Preparation (No H Yet)

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If you look closely, you might think that I’ve lost my toupee. In fact it’s not me. It’s my brother. I’m back in the saddle less than a year from my ride across Canada, but this time I’ve got a riding companion.

Mike flew all the way from California to Kansas City and I drove. Our plan is to do the Rock Island Spur Trail which connects with the Katy Trail and crosses Missouri. It’s a trail I’ve had my eye on for quite some time as a possible Gogarty family trip. Mike and I will be the guinea pigs.

The drive was relatively easy. It’s about 9 hours from Pueblo to Kansas City. I tried to keep myself busy with some healthy eating of Fritos while guzzling Mountain Dew. I wanted to get myself ready for the bike trip knowing I’ll soon be eating out of convenience stores again.

It was nostalgic, but also exciting to pull all of the gear out in preparation and packing. Of course having lived in too many places over the last year I couldn’t quite locate all of it but I have the necessities.

As I crossed Eastern Colorado, I couldn’t help but worry about the farmers and ranchers. Missing out on the snow at the ski slopes was annoying, but obviously not life-threatening. Out on the Eastern prairies it looks life threatening. I couldn’t help but think that trying to make a living in that kind of environment might make you want to pray.

As I got further into Kansas, things greened up. There were also some rolling hills, but just barely. For all intents and purposes, once I was on Highway 70, if I’d been in a Tesla I could have slept for 6 hours while the car drove straight to Kansas City without me needing to touch the steering wheel.

I did use the time to listen to some fun podcasts and also a great book. I’m enjoying Team of Rivals about Abraham Lincoln and his cabinet which he made up of the people he had beat for the Republican nomination to the presidency. We’ll see how things go with a riding companion tomorrow, but I’m hopeful that conversation will replace podcasts and books.