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Published: June 21st 2013
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WE'RE NOT IN KANSAS ANYMORE TOTO !!!! At least not since lunch time. Yes all the way from Oklahoma through Kanas and into Colorado all in one day. I think it might be a record, 700 kms. It was a day for records, Helli had her bike up to 150 k's, the temperature topped out at 42 celsius (105 old school) and we saw 2 million cows.
Today I don't want to spend to much time talking about the trip, instead I want to tell you about my feelings and experiences along the trip. Because thats just what guys do. So the trip. We knew it was going to be hot today so the plan was to get up and on the road early. Up at five thirty on the road just after seven. We had also preplanned the day so we did not have to stop for internet along the way. Along with the forecasted heat it was going to be windy. The forecast was right. It was about 25 degrees when we left the hotel and within the hour it was thirty and gusting winds of thirty miles an hour. Good news was it was flat, fast and
empty. We were cruising along at 130 and passing everything that got in the way.(go Helli). By noon we had done 450 k's and feeling pretty strong. Then someone turned up the heat. It went from 33 to 41 degrees in an hour. We found ice at every stop. Ice down the shirts, in the water, in the helmets and down our backs. As soon as it was gone we stopped to get more. It was the only way to cope. The wind was relentless, hot and gusting the entire day. We even had a twister as it is called on the prairie. Dust and the smell of two million cattle followed us along our trip. At the end of the day came our reward at the outdoor pool of the hotel, along with a couple of Corona's. Worth it !!
Now for the part you really want to hear about. Riding along the highway this morning I found myself just really enjoying the ride. It doesn't seem to matter how many miles we ride it still keeps me interested even if it is just farmland. I found myself asking "WHY ?" So paying attention the first thing I
rode past was a single cow. I could see the cow as I approached. I watched it as I drove past. I watched it my mirror. During that time I wondered why just one cow, where were his friends, had he been lucky and left behind when all others went to be slaughtered, was he a loner or was this just the first cow to get to the road. This kept me thinking for at least a minute or two. As I rode on I just hope that in some simple way I was able to brighten that cows day as well.. Then there was the pile of old farm machinery just left rusting by the side of the road. This also made me wonder "WHY ?" Had a farmer just placed it out by the road "free to a good home". Had he gone to look for a missing cow and just not come back? Again this took a couple of minutes. The old machinery by the road made me think of a sign outside a bank from earlier in the day. The sign read "low cost loans for farm machinery as well as cattle loans." Now this may
not seem odd if you are a farmer but I am not. So it did seem odd. Getting a loan for cattle? What questions does the banker ask about the cattle? Year,make, model and how many miles on them? Can you reposess a cow? Things that make me go hmmmm. Next came a single tree. Just one tree with nothing around it for miles.This made me think of the Joshua Tree made famous by U2. Why did it have a name. So I named my tree "Ernie". Its on highway 83. Then we rode past a farm with a car upside down in the driveway with no wheels on the back. Again "WHY ?" Could it have been an accident? Did the farmer turn the car over with his tractor to change the tires from winter tires to summer? The list just kept going. Maybe I have been on the road too long or it was just too hot today. Either way I wasn't bored.
Tomorrow's a new day. Looking forward to it.
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D MJ Binkley
Dave and Merry Jo Binkley
I found your blog today
Loved your random thoughts about the cow and the tractor. Great stuff. Looking forward to reading more.