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there I went looking for a U . S . 50 sign of any type . All that I could find were continued references to “ Historical U . S . 40 ,” that highway ’ s final miles also lost to history .
Decades ago there was a free campground in Kinsley , noting the U . S . 50 midway point . But like that long-gone free campground much that you find on U . S . 50 has changed . There ’ s a difference , and it ’ s readily apparent along this highway ’ s entire footprint — it ’ s simply easier to spot in Kansas ’ wide-open spaces . There are empty buildings , sometimes many , where once vibrant towns are fading , limping along , their souls disappearing .
The straight and narrow of Kansas ’ U . S . 50 dips and swings in its final miles before Colorado . There , Bent ’ s New Fort and Bent ’ s Old Fort welcome you . On a different trip , one with my wife , I might stop for a visit . But on this trip I wasn ’ t a tourist , I was a traveler , the highway my destination . On I rode .
There were long stretches when I had the highway to myself . Rarely would I encounter traffic , but on my trip there was rain and there was heat . Before reaching Monarch Pass I ’ d been rained on often , and after as well . But there , racing up the mountain ’ s graceful turns I rode alone on a truly wonderful highway .
In July the Southwest welcomes what it calls the seasonal monsoons . I ’ d hit them
Now that ' s a lot of Nevada license plates .