During the month we stayed in Lawrence while helping family recuperate from a hospitalization, we had the opportunity to ride all of the wonderful bike trails Lawrence has to offer, including the Lawrence Levee Trail along the Kansas River. We rode this in two parts spanning two weekends.
The first weekend we rode the south part of the trail, a round trip of 12.5 miles. We didn't have our camera with us so we only took one picture of this ride with the timer on our phone. It was Valentine's Day and we wanted to capture the memory of our Valentine's present to each other -- an afternoon spent together on our bikes. Knowing my love for the New England coast, my sweetie took me where I could at least see seagulls in Kansas!
The following weekend, we rode the north half of the trail. She rode 14.25 miles round trip and struggled from about mile 10 on. Some rides are just like that. At about mile 12, she lost feeling in her ass. At mile 13, her legs followed suit. At mile 14, she was very, very happy to see their vehicles up ahead.
That last quarter mile felt like pedaling with concrete blocks. That's where the "Just Keep Pedaling" name of this blog originated. When we first started riding our bicycles back in 2013, there were many rides when we both felt like that!
Upon reaching the cars, he said "You want to go for 15 miles?" She said, "You feel free and go right ahead. I'm done for today." So, he did. Proud of him!!
It was an amazing 70-degree day at the end of February. This was actually the perfect weather conditions for this trail, as it is wide open with no tree cover. In the height of summer or an excessively windy day, you would not want to be on this trail.
It's a bit rough in several spots. Many times we found ourselves riding over to the edge to avoid the ruts in the center, and others times we found ourselves riding in the center to avoid the ruts on the edge. LOL
The north end of the trail dead ends at active railroad tracks that parallel Highway 24.
I thought this picture of this lone tree just said "Kansas."
Not really sure what all the mumbo-jumbo means on the many of Corp of Engineers signs like this that we encountered, but the proofreader/editor part of me is at least 76% sure that "gage" is spelled incorrectly for this context.
The smokestack of the Lawrence Energy Center coal-burning plant looming in the distance........
and closer up.
The trail goes by Riverfront Park and as the picture shows, there is a
Johnny on the Job available.
We did joke about the possibility of there being a van down by the river.
Chris Farley/SNL fans will nod.
Not far from Riverfront Park the trail travels under the I-70 bridge.
With some pie in the sky graffiti. This is Kansas, after all, and we have bigger battles to fight right now, like keeping public education legal. Maybe someday, though, there will be a Trove store in Lawrence.
The trail paralleled the placid-on-this-day Kansas River as we approached downtown.
The view of downtown Lawrence. I won't go so far as to call it an actual skyline.
Not to be confused with an open face sandwich.
We crossed over the river bridge ......
... to ride the short paved trail in Burcham Park on the south bank of the river.
This appears to be a very new trail.
All in all, it was a beautiful day for a ride with my guy.
Just for ease of remembering, my mileage goal for each year is always going to be the same number as the current year, so I hope to ride 2016 miles in 2016. I fell very short of that goal in 2015. So, for 2016, to try to keep myself on track, and Mr. Just Keep Pedaling has agreed to join me in this endeavor, we have joined the Facebook group Ride Streak, a community of cyclists who are committed to attempting to ride everyday. Doesn't matter how far each day, it's really just on the honor system, but it's just a way to keep ourselves accountable. I attempted this last year in April when I did the April 30-day biking challenge, but by the first week in May I had already fallen off the wagon. This year, I'm vowing to try to keep it alive. As the administrator of the Ride Streak page noted, if we ride every day this year, we will ride 366 days in a row, because this is Leap Year. We won't have that opportunity again for another 4 years. We'll see how it goes.
~~H
OUR 2016 RIDE STREAK LOGS
Hers:
Going to try this again. Husband said he would join me in the
attempt. As long as it's winter, all of these are going to be in my
basement on the trainer because I'm just too lazy to deal with getting
dressed in all the clothes cold-blooded me requires for a comfortable
ride when the temps are anywhere below 70. I've been there and done the
snot in my balaclava and on my glove and sleeve and I'm just not up for
that. Too. Much. Trouble. That's just the way it is. So, all that said:
Day 1 (01/01/2016): 7 miles in the basement with Pandora.
Day 2 (01/02/2016: Made myself ride outside today after all. It wasn't so bad, 46
degrees. Rode out to the town golf course and back. 5 miles.
Day 3 (01/03/2016): 3 miles. Basement.
Day 4 (01/04/2016): 6.25 miles (or a little over 10k if you're anything other than American.) That sounds more impressive anyway.
