Month: May 2025

Washington to Mankato Kansas- 64 miles and 2600 ft of elevation gain. The word today was HEADWIND. We had a strong almost direct headwind of 20+ mph the entire ride as we headed directly West for the whole route. Winds were from the West/Northwest and very strong. Time riding was 6 hrs 18 minutes with an average speed of only 10.2 mph! That tells you something. Fortunately no rain- it was a lovely partly cloudy day, starting in the 50s and ending up in the 60s, so at least the headwind was cool! It was a tough ride for everybody. Terence rode in the van for this leg as he is recovering from some stomach illness. He seems OK now. Than, Mel and I stopped at Belleville at an espresso bar which was part of a home goods store- interesting. Beautiful wide open spaces here in Kansas! Reminds me of the Dixie Chicks song. Again huge feed silos by the side of the road every so often. We went through an area with a ton of windmills, and passed several trucks that were transporting windmill blades- they are enormous.

We have a very nice campsite at Mankato City Park. We have access to 1 shower but that shower is very nice and clean. My daughter would approve- she wouldn’t for most of the bathroom/shower facilities we have used in most of the campsites. They for the most part are not very nice- shower nozzles are crappy, they are mostly cinder block type structures with tiny sinks, many have push buttons for the shower that only stay on for 15 seconds so you have to keep pushing them to keep the water going. One bathroom had a curtain closing off the toilet instead of a door. One shower area had just unpainted plywood walls. But hey, I am not that picky- as long as the water is hot and the toilet flushes, I’m OK.

Going from Seneca to Washington Kansas. Another long day- 76 miles and 2700 ft elevation gain. Fortunately we had a bit of a tailwind so not too bad. Plus it was cloudy for most of the day, so nice relatively cool weather for riding. What a thunderstorm we had last night! Wow- impressive. Very gusty winds and a lot of thunder and lightning lasting an incredibly long time. I’m used to thunderstorms in Virginia which last 10-15 minutes. This was HOURS of nonstop lightning and loud thunder, much of it uncomfortably close by. As the rain was pelting my tent and the wind gusts blowing it this way and that I was thinking of what I was going to do if the rain fly was ripped off, or massive hail tearing holes in it. I guess I would have fled to the covered pavilion nearby…. But fortunately the tent held up nicely and kept me nice and dry, but I didn’t get much sleep! In the morning fortunately the rain stopped and when we headed out around 8 AM it was not raining, cool and cloudy with a nice Easterly wind to blow us along our route. We stopped in Frankfort for lunch and another rest stop in Blue Rapids. The towns were all fairly unpopulated- where is everybody?? No real cafes to get some coffee, or diners to get a sandwich- we are relegated to stopping at a Sinclairs gas station that has a small store with drinks, snacks, etc, or a Caseys which is much the same thing. Folks will stock up on Gatorade or some munchies/candy to eat during the rest of the day. Certainly beautiful wide open spaces with large farms, massive grain/feed storage tanks. There was a bit more traffic on the road today, being Monday, but cars and trucks for the most part give us wide clearance when they pass, as there was usually no shoulder for us to ride on today. We are staying tonight at the City Park campground in Washington, which is basically a public park. We fortunately have access to the showers attached to the public pool which doesn’t open until Memorial Day weekend. There is an odd looking concrete bunker nearby which is a tornado shelter. In the event of a tornado warning, a siren will sound and we are all supposed to go there for shelter.

Here are the RidewithGPS stats:

Riding from Atchison to Seneca Kansas. What a great ride today! 76 miles and 3700 ft of elevation gain. But the wind was at our back- averaged 14 mph and the roads were superb, with very little car traffic. We are supposedly on a well known cross Kansas bike route, so maybe that is why it is so bike friendly. The weather was great, brilliant blue sky, not a cloud in sight although thunderstorms are predicted for this evening and we noticed tornado warnings mentioned in the NYT for Kansas and Oklahoma. That has been a topic of conversation- what do we do in the event of a tornado?? Adventure Cycling assures us that we will have plenty of warning, but it is not obvious where to take shelter in these wide open spaces we are passing through. I guess the nearest farmhouse!

