Holly to River Road, KS; Distance = 14 Miles; People Met = 4
We experienced a few milestones today. First and foremost, we finally crossed the border into a new state, Kansas, after spending over two months in Colorado. This also marks the start of our six month.
We headed out of Holly knowing that a storm was coming. The skies grew increasingly gray throughout the day and we were hoping we could camp under some trees that evening. However, the River Road from Coolidge, KS to Syracuse was sparsely foliated and mostly on private land. Fortunately, Rusty Wharton stopped to greet us. Rusty knew about the ADT, having actually housed some hikers a few months earlier. We got into a great conversation about the virtues of community and he gave us permission to camp on his ranch land.
Rusty Wharton
To get to his property we had to hike into dark. We set up the tent and cooked before settling in for the night. All the while the wind was picking up, which we were expecting in front of the oncoming storm. During the night the wind became fierce, bowing our tent poles in. Fortunately our tent held, but by morning everything inside was covered with dust. We experienced our first, old-fashioned, midwest dust bowl!
Before leaving Holly I interviewed our hosts, Kent and Elaine Andersen, regarding the relief efforts after the tornado that struck Holly. Here’s that podcast for your latest kindness dose.
Other Photos
Nicole at Miles Court Motel in Holly offered breakfast
FINALLY!
Kirsten stopped to let us know a storm was coming
Jim Darnell also stopped to let us know where we could camp on River Road
