Day 27: Leoti to Ness City

Bike Stats:
Distance - 81 mi
Avg Speed - 11.9 mph
Climbed - 320 ft
Temps - 55 to 80 F

I'm quickly learning that wind speed and direction mean everything to your biking experience in Kansas. It shifted from a partial tailwind in the morning to a full headwind in the afternoon, and cut my corresponding speed in half. Luckily I got most of my distance done before it started working against me. I'm now studying the weather forecasts for the next few days to see if I should be modifying my route to better fit the wind predictions.


Nice looking assortment of bales. Not hay, but maybe silage?

These horses really like hanging out together.

I like to read Historical Markers, but have seen hardly any since Nevada.

There are some really long dirt roads in Kansas, disappearing over the horizon.

I've been on Hwy 96 since Eastern Colorado, and it's never far from the Missouri Pacific Railroad Tracks. Have not seen a train the whole time, until I found this one parked near Ness City. Some guys at a Cafe in Sheridan Lake told me that a non-railroading company bought the railroad, and now want to shut it down and sell the tracks for scrap metal value.

This is a nice old train trestle, crossing the Walnut River.

Ness City has a nice big elevator that I could see from about 15 miles out.

They also have this 1885 vintage Mercantile Building that they refer to as the "Skyscraper of the Plains."

There was some detail on the top floor of the building. Could it be the same Merrill?