The Riders

The Riders
The end at Yorktown

Thursday, June 30, 2011

Ordway CO to Eads CO 56 Miles

Hot again.  Dave & Pete decided to leave the Ordway Hotel ASAP.  They were on the road at 6:20 AM headed for Eads CO before it got too hot and windy.  Temps that time of the morning are moderate and there is not a lot of humidity.
This is desolate country. There are brown fields as far as you can see in all directions. Some parcels had cows in them, most do not. We came across a feed lot with many thousands of cows.  We measured the road side of it to be 1 mile long. The smell was over powering.
The guys made good time and finished this leg by 10:45AM.  The next possible camp ground was 65 miles from Eads, so we decided to make this a short day. We set up camp in an Eads city park with no restroom , or shower but there is a library across the street.  A swimming pool is close by.  Temps hit 102 by 2:00 PM. Then it started.  WINDS, More Winds, Heavy Winds.  They nearly tore our tents apart.  They lasted until 1:00 AM, and then changed to the opposite direction. Our fellow travelers Rusty and Ray rode their last 20 miles in that gale.  We met them for dinner and they were exhausted. We were glad we stopped when we did. I read the book on the dust bowl (THE WORST HARD TIMES) and I got a feel for what that must have been like.  Our camp was next to a grain elevator.  The trucks going in there kicked up dust which blew hard right to our camp site.
Eads CO.  Note the grain elevator.  Lots of truck traffic. Much dust.

Eads, Co.  Wind was blowing hard.  Note how the tent is collapsed.

This is our last night in CO.  KS awaits.

Phil

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