July 21- Dighton to Ness City, Kan.

We enjoyed a drink and dinner last night at the American Legion post in Dighton, a last-minute change since our expected venue, the bowling alley, closed at 2 p.m. A bowling alley closed on Saturday night? Who knows?

We thought we could safely sleep in this morning before the 9 o'clock Mass at Dighton. But we slept peacefully for ten hours and awoke just in time to make it. The local church has a circuit-riding priest from Ghana. We have seen many African priests in rural churces in recent years. We particularly remember the church at Trapper Creek, Alaska, where the priest from Malawi with a big drum had the sourdoughs singing hymns in Swahili. No kidding. 50 years ago, it would have been priests escaping poverty in Ireland or Italy. Now it is Africa. Or nowhere; more and more lay ministers in remote places.

After church and a good breakfast- at the bowling alley- we were on the road at 11 o'clock. Our choices were 30 or 66 miles. With the late start, 30 to Ness City worked better. What the heck, it's Sunday.

The forecast was for sunny skies, temperature in the mid-90's, and a light SE wind. Actual weather was overcast, about 80 degrees, and a light NE wind. Why do we hang so intently on the forecast? Anyway, it was an easy ride. Unlike yesterday's straight road, today we took a slight right turn at mile 10 and corrected back left to east after another 8 miles. That was the most exciting part. The terrain has become not quite so flat or dry; Sandy remarked that Kansas is overall a lot better than eastern Colorado. It is also an active area for oil drilling and production. There are only 1800 drilling rigs working in the entire U.S. now, and we've seen two in the last two days. There are many shiny new pumping units at work, and outside of Ness City is a supply yard with stacks of drill pipe and other oil tools. And we are staying at the Derrick Motel. Coming into Ness City, a county-seat town of 1500, we met a group of about six young men riding westbound, including a man named Sullivan from Florida.

An interesting historical marker was near the site of George Washington Carver's farm.