There was a fantastic breeze at the overnight spot. The Cimarron golf club was on a hill and we benefited greatly from the elevated position.
At 0300 things got very breezy. I also got a good soaking because my window was open. The rain stopped almost immediately. On closer inspection, Deb discovered that it wasn’t actually rain. We were parked next to the 18th green. It was a sprinkler!! Deb moved the RV elsewhere in the car park. However, the breeze was still blowing the water into the RV. One final move and all was ok. About an hour later a distant train sounded its horn. The sound carried in the wind and was loud and distorted. So after 5.5 hours sleep the alarm went off and it was time for porridge.
We drove the short distance to the start point. I’d drawn an image in the sand at the roadside where I finished yesterday. I set off from the exact point as per the previous 64 days. There was complete cloud cover and just a slight breeze as I, once again, made my way along Highway 50.
I got a fly bite within the first mile. That’s never good for morale.
A little further down the road was Ingalls Feed Yard. To my untrained eyes it looked like an industrial sized last stop before the abattoir for thousands upon thousands of cattle. The stench was unreal. There was a massive pile of grain which the cows looked to be enjoying in their respective troughs.
I met the team for food at mile 7. Thankfully they’d parked away from the feed yard.
The route continued to be lined with sunflowers. They are the state flower of Kansas as well as St. Benedict’s Hospice.
Other than long straight roads, there wasn’t an awful lot to see. There were plenty of cows grazing in fields. Obviously, that’s what they must do before going to the feed yard.
A police car pulled over at mile 15 to check if I was ok. When I explained what my journey was, he gave me a sticker (to add to my ever growing collection). Thank you to Officer Josh for checking in on me.
I continued on my way with a spring in my step. Which was just as well as I’d felt very tired up to that point.
I met the team at Garden City airport for something to eat and a tactical snooze at the 20.5 mile point. The snooze was counter productive due to the RV being so warm. I felt very groggy when I woke up.
I made it to the outskirts of Garden City after 27 miles. I spotted some of the wind farm components on some wagons. I’ve seen a lot of these on Highway 50 this last week.
The shoulder into Garden City was terrible. It was full of small stones. The pain in my right foot was getting worse as a result.
I made it to a bus stop at the 31 mile point. I waited for the team to pick me up after restocking at Walmart in Garden City. I had hoped for a couple of more miles but the pain was unbearable. The good news is that my tolerance / perseverance for that one spot on my right foot is increasing. The days of low miles are over.
I’m typing this blog from the Garden City Walmart car park. while a lighting storm rages outside.
The main immediate issue we now face is when Thomas leaves the team next week. We will be near La Junta, Colorado with no obvious transit options to Denver (where Thomas flies out of on Friday morning). The big question is - how can we get him there without causing too much disruption to the run. That’s tonight’s dreams sorted out!
TUNE OF THE DAY: Make it on your own - Stereophonics
Continued thanks for the donations and words of encouragement. If you think my efforts over the last 65 days are worthy of a donation, please visit my JustGiving page:
https://www.justgiving.com/page/rungeordierun2025
