• Corn. Cows.
• The fifth and flattest state on the journey.
• More oil is produced in the Great Plains than anywhere else in North America

Weather

• It's flat so the great plains can be very windy. These winds can be from any direction so there will be days with stiff headwinds, tailwinds, and crosswinds.
• Moderate precipiation with occasional severe weather in the east; drier in the west.

This route certainly will allow me to see a cross section of our nation including a portion of the great plains. The Kansas portion of this journey leads almost due west.

The eastern portion of the state is composed of corn and cows. The central portion boasts more corn and sunflowers that should be coming into bloom by the time I reach them. The bluestem grasses of the Flint Hills are more plentiful than corn. West of the Flint Hills lies more corn on the Great Bend Prairie, a land of broad river valleys and rolling hills.

The western half is the Great Plains area where tall grasses stretch 400 miles west to the Rocky Mountains and extend 2500 miles from northern Canada and to New Mexico and Texas.

Rans, the manufacturer of my bicycle, is located in Hays, Kansas. In case I have serious mechanical trouble I can make a pit stop in this small town located about a day ride north of the route.

Other attractions along the route

• Pittsburg, KS - Typical midwest university town - Crawford County Historical Museum - Old-Fashioned Picnic in the Park (4th of July holiday) - Other attractions
• The Big Flag in Girard, KS
• Newton, KS - Kauffman Museum
• Larned, KS - "Heart of the Santa Fe Trail" - Fort Larned National Historic Site
• Quivira Naional Wildlife Refuge