Day 5 (01/05/2016): 5 miles in basement.
Day 6 (01/06/2016): 6.25 miles. Basement.
Day 7 (01/07/2016): 6.25 miles in basement, preceded by 15 minutes of core exercises.
I'm almost certain I'll be questioning the wisdom of that decision
tomorrow morning.
Day 8 (01/08/2016): (start of week 2, so far so good): 6.25 miles in basement. Tonight on Pandora -- Peter Gabriel, Lou Gramm and ZZ Top. "You left the beat box on, Dusty."
Day 9 (01/09/2016): 6.25 miles in basement. I love the "route" it shows. Usually it's much more scribbly than this. So, I'm calling this one an out and back ride.
Day 10 (01/10/2016): It was take a break day, so a slow 1 mile in the basement in my pajamas and slippers.
Day 11 (01/11/2016): 6.25 miles on trainer and another 30 minutes of arm work and crunches.
Day 12 (01/12/2016): Some rides just seem quite difficult. Tonight was one of those.
I struggled to get half of what I normally shoot for. 3 miles on the
trainer.
Day 13 (01/13/2016): 5.35 miles Outside. And had our first real encounter with a dog
in our 2-1/2 years of riding. It charged at us barking and snarling,
bit at husband's ankle, then turned around and ran right into my front
wheel, causing me to almost eat asphalt.
Day 14 (01/14/2016): 8 miles on trainer. Trying to make up some from wimping out the other night.
Day 15 (01/15/2016: 6.25 miles on trainer. Musical notes: Journey' s Separate Ways
is almost the perfect steady make-you-sweat tempo. Journey' s Be Good To
Yourself, on the other hand, has an unsustainable tempo. LOL
Day 16 (01/16/2016: Trainer. 7.25 miles. On Pandora tonight: Springsteen, Hall and Oates, Bruce Hornsby
Day 17 (01/17/2016: Just one short mile. I have spent the day starting to catch up
on our really-behind bike blog. Got our Montana and Idaho ride posts
from September done. Video takes a hella lot of time to edit.
Day 18 (01/18/2016): 15 minutes on the trainer. My app decided not to log my miles. I'm going to guess 3-ish.
Day 19 (01/19/2016): 6.25 on trainer.
Day 20 (01/20/2016): 5.25 miles on the trainer with some Mellencamp Cherry Bomb to
help me close it out. Nothing wrong with that. Nothing at all.
Day 21 (01/21/2016): Trainer 6.25 miles.
Day 22 (01/22/2016): 6.25 miles on trainer. Have you picked up on a touch of OCD yet?
Day 23 (01/23/2016): 5 miles on trainer. Note to self: Do not ride when you are
hungry. You will not go the distance you wanted to. This is the second
time now. LEARN.
Day 24 (01/24/2016): Just one mile on the trainer after a long day and many miles
spent in a car. Back to the hospital to visit mom-in-law and the rest
of the day filled with vehicle browsing. The events of this past week
point out clearly that we need another personal vehicle at our disposal.
Our list of criteria were: Compact SUV, hopefully 30 mpg highway, all
wheel drive or 4WD to handle snow, and be able to fit both of our
folding Montague mountain bikes in the cargo area, ideally without
having to fold down the second row seats. After looking into the backs
of every SUV model known to man at many different dealers today, we have
decided that a Subaru Outback meets every one of those criteria and is
very likely going to be joining our family soon. Now, we just need to
find the perfect 2- to 3-year-old one that fits our budget.
Day 25 (01/25/2016): 1 mile. Had a headache all day. Wasn't really feeling the bike riding love. But I kept it alive.
Day 26 (01/26/2016): An extremely frustration-filled day, the kind of day in which the excrement that life sometimes lobs at you is best dealt with only by a leisurely bike ride with a gentle 80-degree breeze and blue sky, but it's January, so .................. whatever. 10 very slow-paced miles on the trainer. Tonight definitely called for mellower music: Chris de Burgh, Mr. Mister, Chicago.
Day 27 (01/27/2016): 6.25 miles on trainer. I had company on my ride tonight.
Day 28 (01/28/2016): Just one quick mile. Almost ran outta day. Monthly
bill paying ate up my entire evening, but I wanted to get that chore
done so I was free to spend the weekend with my sweetie while he takes
care of the parental units. We have awesome weekend plans like adding
another car payment to the debt trough and filling out college FAFSA
forms. (Be jealous.) I'm hoping somewhere in there with the nice
weather we can squeeze in an outside ride since we'll be in a town with a
large number of great bike paths.
