Day 25 -- Dodge City to Great Bend -- 86 Miles

Today was a truly enjoyable ride. Although I enjoyed the festivities from last night, I was excited to "get out of dodge," and make some progress.

There is not too much to report from today -- same scenery (or lack thereof), same aroma. I rode the first 15-20 miles with Freddy -- a ski and snowboard instructor from Colorado -- and I enjoyed hearing about his life outside of the cycling world.

I spent the rest of the day on my own. The conditions were favorable, and I enjoyed being alone with my thoughts. Some of the highlights of the day include: arriving at Kinsley, Kansas -- A.K.A. Midway, U.S.A., as it is equidistant from both New York City and San Francisco (1,561 miles as you can see above). It is not quite the halfway point of our cross country challenge, but it was still fun to be there and take a couple of pictures.

Kinsley is also home to the Edwards County Sod House and Museum. Trust me, it was as exciting as it reads. That said, I was there, it was free, and I checked it out. Why wouldn't I?

I enjoyed the final leg of our ride today because we went through the town of Larned -- a town that has its streets in alphabetical and numeric order, similar to the way it is in Southie. It made me a little homesick, but it stirred up some great memories. It also got "Southie is my hometown" stuck in my head for the rest of the ride -- not a bad thing!