Cheyenne Wells and Kit Carson Colorado

Well, another day, another blog !

When we last spoke Bob was awaiting his ribs from the barbecue. He said they tasted absolutely delicious.I expect when you've been living off freeze dried meals, it must be heaven to have something like that. He had a great evening with Tyson Pharo, and his friend Mike, and rounded off with a few beers. Bob had lost his sweatshirt on his travels (dementia setting in !), and Mike went out to his truck, and gave him one of his. The next morning he had a cooked breakfast, and set off on the road at 7.50am. Thanks to Tyson and Mike for all your help.

He was now heading for Cheyenne Wells, a distance of just over 17 miles, and the weather has certainly changed now, very cold, drizzly and overcast. He was riding Tigers, who hasn't got the "umph" of Cody, so it was a pretty slow ride. The landscape is very open, nothing much around, and the roads are quiet. People still stop in their cars, as they have done throughout his ride, to talk with him, and even offer him places to stay. When he rides past a ranch, they invariably come out to see if they can help.

Bob arrived at the Fairground in Cheyenne Wells, to find that Vicke Nestor had kindly got him in hay for the horses. Many thanks, Vickie. Hardly had he brushed them down, fed and corralled them , than Phil Doddery who lived about 1/2 mile from the Fairground arrived. Mike from the previous night had told him about Bob, and he'd been looking out for him. He took him back to his house, fed him a wonderful steak, and gave him a bed for the night. Thanks so much for your kindness, Phil.

On 12 October, Bob was up at 5.30 am, and on the road at 7.10, heading for Kit Carson......... I just love these names, they sound as though they are full of old cowboy history. That day, he saw drastic changes in temperature on his travels. He couldn't ride in the ditches, as there had been heavy rain during the night, and the horses were sinking into the ground there, so he was forced to ride on the road, something he doesn't do out of choice. Very slow progress was made that day. In the morning he was riding into a strong South wind approaching gale force, with a temperature high of 60 degrees. But around noon, the sky started getting darker and darker, and within seconds the wind had changed to a North wind , and the temperature dropped by 15 degrees.

When I last spoke to him, he had just arrived at the home of Jack and Marcia Wilson, and had stabled the horses for the night. He had seen the Wilsons' on the road that morning, as they were heading out for a convention, but had not yet returned when we spoke.

I've just checked out the weather for Eads, where he is heading tomorrow, and see that snow is forecast !!!

Bob has now completed well over 1000 miles, and has about another 8 week's riding to go.