Day 4: Ness City to Scott City KS

55.8 miles, 1,214 feet ascent, Max grade about 3%, 5:37 riding time, elevation 2990 ft.

Today Johannes, Bill and I got up, ate breakfast at the campsite, and set off for Scott City at about 0815.  Our luck finally ran out and the prevailing SW wind returned.  We were heading directly West, so we had a headwind of about 10 mph with gusts of 15 mph which increased to 15 mph with gusts over 20 mph as the day went on.  The skies were clear and the temperature gradually rose from about 60 to 96 F.   The headwind along with the heat made for a tough day.  Riding into an unrelenting  headwind with gusts is DIFFICULT.  Not only is it exhausting but each time a gust came along , the drag caused by the front panniers would create a twisting moment about the steering tube.  It made it very difficult to ride in a straight line.  In addition to that, Johannes pointed out that my rear rack is not rigid enough and the load on the back is wagging back and forth.  This made the bike somewhat unstable, and keeping it moving in a straight line required constant attention. I am going to look for a more rigid rear rack when I get to Pueblo CO, which is about 4 days from today.  In addition to the wind, we gained about 700 ft in elevation today.
I don’t have many photos to share from today because the terrain is monotonous!  Coming out of Great Bend I saw these sculptures.
There are very few paved roads in Kansas.  If you  take a detour, this is what you will likely see.
We stopped in the town of Dighton for lunch, which was 30 hard miles from Ness City.  It was a diner in a bowling alley.  When we went to order, the waitress informed us that someone had paid for our meal.  The people here are generally very friendly, hospitable, and generous.  They are very curious about where we are from and where we are going.  We left a good tip.  
Tomorrow promises to be another day much like today.  I will not be sad to leave the plains of Kansas in the rear view mirror.  Tonight the three of us are staying in a nice Best Western hotel.  The shower felt great, and we had a chance to do some laundry.  

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