The birds awaken us even earlier than the alarm I had set for 5:30. We want to meet Doug and Patsi at the hospital at 7:30 so we are on the road at 6:15. It is nice and cool at this hour but we know it won't last. I have inspected my tires like I do at every gas stop and am getting concerned that the rear tire is getting too worn to continue the full trip. We may have to head directly home. We arrive at the hospital at 7:15 and wait for Doug and Patsi but it turns out they arrived 5 minutes earlier and are parked out of sight from where we are. Linda sees their bike so we meet them in Tom's room. We visit for about 45 minutes and then start riding toward Kansas. We pass through Joplin on Highway 44 and this time we see glimpses of the tornado damage and it is very sad. I also see a Honda dealership beside the highway and they have a big pile of old tires. I stop in and ask them if I can have one and they agree. I select a tire that will fit my bike and put it in our trailer. Now I have a tire that I can change on the side of the road if I have to and feel more comfortable. If we go straight home it will only save us 2 hours and about 100 miles than going through Kansas so we decide to go on through Kansas. We cross into Kansas and it was like somebody instantly turned on a wind machine. Once again we have strong and gusty winds from the south and they continue all day long. We catch up with the other 4 people sitting in the grass of a farmer's yard waiting for us. We too take a break from fighting the wind and then start going west again. At the end of the day we go to Cold Water Lake State Park about an hour south of Dodge City. What a great find. it is a beautiful lake and we can pitch our tents in an area sheltered from the wind. They have bathrooms with showers and we have arrived early enough to have time to sit around and enjoy the area. There is a little dock going out into the lake and it was very enjoyable to sit there in the moonlight and enjoy the quiet and coolness of the lake.
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