We are seeing many more cattle ranches now in addition to the corn and hay fields. Beautiful rolling country side, but it does seem to be getting a bit flatter. The towns are a bit strange- they seem very empty and desolate- maybe because it is a Sunday? We ate lunch at Whiting, at about the halfway point. Interesting, we passed through another Effington today. There was an Effington in Illinois and now another in Kansas! We are the only people I know who have visited both Effington- do you know anybody who has been to even one of them???

Here are the RidewithGPS stats:

No riding today! We spent the day in Atchison Kansas, the birthplace of Amelia Earhart. The town is not much to speak of. In its heyday it was an important rail hub linking West to East before Kansas City became big. The rail line is still fairly active, with 30 or so trains coming through every day, but I’m sure it is nothing like in the early steam engine days.

We visited Amelia Earhart’s home where she was born and where she lived until she was 12 years old. This is Atchison’s real claim to fame. It was actually her grandparents home, it sits up high on a bluff overlooking the city- very nice spot.

I went to the rail museum and visitor center by the rail yard which was interesting. A steam locomotive and various old rail cars in various states of disrepair. Talked with one of the docents there who let me in to one of the cabooses in the yard. Nothing like the Scranton rail museum which has all those locomotives including several that actually operate.

I passed by a giant concrete feed silo complex and went in to the office area to inquire about it. Turns out these giant concrete silos are no longer used, but it is too expensive to tear them down so they just leave them standing there. Probably still be there 200 years from now- they are BIG and I’m sure super expensive to tear down and get rid of all that concrete.

The day was beautiful- the wind calmed down and it was sunny skies and in the high 70s. I wanted to go to the Amelia Earhart hangar museum at the airport 5 miles away, but couldn’t get there. NO Uber service, NO taxis at all in Atchison, NO Lyft service. I would have taken my bike out there, but we got back to the campsite too late, the museum closed at 4:30. Oh well- next time I pass by Atchison Kansas I will surely go to it!

It was nice to get a day off the bike- we had a great dinner of eggs, bacon and pancakes! Prepared by Tom- he’s from Australia so breakfast was more appropriate for his time zone. It was quite delicious!

Watkins Mill Missouri to Achison Kansas today. Achison is right on the border after you cross the Missouri River. Another State in the bag! It was another tough day with very high winds after lunch. Up to Smithville Lake it was beautiful, just a light breeze, partly sunny in the low 70s and beautiful scenery. We stopped at a quaint little town called Paradise for drinks at the 15 mile mark, then Than and I stopped at Platte City and ate our lunch at the Courthouse. After that the wind really picked up out of the West, Southwest. There was a stretch of about 12 miles where we had a good crosswind riding on a major road, but fortunately there was a decent shoulder. Nevertheless, it is hard work keeping going in a straight line with 35 mph wind gusts coming at you from the side. Then as we got closer to Achison there was a stretch pretty much dead into the wind as we crossed the Missouri River. The advantage of a headwind is that it cools you off, but damn it is hard work pedaling at 7-9 mph. We got to the campsite around 3 PM after going 70 miles with a lot of rolling hills- totaling 4400 feet of elevation gain. The wind is so high at the campsite we are holding off pitching our tents- it’s supposed to die down later on in the afternoon.

Sorry about not posting photos or videos- wireless is pretty much non-existent at the places we are staying. When we get to a motel at some point in a couple of weeks I hope to download a bunch and update my posts accordingly.

