How do I know that the sun came up at 5:33AM today? Well, because I was watching it rise as I rode my bike on Kansas Highway 96. The cross wind was already blowing a pretty good clip, but at least the morning is cooler to ride. Plus you get the added bonus of outdoor smells coming from freshly cut wheat fields and fresh oxygen being produced by the growing corn fields. There were two red tailed hawks spotted at separate occasions today.
The road still rises and falls with only slight net loss in elevation. Grain elevators and mostly abandoned towns are still the highlight of the day. There was one town with an abandoned school, one or two houses, and a large grain elevator in a town named Amy, Kansas. My daughter was very excited (well, sort of excited) to hear there was a town with her namesake.
In order to entertain my feeble brain, I made a game out of riding on the white line on the road. As you follow the line, there are insects that seem to like to sit in ones path. Consequently, we (I) decided to play “chicken” with the little critters (i.e. black beetles, grasshoppers, big black ants). Well, if you want to keep score of who won today, it was bicyclist “5”and bugs “0”.
As you might recall from yesterday, we do not have a campsite for this evening. I found a listing for 3 different “RV Spots” on the Ness City Website homepage. Well, I called all three numbers and had to leave messages. God has taken care of us to date, I know he will provide. So, I planned to ask around once we were in town.
While stopping to read a historical marker about George Washington Carver, I received a phone call from my lovely bride. She was full of news of many blessings. First, Vera found her missing set of keys…Halleujah! Second, they had called a phone number I found for a place that sells trailers (S & S Trailers) and found a electrical pigtail that allows us to plug the 30 amp camper cord into a 50 amp outlet! Now we can plug into most any electric spot in Kansas, which seems to offer only 20 amp (no A/C use) and 50 amp service (use the A/C). As it has been in the 100 degree range, the A/C is important to survive the day/night.
We all arrived in Ness City about the same time. After some confusion at S & S Trailer, I came back with the new pigtail plug…Yeah! Now, the phone calls started to look for a campsite…still had to leave messages. The people I asked in various spots in town all had bits of information which led us to what appeared to be an old mobile home park on the south end of town. As there were some modular trailer units and other campers, it appeared the park is used by people who were working in the area on the oil well development. A nice lady in one of the mobile homes at the park directed us back into town to talk to someone at the Furniture Store that might have information about staying at the park. Larry was working at the Furniture Store and he worked for the owner, Mr. McCracken. Mr. McCracken was found to be a funeral director, co-owner of the furniture store, owner of a liquor store, involved in oil well drilling, and probably more stuff. I explained to Larry that we hoped to stay at the park, but wanted to pay someone first. I jokingly said we did not want the Sheriff to come knocking at our door during an unpaid stay. Larry was helpful and collected our $20 fee for the one night stay. Larry said, “I am the town Judge, so we did not have to worry about the Sheriff.” Oh boy, small towns are great when the judge works at the furniture store for what appears to be the owner of a great deal of Ness City! ...are you keeping up with who is who?
The camp spot was fine, at least we could run the A/C, as we were in the direct sun with the temperature at 98 degrees. God has taken care of us yet another day. He is Great!
Tonight, I received a call from my Mom, that Dad is back in the hospital. The infection from his surgery a number of weeks ago is no better. Please pray that the doctor’s can get to the bottom of the problem!
Grain Elevator in Amy, Kansas
Follow the white line on the road, Follow the white line on the road.
The neat campsite in Ness City...well at least we had a place to stay.
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