We rolled into Dodge City just before dark under a heavy mist. I stepped out of the van and could actually see my breath. It was cold, almost shockingly so considering how hot it had been for us the last 3 days. Tonight, for the first time this trip we would use the heater. We were also tired and a bit irritable. It was a long drive from Albuquerque, especially with multiple construction delays but finally we were here, in what was once known as the Wickedest Little City in America. We were also very hungry; at Tucumcari, New Mexico we stopped at a Sonic (you know, America’s drive in?) for a quick bite after leaving the fucking I-40 (I hate Interstates). So, yeah, big mistake – the burgers were cold and the sweet tea was NOT sweet. Because of the rain cooking outside was not an option so grilled cheese sandwiches it was. In case you are wondering, they were wonderful and put us in a better frame of mind concerning Kansas.
I also had no idea what to write about. We drove a long ways, and saw a lot of well, the same! New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma and finally Kansas, mile after mile of ranches, cows and construction. After sitting in a line of vehicles for 45 minutes surrounded by corn, the Interstate was dreadfully beginning to become a positive experience. Yeah, it was a long day!
But then came morning. The sun sort of came up, once the fog burned off and the day was fresh. We were reasonably rested (the heater worked and didn’t kick out everything else – yay!!!) and there were new places to go. Let’s start with where we were at, the Queen of The Cowtowns, Dodge City.
Front Street, Dodge City, Kansas. Believe or not, Bat Masterson, Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday walked that samestreet, as well as many, many naughty boys and girls. Sounds like a fun place, right? Well not really, you had a high likelihood of being shot which doesn’t sound like a whole lot of fun to me. Interesting? Yes. Scary as fuck? Absolutely! Fun? Definitely not!
The cowboys who brought in the longhorns from Texas to the railhead here in Dodge liked to get a little wild on the town, along with gamblers, gunslingers and whores.
The endless Kansas prairie. It goes on and on and on and on! Up until the early 1870’s, bison roamed these plains in the millions but market hunting wiped out the vast herds in VERY short order. Some individual hunters had killed upwards of 13,000 animals which when you think about it, boggles the fucking mind. Don’t kid yourself though, yes there was a market for American bison products but this mass killing also assisted in controlling the Native American tribes who depended on this animal for so much of their well-being.
Cornfields for as far as the eye can see. The bison are gone and this is what you see – corn. If you don’t see corn, you see ranch land with cattle or feedlots, massive feedlots feeding the cows, that’s right, corn.
I saw other things too. When we drove through Garden City, Kansas we passed the local high school. The football stadium had groundskeepers out cutting grass, painting lines, freshening everything up; today was game day. Not long after, we passed a bus heading to Garden City, it was the Colby Eagles. In Scott City, we saw a girl in her cheerleading outfit. We don’t see that where I come from. It’s America, or at least what America wishes itself to be – small towns, big spaces, Friday Night Football, Church of Christ on Sunday. Is that how it really is? I don’t know.
We started out this year with our van determined to be out there on the road, exploring the highways and byways of North America. We are doing that, at the end of this trip we will have logged almost 14,000 km this summer and 30 plus days. But we are finding it’s not all about the geographical points of interest. There’s more, but you have to slow down to see it. That is something I still struggle with, the need to go, to be efficient, to see what it is that you set out to see, to get in and out and keep the schedule flowing. Sometimes you miss what is in between Points A and B, and the in-between shit may be just as cool as what you are going to see but you don’t have time to check out the in-between shit because you’re on a fucking schedule. We need a little less drive and a little more walkabout!
Today is Day 10 on the road and we are in Ogallala, Nebraska. Anyone who is familiar with the epic Western series Lonesome Dove knows about Ogallala, Nebraska. If you have no idea what I am talking about, then seriously, pull your head out of your ass and do it now!
Modern day Ogallala is a pretty cool town as well. Before heading North we decided to take a quick look around the town and maybe pick up a souvenir or two.
That’s the corner of North Spruce and Front Street in Ogallala, Nebraska. I took up a seat there this morning while Max went inside to do a little shopping. Bodhi of course did his best to look amazing for the citizens of this wonderful town and oh boy, they noticed. We are at a stoplight and first up, a chihuahua named Sue. An SUV drove up to the stop and the chihuahua went crazy. Her owner laughed and rolled down the window, told Sue to calm down a bit and wished me a good day. A few minutes later another lady pulled up at the light and rolled her window down to say “hello gorgeous.” I immediately thought of how nice it was that she noticed me sitting on the bench looking marvellous (stop it now, you know I am kidding) but no, she was looking at something else. Oh yeah, our Bodester was striking a pose, hair flowing in the morning breeze, having a “fuck ya, I’m awesome” moment and just knowing that people are checking him out. He’s such a player. She asked what kind of a dog he was and then wished me a good day as well. It was nice, a couple of other people waved as well and all seemed very genuine, happy, and yes friendly. It was cool way to start the day!
We had to go though, move on, head North. Nebraska is not at all what I had expected. The area around Ogallala is an ocean of grass and rolling hills, for the most part treeless. The highway was a two lane secondary blacktop and it was a beautiful drive, literally nobody on the road. We passed through some, shall we say villages while on route, tiny little settlements on valley bottoms where the trees grow large and shady and there is not much more than a general store, the post office and yes, a football field. Some of these places play high school 6 man football. I passed up a couple of opportunities to take pictures of these hamlets and especially the football fields while going through Arthur and Hyannis, both places with populations less than 200, so the next small town, we had to stop. Besides, we needed to make a sandwich.
Welcome to Ashby, Nebraska, population 50. Yeah, no football field of course and no, we never did see another. As we drove down into the settlement a group of ladies waved when they saw us (we later learned that they happened to be doing pottery at the church). Anyway, Max stopped into the little craft store for a look around while I attempted to make sandwiches. Turns out, it was a pretty cool little shop. The owner did all the paintings and pottery up for sale herself as well as offering coffee and smoothies to potential customers. The few people gathered in the store were quite intrigued that a van from Canada would just drop in and passed on to Max that it was the hamlet’s homecoming last night and it was quite exciting.
What an amazing experience and Exhibit A as to why Interstates SUCK. Don’t ignore these little places. They all have interesting stories to tell but the audience is lacking. I want to be their voice. I will be back, maybe not Ashby, almost certainly not Ashby (hey, we are long way from home down here) but there are many Ashby’s out there in Canada and America. I think its time we go find them!
Oh, and we didn’t get a chance to see it but the Alliance Bulldogs, a team from a couple of hours away, cruised into Ogallala last night and were crushed by the Ogallala Indians under the Friday Night Lights. God Bless America!