Day 29 (01/29/2016): Happy birthday, Kansas! 1 mile on the trainer on my husband's 27-foot tall bike
(01/30/2016) Her: Day 30 Him: Day 9, Part Deux
A
much needed "together" day today. We bought our new Outback (we LOVE
it!), date lunch at a Mexican restaurant, then a 7.25 mile outside ride
(yeah, you read that right) on this beautiful afternoon. Good day.
Day 31 (01/31/2016): 1 quick mile at 11 pm. That makes one whole
successful month of streaking and 150.25 miles ridden! That's 18 miles
short of the 168 I need to average each month to reach my goal of riding
2016 miles in 2016. Guess I better step it up.
Day 32 (02/01/2016): 6.25 miles on the trainer
Day 33 (02/02/2016): 7.5 miles on the trainer
Day 34 (02/03/2016): You know what I'm going to say. 6.25 miles on the trainer.
Day 35 (02/04/2016): 7.5 miles on the trainer.
Day 36 (02/05/2016) for her, Day 15 Part Deux! for him! 3 miles outside with my Sweet Husband (in the cold AND the dark)!
Day 37 (02/06/2016) for her, Day 16 Part Deux for him! 10 miles on South Lawrence Trafficway Trail
Day 38 (02/07/2016): 1 mile.
Day 39 (02/08/2016): 3 miles
Day 40 (02/09/2016): 7.5 miles on trainer. I'll leave all the north-wind-winter-riding to the macho men on here. Yep.
Day 41 (02/10/16): 1 mile on trainer
(02/11/2016): Day 42 for her, Day 21 Part Deux for him! 6.25 miles outside in the daylight with my Sweetie! Enjoyed having her with me! That's
a 38 degree outside ride, and a 4 am alarm this morning to take MIL to
surgery.
Day 43 (02/12/2016): 2 miles outside in 28 degrees, the first half
uphill into north wind. Therefore, here are tomorrow's options: A) Husband kindly puts a bicycle back on the trainer for wife OR B) The streak ends.Because the nonsense of tonight is NOT happening this weekend.
Day 44 (02/13/2016): 6.25 miles on trainer. Felt good to do a longer ride after several days of short ones.
(02/14/2016) Day 45 for her, day 24 Part Deux for him: A beautiful day
for a 12.5 mile ride on the Lawrence River Trail levee with My Funny
Valentine! Knowing my love for Nantucket, he took me where I could at
least see seagulls in Kansas!
(02/15/2016) Day 46 for her, day 25 Part Deux for him: 8 mile ride on the South Lawrence Trafficway trail. The first part in daylight, the last part in darkness.
(02/16/2015) Day 26 Part Deux! For me. Day 47 for her 5.25 miles outside. Beautiful sunset as we finished our ride.
(02/17/2015) Day 48: 3.5 hilly miles on the South Lawrence Trafficway Trail out by Rock Chalk Park. Lawrence is not flat!
(02/18/2015) Day 49: 1 short mile outside just around the in-laws' neighborhood where we would be somewhat sheltered from the 40-50 mph winds. Shame the wind had to be doing that because it was 77 degrees in February! But I suppose it was 77 degrees in February because of that south wind.
(02/19/2015) Day 50 for me and day 29 Part deux for him :
7.5 miles around the suburbia of Lawrence in gorgeous weather, then
spaghetti dinner with the in-laws, and then we got to COME HOME!!!!!
Very proud of my guy for everything he did over this last month and for
keeping his streak going in spite of everything, only missing that one
night when mom got rushed to ICU. In fact, I'm thinking he should really
get a pass for that.
(02/20/2015) Day 51: 14.25 mile ride in beautiful 70-degree non-very windy weather along the Lawrence River Trail levee
(02/21/2015) Day 52: 1 quick mile on the trainer.
(02/22/2016) Day 53: 7 miles on trainer
(02/23/2016) Day 54: 5 miles on trainer
(02/24/2016) Day 55: 6.25 miles on trainer
(02/25/2016) Day 56: 5 miles on the trainer
(02/26/2016) Day 57: 5 miles on the trainer
(02/27/2016) Day 58: 11 miles outside in breezy but B-E-A-YOU-TIFUL weather. Here's the thing, though: When this girl can comfortably ride for over an hour outside in February bare-armed in a T-shirt, global warming is fer reelz, folks.
