Dodge City

850 miles out of 12000

So the weather didn't turn out to be as bad as weather.com made it sound. I drove through rain for about an hour. Mostly, it was light showers. While driving through a small town in the very noth of Texas I caught something unusual out of corner of my eye. I quickly turned my head in time to see a grandma and grandpa riding two longhorn steers. Saddles and all!

Dodge City doesn't really have the quaint western feel you think it would. The people seem friendly but the town is kinda crappy. There's a huge rail yard, some big ass grain silos and not much else. That doesn't stop the locals from making the most of the towns relative popularity. There are several "chuckwagon" style shows around town that feature mock shootouts. I'm sure the shows are more entertaining than Rosewell, New Mexico's alien observation deck. No joke - they've got an elevated platform out in the desert where you can watch for aliens. I'm somewhat disturbed that its a viable commercial enterprise. At least in Dodge City you get to see some action.

Tomorrow promises more central/mid-west US excitment. I'm hoping to send a post from a surprise location. I don't want to spoil it.