IM02 – Day Two on the Road

Early morning drive northeast up US54 through Guymon, OK and Liberal, KS. This is meatpacking land. We snaked our way through Kansas backroads, through Dodge City, and had lunch at a Subway in Larned, KS. Temperatures were sweltering outside – the car indicated 108F. That’s normal for Arizona but ridiculous for these parts. Alas, the Subway’s ice machine was broken, of all days, and the proprietors apologized. An old codger sat as the only other customer in a far booth, reading a book. There is no real point in these facts, other than to paint a picture of tiny-town America.

We continued NE through Ellsworth KS and finally hit I70 heading east. Figured on reaching Manhattan for the night but instead stopped in Junction City at an Econolodge.

I phoned in an order to a local Chinese restaurant (Chinese Fast Food, 1317 N Washington Street). When I arrived for pickup, I found the place all ripped apart inside and the floors sticky. The cashier, while friendly, couldn’t have been much more unprofessional. “Wanna hear a joke?” he asks. “What do you tell a woman with two black eyes? Nothing – she’s already been told twice.” This place needs a competent manager and a visit from local health inspectors.

On the way back to the motel, I spied the store in the photo – another interesting aspect of small town America.   Just what we need – a hometown gun store.

Fortunately, the Chinese food was tasty enough, and Phil and I enjoyed more of the RNC. In my opinion, Evanka’s speech was a home run, while Donald’s was quite lame, devoid of content.