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Still hot and gusty, Wednesday saw us ride from McPherson to Cottonwood Falls. A total of 65.21 miles, which I did in 05:20 for an average speed of 12.1 mph. I was still tired from Tuesday's ordeal, and was pleased that Cottonwood Falls rolled out the red carpet. The town square was blocked off for us; I toured the courthose and enjoyed some of the many tasty food selections served up by the friendly locals. Note that my dowtown photos are cell phone shots; I absent-mindedly left the good camera in my tent.

Each thumbnail below links to a much larger image of about 1.2 MB in size.


Sunrise over McPherson. Tough to start so early after yesterday's exertions.
 

 

 


 
Everybody started out early, and the first SAG was crowded.
 

 


 
Looking back 11 miles down the road from McPherson.
 
The Santa Fe and Chisolm trails crossed here...
 


 
...Yes, right here!
 

 

The Mennonite Settlement Museum in Hillsboro.
 
I got a great licorice-flavored snow cone at The Igloo just down the street.
 

 


 

 
Lunch in Marion's Central Park.
 


 
The fountains were a refreshing refuge from the heat.
 

 

We now pass from plains to prairie, and enter the Flint Hills.
 

 
Try as they might, the lovely SAG ladies could never "bug" me.
 


 

 
This trike, its streamers flying in the stiff winds, announced the Silly SAG.
 


 

 

 

A respectable herd of cattle at the water hole.
 

 

 


 
A prairie panorama.
 

 

Coming down the big hill outside of Elmdale.
 
Chase County High School.
 
Lots of teams named Bulldogs in these parts.
 

Cottonwood Falls town square as I rode in.
 

 
Switched to the cell phone camera here.
 

It was difficult to chose between the many tasty food offerings.
 
The oldest continuously operating courthouse in Kansas.
 

 

A brief history of Chase county.
 
The restored courtroom.
 

 


 
The old jail. Actually in use as late as the 1970s.
 

 


 

 
Above, the view out the round third-floor window of the courthouse. At left, the beautiful wood stairway.
 

My first, but not last, encounter with the Chuckwagon ice cream churn!
 
The falls at Cottonwood Falls.
 
Downstream on the Cottonwood river.
 

The observation bridge over the river, trailhead for a new trail being blazed to the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve.
 

 
The evening BAK meeting was held in the town square.
 
 

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