Biking Across Kansas
BAK 2019 – An (br) easy day
I went to bed last night looking forward to an easy day of riding – with relatively flat roads, little to no wind, that, if it blew it all, would serve as a tailwind. When I woke up, it was clear that wouldn’t be the case. Instead, we spent most of the day battling a fierce headwind that sometimes gave … Read more
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Saying goodbye, for now, and thank you
I could feel the emotion welling up inside me as soon as awoke in Troy, Kan., on Saturday morning. Today, I would ride an easy 14 miles to the Missouri River in Elwood; that ride would be the only easy part of the day. This journey began eight days before, in St. Francis near the Colorado border. It’s where I … Read more
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The road to Marysville
So, let’s talk about that road to Marysville. Very hilly. More than very hilly. It’s the sort of hilly where it feels like it’s almost all hills. The crest of one reveals a downhill, but also the next hill you’ll have to climb. I heard that people were counting them, and I’ve heard numbers between 40 and 62 being kicked … Read more
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On the road from St. Francis to Oberlin, and all the good things in between
I will probably go to bed early tonight. And based on the yawns and drowsy eyes of many other participants, the BAK campground will be fairly quiet, fairly early tonight. We began the morning in St. Francis, where most riders were packed and on the road by 6 a.m. Including me, despite the fact that I’ve not yet adjusted from … Read more
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Beating back the cycle of doubt and fear
It’s sort of funny when I think about it. I’ve done this before, last year, when I rode my bike across the entire state of Kansas. But still there is doubt, the voice inside that says: “It can’t be done, at least not by someone like you.” “I’ve done this before, I can do it again,” I fight back in my … Read more
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Harvested
On July 4, I rode to McPherson for the annual Smith Family Explodapalooza. I wanted to make a good ride of it, so I went through Hesston via Dutch Avenue, then up Old Highway 81 into McPherson. On the way, I saw this field of wheat stubble, and I stopped. It wasn’t too long ago that I rode this same … Read more
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Crossing the line
Biking Across Kansas 2015 is officially over. We crossed the line into Missouri, held our bicycles triumphantly, snapped some photos and pedaled back toward Louisburg for lunch. We grabbed our bags, said goodbye to our friends and headed back to the real world. And the photographs will show that we crossed from one state line in the west to another … Read more
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