these boxcars were found and restored then loaded with gifts and the train was sent across the US leaving a boxcar at each state. AK & HI were not states yet. The 49th was for the District of Columbia. These boxcars are significant because they were used to carry American troops during both WWI and WWII. The boxcars were made to carry 40 men or 8 horses. Conditions were pretty cramped for either set of passengers. Many of the boxcars still remain. I think this would be a fun ride to find as many of the 49 boxcars as still exist.

I pulled into Denver between 7:30PM and 8PM. Kay and Jackie were ready for me. The shower was waiting and supper was laid out as I showered. As usual we had a very pleasant visit and I shared photos of the recent horseback rides with Dad. Both Kay and Jackie were getting over colds they got when in AK. We went to bed early. I was tired and they were too.

603 miles for the day.
Brings Effies odometer to 123171 miles.

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Photos

Total Trip Route Map
This is the general idea of where I went.

The Kansas Boxcar and Effie
The KS boxcar is located outside the American Legion Post in Hayes, KS.

Who has some bad paper out there?
I bet this guy is trying real hard to make that check good.