Dodge City holds a romanticized, hallowed place in American mythology. The former booze and gamblin' capital of the Old West was once stomping grounds for the likes of Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday, and numerous other "lawmen". Even Dennis Hopper was born there.
But for Dodge City, like all things that are or have ever been vibrant and glamorous, glory fades. Today it's home to one of the largest cattle feed plants (aka slaughterhouses) in the country. Maj wrote about this yesterday, so I won't bother you with any further pontification on the subject. The only remnants of its rough-and-tumble days are some underwhelming stone houses that are closed to the public, and an eerie wax museum. In Dodge City's favor, there was a statue of Wyatt Earp right off the main drag that I kind of liked.
We camped in an RV park last night. This was our 2nd RV park stay on the trip, and we've found them very helpful. RV'ers don't usually like "roughing it", so these parks typically have showers, laundry, wireless internet, electricity, and a small food mart.
After the other campers had gone to bed, I stole our new road bike and took a 10 mile night-ride around town. This was one of the first times I actually rode a bike on the trip, and it was pretty awesome to be out cycling around Dodge City in the full moonlight after midnight. I just cried a little bit remembering.
- Dry Bones, Your Director
Pop Culture Reference for Google: John Wayne, John Ford, John Updike, John 3:16
Distance Biked: 73 miles
have I said I like reading