Day Eleven – Red River NM to Emporia KS
Miles: 616
We had a big day planned so we left before first light and planned to eat breakfast on the road. We gassed up before we left town and hit the road just before dawn. It began to get light even before we reached Eagle Nest just 20 miles away. It was brisk riding but really just about perfect which no one on the road and seeing the sun come up. I had found a greasy spoon restaurant in Raton NM, about 80 miles from Red River, and we thought that would be perfect. This place would normally have been off our radar but it worked out great. The food was more acceptable and the service was good. In 2009 we went form Red River to Dodge City as we continued to Emporia and we were going to the same direction this year but we wanted to do something different and not do the same exact route. To that end we routed up onto Johnson Mesa and really took some out of the way roads. Climbing up onto the mesa was really a nice ride and once on top it was surreal as there was not a structure to be seen, only cows and I think maybe two cars passed in 30 miles. We did come upon the St. John's of the Mesa Church and stopped for a pic. I cannot imagine where they draw their congregation but it was built in 1897 so I guess they have somehow managed. The route continued to be good as we rode in the very northern portion of NM and into KS. Once in KS everything flattened out and well, you know the rest. We gassed up in Springfield and continued riding on the fast and straight path that is KS. We stopped on the other side of Dodge City to stretch our legs, the rest area is just west of Wright and this was our second stop there. After Dodge City we were on US50 but we broke away to take a different route form 2009. In Kinsley we stayed with US56 unit it turned north around Marion KS where we continued due East on KS150. But before we got there we made a stop in McPherson at Three Rings Brewery. McPherson can't be that big of a town but the brewery was a nice place with some outside seating and a very decent Session Ale. We arrived fairly early for having ridden more than 600 miles. Since the Hampton Inn was not really close to anything we decided to ride into the downtown area and have dinner at Radius Brewing. Sad to say but the beer they had really didn't suit our taste as they really didn't have anything hoppy. The food looked ok, but we decided to drink our pint and get some take out from Bobby Ds across the street. We did just that and ate back at the motel. Pretty uneventful and another big day tomorrow.
