July 22, 2006

I don't often take overnight trips on the Daytona, but, it's worth the discomfort when I do.

This was a trip to Speed, Kansas.  After that, I had no plan except to run north into Nebraska to pick up any new roads that I might come across.  Why Speed, Kansas?  I'd been by it, but had never turned down the short road into the town.

Lunch in Sterling.

Alden, Kansas downtown district.  This is all of it.

The grain cars at the Alden elevator are ready.

Timken, Kansas cannot even boast of even the few buildings that the Alden business district has, but at least it still has its grain elevator.

This part of Kansas has many towns that have names taken from the old country.  This church is in Schoenchen, Kansas

Riding north, through Ellis county.

The wheat has been cut.

Speed, Kansas; next turn.

The small bag attached to the windshield cross support is my overnight bag.  I do not carry much.

I looked for the nearest thing to a downtown.  This is it.

It wasn't clear if the Speed elevator was still in operation.  Certainly, the tracks are long gone.

Edmund, Kansas once had a nice hotel.

I took a rest break here.  I think two cars went by in thirty minutes.

Riding north to Norton, Kansas

Long Island, Kansas is on KS-383, which happens to be a twenty-six mile section of highway that I had never ridden.

Long Island, Kansas

Welcome to Nebraska.

An unusual view taken from the second-floor balcony at the hotel in Elm Creek, Nebraska (I have removed the overnight bag)

Elm Creek, Nebraska on Highway 30 (The Lincoln Highway).

Breakfast in Elm Creek.

Riverton, Nebraska

A typical low-end house in Riverton...

...and, a typical example of something nicer.

Guide Rock, Nebraska.

The not so good...

...and, the nice.

I'm sorry to miss "Swan, the Master Magician" (and his ducks?).  No vulgar jokes...

Dropping down to Burr Oak, Kansas

Pawnee Indian Village State Historic Park.

One of the paths in the park.

The building covers an excavation of one of the lodges.  This was a rather large settlement of the Pawnee, used for centuries.  They lived here in earthen lodges for half the year, and were out on the high plains for the other half.

Looking north to Republic, Kansas

Scandia, Kansas

The back roads south out of Scandia.

Delphos, Kansas.  They take pride in being the home of the little girl (or rather the woman who that little girl became) who wrote the letter to Lincoln suggesting that if he would only grow a beard, he might be more successful.

Delphos has a very well equipped playground (and bandstand) in their town square.

It wasn't clear why this old jail cell was outside.  Great fun for the kids, perhaps?

Looks like the quality of the stencil for "U" was not so good.

The letter to Lincoln:

And, his reply to her:

A final root beer float in Hesston before riding back to Wichita.

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last edit: 5/8/2007