The Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum is in Abilene.
We left McPherson, KS this morning at 7:30 am bound for Abilene, KS, some 64 miles away. The winds were blowing north, and for about 1/3 of the day, our route was headed north, so the tailwinds pushed us along nicely. It was starting to get hot when we pulled into our hotel in the early afternoon.
They have had a great deal of flooding in this part of Kansas, and consequently, one of the roads on our route was washed out. This video shows the riders jumping over the terrifying 4-foot gap in the road. What this video does not show is the flesh-eating piranha and 6-foot alligators that were lurking in the muddy waters below. I personally carried one rider (who was too overcome with fear) over the crevasse to safety.
Abilene is known as the first "cow town" of the west. In 1867, the Kansas Pacific Railway (Union Pacific) pushed westward through Abilene. Texas cattlemen drove their herds to the stockyards here. From 1867 to 1871, the Chisholm Trail ended in Abilene, bringing in many travelers and making Abilene one of the wildest towns in the west.
Our 34th President Dwight D. Eisenhower's Presidential Library and Museum are in Abilene, and we visited it this afternoon. The tour was fascinating. The home where Ike and his brothers grew up (built in the 1890s) is also on the grounds, and we toured that as well.
As I write this, the heat index is over 100 degrees outside. Tomorrow we have a long day in the saddle with some substantial climbing as well. Hopefully, we can get an extra early start in the morning so we can get in as many miles as possible before the heat becomes oppressive.
Tomorrow we ride to Topeka, KS.
Thank you, Dave, for your diligence in posting EVERY day. That’s real commitment. What am I saying? You are freaking riding a bike across the USA- THAT IS COMMITMENT.
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