Below are the RidewithGPS stats

A tough day today going from Higginsville to Watkins Mill, Missouri.  A total of 76 miles and 4455 ft of elevation gain.  This was over what was expected because a bridge was out en route and we had to detour a considerable distance to get to Orrick and back on the route.  We went through some very hilly country, a lot of rollers and a lot of climbing.   I was riding ahead of the group and Simona, who had been riding ahead to the campsite, passed me in the opposite direction to tell me the bridge was out and to turn around and go to route 210 to get to Orrick.   I turned around and went for several miles, then consulted google maps to see if there was a shorter way to Orrick.  There was, so I took it- unfortunately it ended up being gravel roads, and not nice compacted gravel like the bike trails we have been on, but really rough gravel, meant for tractors!   I ended up a mile in and got a flat, a big nail in my rear tire.  While putting a new tube on, a lady passed by and I asked her about the best way to get to Orrick.  She said that the way I was going was all gravel, similar to what I was on and she suggested I back track and head to highway 210!  So that it what I did.  I got to Orrick around lunch time so had my lunch at a gas station there and met up with Deb, Than and Theo.  Than and I got in to camp about 3 PM.   Turned out the main group had gotten lost and was picked up by the van and deposited at highway 210 to continue from there.  They were then picked up to do the shopping for the evening meal.  It was a wild day.  The roads today were not the best- mainly 2 lane highways with no shoulders or really poor shoulders.  A lot more traffic than usual so you had to pay attention to the road and not the scenery. We also had a lot of wind, mainly from the West, so in many cases we had a direct headwind, which slowed us down considerably.  At least the temperature was not excessive, so going into a headwind you have a nice breeze cooling you off, but you just go much slower- at times only 7 or 8 mph.  And there was no rain which is always a plus!!  As we are getting into summer, one needs to pay attention to sun block and make sure you slather a lot on several times during the day.  I’m doing a pretty good job making sure I don’t get any sunburn!  At the end of the day I was definitely more tired than usual, but not so much to be worried about tomorrow, I think I’ll be ready to ride after a good meal and a good nights sleep tonight!

Below are the RidewithGPS stats:

Going from Boonville to Higginsville Missouri- no longer on the Katy trail, so back on the roads.  Kinda nice to be riding on a smooth surface- we can certainly go a lot faster!  With tailwinds today I was averaging 16 mph on a 68 mile ride with 2,600 ft elevation gain.  It was warmer today, bright sunny sky starting in the high 60s and it got into the low 80s at the end of the day, clouding up a bit with some good stiff breezes but luckily coming out of the South East so pushing us along for the most part.  It was mostly rolling farmland- definitely flattening out as we head West.  We stopped at Ed’s Burger and Beer for lunch in Blackburn, about 15 miles from our campsite in Higginsville.  Ed doesn’t seem to get much business, at least this time of year.   We all asked for water with ice and he said that is the first time anyone has asked for that in 6 years!  I guess most people probably order beer!    

Everyone got into the Higginsville Fairground Park campsite by 2:30, so plenty of time to set up camp and relax before dinner.   No showers, which has everyone disgruntled, but managing to make do by using the sinks in the nearby restrooms!   A promise of showers tomorrow!   Our ride leader Dennis Patterson is no longer with us, due to some health issue which he didn’t elaborate on.  He has been replace by another guy, Arlen, who will act as a temporary leader along.with Simona until Fort Collins, at which time we will get another guy who will be with us through to Oregon. 

Everyone is riding pretty well.  Terence has a back issue but he is managing to keep the pace.   Theo is continuing along with us, a bit out of shape with his layoff.   No one has had any serious bike issues, just some flats.  We will all have a chance to get a tune up when we get to Fort Collins, Colorado. There are a multitude of bike shops there and Adventure Cycling can set up a morning with one of the shops to have them go through all our bikes before we proceed into the mountains.  

