DAYS 21 and 22 JULY 9th and 10th 2010

This is our first two day Blog, but due to the accessibility of the Internet on the prairie, it may happen again. Our two days of cycling have taken us 172 miles from Limon, CO to Syracuse, Kansas. On Friday we rode into the town of Kit Carson, Colorado. Christopher Carson, better known as Kit Carson was an explorer, scout, trapper, Indian agent, rancher and soldier during his 40 years of travels throughout the southwest. Born on Christmas Eve in Madison County, Kentucky, in 1809, Kit was the 9th of 14 children. When he was still an infant, the family moved to Howard County, Missouri where Carson spent most of his early childhood in Boone's Lick. His father died when he was only nine years old, and the need to work prevented Kit from ever receiving an education. At the age of 14, Kit was working as an apprentice to a saddle and harness maker. After about a year he joined a wagon train heading west on the Santa Fe Trail in 1826. We have been following the Sante Fe Trail for days. It left Independence, Missouri and ended in Sante Fe, New Mexico. Cattle that were grazing in New Mexico and Colorado were eventually driven back to Missouri via the Santa Fe Trail. The expansiveness of Western Colorado and Kansas are even more remarkable than the Rockies! It is wheat harvesting time here in he America's Heartland. You can tell where your next town is from 20-30 miles away by looking for the grain elevators off in the distance. Some are 15-20 stories tall. The downturn in the economy has literally closed down entire towns that we have gone through. Educated, well managed, productive farmers are the only ones left for hundreds of miles. The land is too poor to grow anything except wheat and we were told it takes 25 acres per cow to have enough food to survive per year.

Deb was cycling along and the Timber Rattlesnake in the picture sprung at her bicycle. This is the only rattlesnake species in most of the populous northeastern United States(Deb and I are from New Hampshire and this is the only really poisonous snake we feared growing up) and was featured prominently in the American Revolution, specifically as the symbol of the first Continental Navy and Don't Tread On Me symbolizing American Independence. I am a Revolutionary War "Buff" and this is my first Timber Rattlesake I have encountered. Other pictures are of a Pronghorn Antelope, open range with cows, grain elevators and a feedlot that holds 4000 beef cows that will be fattened up for 2-3 weeks and then appear in your meat department at Publix.