Taos, NM; Day 7; Sunday, September 16th

Interesting factoid: We read in our motel room last night that Guymon became an important town in the Oklahoma panhandle in 1901 when the Rock Island Railroad added a line from Liberal, KS to Guymon.  This explains the significance of the Rock Island caboose in the city park.

We left Guymon at 8:45 am.  It was partly cloudy and 54 degrees.  Another cool start.  We rode north and east on Hwy 54.  Some say riding in Kansas is boring with nothing to see.  Not so.  There was an interesting train bridge running parallel to Hwy 54 (see pictures) and at two separate locations we saw grain being unloaded from trucks.  I had never seen that before.unloading grain from a truck

As we were approaching Meade, KS it appeared as though we were approaching a low bank of clouds that spread across the entire horizon.  We soon realized that is exactly what it was and we were riding in fog.fog in Meade, KS

Just past Meade we turned west on Hwy 160, rode into Clark County (what a fine name!), and rode through some interesting looking country.  A bathroom break was in order by the time we reached Ashland, KS but there were no gas stations or convenience stores available.  So we stopped at a city park that had primitive facilities.

We stopped at a farmer’s co-op in Coldwater, KS for some gas and then continued west on Hwy 160.  This highway between Coldwater and Medicine Lodge is designated as the Gypsum Hills Scenic Byway.Hwy 160; Gypsum Hills Scenic Byway

The city park on the east side of Medicine Lodge, KS called us to enjoy a picnic lunch.  The park had a short disc golf course that made me wish I’d brought my discs.  About 80 to 90 miles later we were at the Clarion Inn & Suites Airport in Wichita, KS, arriving at 3:00.

This evening Chris and I are going to dine at Savute’s Italian Restaurant (http://www.360wichita.com/Restaurants/Italian/SavutesItalianRistoriante.html).  We lived in Wichita for two years while I was in college and we’d eat at Savute’s when we had the money available.  Later, when making business trips to Wichita, I’d take my Aunt Mary to Savute’s for dinner.  I always considered it a treat to eat here and hope it’s as good as I remember it to be.

Not counting our jaunt to Savute’s, we rode 285 miles today.  The high temperature was 77 making it a cool and enjoyable ride.

For more pictures from today click on the following link: https://picasaweb.google.com/104542123131082631220/TaosNMDay7091612?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCOKPosLu7oiAvQE&feat=directlink

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