Tebbetts to Boonville Missouri along the Katy Trail- 62 miles and 280 ft of elevation gain.  Another beautiful day, starting in the 60s with a light fog, clearing in the afternoon in the low 70s with a light breeze, perfect for biking.   The trail was pristine packed gravel, really nicely kept up in spite of the recent rains in the area.  I passed a tractor with a roller behind it compacting the gravel, they really keep this trail up.   Much of the trail today ran right by the Missouri River- the current is still strong, maybe 4 mph, fast for such a big river.   Parts of the trail had big cliff bluffs on the right.  We stopped for lunch at Rochport, 47 miles into the ride- a great bike shop/café.  They had remnants of the old locomotive roundhouse near there and they had converted the area into a campsite.  Sad to see these old remnants of what was once a thriving rail transportation corridor with the MKT rail line.  Could they have imagined back then that in 100 years their thriving rail line would be turned into a bike trail!  What an ignominious ending!!!  

We are staying at a public park in Boonville, which is across the Missouri River.  This place was originally known for the Boone salt licks, a place where the local Indians used to hunt animals attracted to the salt deposits there.   Daniel Boone bought some land there and later his sons started a salt manufacturing company using these salt deposits.  From our campsite high on a hill we overlooked the Missouri River looking West.  This was the boundary of the United States in the early 1800s, so all that land to the west of the Missouri was Indian land.  Pretty cool thinking about this being the US frontier not too long ago.  This is the last of the Katy Trail for us! Back on roads tomorrow.  This park has no showers, so just did a sink bath with cold water no less. Felt great!   Now sitting here under our covered veranda at the park, with a cold beer, writing this blog.  What I life- don’t miss work at all!  

 

Going from Augusta to Tebbitts Missouri today, all along the Katy trail.  An easy 70 miles with little elevation gain as we continue to follow the Missouri River.  It started out cloudy and drizzly for the first half of the day. The rain stopped but still cloudy at the end of the day, but threatening thunderstorms.  Tonight we are staying in a hostel with bunk beds inside, so no need to set up tents which is nice.  There were no nice little towns to stop at for lunch,  We ended up taking our lunch break at a grocery store in McKittrick, about 38 miles into the ride.  The Missouri looked pretty high and current was strong- it’s a big river, but interestingly no ship traffic.  I would have expected a lot of barges, but according to the internet it is currently not economical given competition from other modes of transport including trains and road.  Theo, the guy who had the accident several weeks ago, is back riding with us!  His face is almost completely healed and so he is now getting his bike legs back. Our group is finding its rhythm.  We have Timmie who likes to shoot ahead and get to camp early, Terrie who like to go slow and steady. Terence, Tom, Chet and Mel who like to take their time and see the sights, Than and I who tend to go somewhat fast but like to hang with the slower group from time to time and Deb who migrates in and out but rides a lot by herself.  Everyone is getting along well and riders are very considerate of others in the group.  We are only 23 days into the ride, we’ll see how we hold up  after 70 days together!

We went from Alton Illinois to Augusta Missouri.  A total of 63 miles and 511 ft of elevation gain.  A momentous day as we crossed the Mississippi River into Missouri right away.  I really feel like we are going West at this point.  It was a beautiful day, starting off in the high 50s and getting into the 70s at the end of the day.  Sunny skies and light tailwind breezes.  We got onto the Katy Trail about 13 miles after crossing the river. It’s a rail bed from a previous railroad, the Missouri-Kansas-Texas (MKT) railroad which was nicknamed the K.T. Or Katy by railroad employees.  It is real smooth packed gravel with little incline as it is following the Missouri River for a large part.  We will be on this trail practically all the way through Missouri, so no hill climbing for awhile, which is a relief to everyone.   We stopped at St Charles for a coffee break about 25 miles in- a really quaint little town along the Missouri River with a beautiful river side park area.  Then stopped at the Good News Brewery just 5 miles from Augusta for a well deserved cold brew and a hot pretzel.  It was packed with people for Mother’s Day, it being the first nice weekend in awhile.  Apparently there has been a lot of rain in these parts.  We meet this nice local guy with his wife who turned out to be a professional photographer and he took our picture outside the front of the Brewery.  I’ll post the photo when he sends it to us.   It was mine and Tom’s turn to cook this evening so we went into town to the Walmart to shop.  Stir frie with pecan pie and ice cream for dessert.  It was a hit!