Colorado to Kansas

Woke up a little after 3 this morning and couldn't go back to sleep so got up, meditated, ate breakfast, packed, and left my Colorado hotel around 6am. After 7 hours driving (including a couple of rest areas), I stopped for the day in Hays, Kansas; 335 miles - whew! I took I-25 South out of Denver to Castle Rock where I connected to 86 East to I-70; nicer drive (in my opinion) compared to taking E-470 or I-225 to I-70. I love going through towns like Elizabeth and Kiowa, CO.

Although it started out cool (around 34 F), the sun warmed things up nicely; fortunately, the winds stayed relatively calm so driving was a breeze:)  Given the small, light trailer, I need to keep driving speeds around 55mph so it is slow going; no big deal, I've given myself plenty of time.

Discovered one disadvantage to losing so much weight - no rear end padding, so despite a comfortable driver's seat, my rear end gets really sore after a couple of hundred miles:)

The sun was rising as I made my way east on Hwy. 86 out of Castle Rock.

Wind farm east of Limon, CO near Bovine?

After morning tea, cup of milk, and 48 ounces of water, it was time to stop at my first rest area just over the Colorado border.

Kansas wheat field with the Hays water tower looming in the background.

Like many small towns, Walmart is within walking distance of hotels.

Staying at the Holiday Inn Express; evidently they had a fire Saturday and are cleaning up - quite noisy on the 1st floor.

Today in Hays is the warmest weather I've experienced in a couple of weeks so I took a walk around the outskirts of town and couldn't pass up this photo at the local John Deere implement dealer. This implement is designed to spray weeds and pests; maybe the menacing look also helps scare them away:)