(02/28/2016) Day 59: 3 miles on trainer
(02/29/2016) Day 60: 1 mile on trainer
That
made 153.5 miles for February, which was still 15 miles short of my
monthly goal to get me to my ultimate goal of 2016 miles in 2016. So
far in 2016 I have ridden 303.75. Looks like I am averaging roughly 150
miles a month, which is only going to add up to 1800 miles in 12 months.
Dang it.
(03/01/2016) Day 61: 4 miles on trainer
(03/02/2016)
Day 62: 8 miles outside around town. Got chased by two dogs, neither
seemed intent on harm. One was a bulldog -- and that was actually
hysterical. He didn't keep up with me for very long. :)
(03/03/2016) Day 63: 7.5 miles around town.
(03/04/2016) Day 64: 10 miles around town.
(03/05/2016) Day 65: Spent the afternoon caucusing for my
candidate. Just did 5 minutes on the exercise bike without recording the
mileage. I'm calling it a mile.
(03/06/2016) Day 66: 1 mile on the trainer (too windy)
(03/07/2016) Day 67: 1 mile on the trainer (a little too strong of a $1.50 Monday margarita special for a person who very seldom drinks -- LOL)
(03/08/2016) Day 68: Back in the groove. 6.25 miles on trainer.
(03/09/2016) Day 69: 10 miles around town.
(03/10/2016) Day 70: 11 miles around town.
(03/11/2016) Day 71: 4 to 5 miles around town. Map My Ride seems to have done an update because the screen looks different, and it is not calculating correctly and shutting itself down repeatedly. This is a problem.
(03/12/2016) Day 72: 1 quick mile on the trainer before the 3-hour drive to watch our town high school boys win the basketball state championship in their class.
(03/13/2016) Day 73: Again, 4 to 5 miles around town. Again, Map My Ride
playing very not-nicely. Regarding the intended distance, my mind said,
"Listen. You really need to do at least 10 miles today." My heart laughed and
"Nope. I just want to watch TV." And as is almost always the case with me, my
heart wins.
(03/14/2016) Day 74: 10 miles around town.
(03/15/2016) Day 75: 5 miles on the trainer and an episode of The Officof
(03/16/2016) Day 76: 6.25 miles on the trainer and spent the rest of the evening finishing up a blog post of our Colorado ride from 6 months ago. LOL
(03/17/2016) Day 77: 1 mile on trainer
(03/18/2016) Day 78: 6.25 miles on the trainer
(03/19/2016) Day 79: 1 mile on trainer
(03/20/2016) Day 80: 1 mile on trainer
(03/21/2016) Day 81: 1 mile on trainer
(03/22/2016) Day 82: 6.25 miles on trainer
(03/23/2016) Day 83: 1 mile on trainer
(03/24/2016) Day 84: 6.25 miles on trainer
(03/25/2016) Day 85: 32.25 miles on Prairie Spirit Trail (blog post attached)
(03/26/2016) Day 86: 5 miles around town
(03/27/2016) Day 87: 1 mile on trainer
(03/28/2016) Day 88: 5 miles around town.
(03/29/2016) Day 89: 5 miles on trainer. Too windy.
(03/30/2016) Day 91: 1 mile on trainer.
(03/31/2016) Day 92: 6.25 miles on trainer.
(04/01/2016) Day 92: 6.25 miles on trainer.
(04/02/2016) Day 93: 8.5 miles around town. Bought a Bluetooth headset and was able to have a phone conversation with an out-of-state friend I never get to see while I rode! That was awesome, and made the time and miles go very quickly.
(04/03/2016) Day 94: 2 miles over to check on some property I own.
(04/04/2016) Day 95: 1 mile errand down to the high school.
His:
Day 1 (01/01/2016): 3 Miles. Day 2: 5 Miles, and today, Day 3: 3 Miles. All in the basement. Kicking off 2016 with revolution of the pedals!
Day 4 (01/04/2016): 3 Miles A Balmy 70 degrees in the basement Cause its 26 degrees outside!
Day 5 (01/05/2016):1 Mile in the basement. Had to squeeze a quick ride in
between work and having to take my parents to visitation for an old
family friend that passed away.
Day 6 (01/06/2016): 5 miles in the basement. Only thing to report is Winter is Coming! So say the Starks.
Day 7 (01/07/2016): 3 miles in the basement. Only thing to report is that Doctor Who nobody knows saved the World again!
Day 8 (01/08/2016): 5 Miles In the basement. Figured I better share a picture of
my bike so you streakers would believe me! Only thing to report is to
never call Dalek Exterminators unless you have a Gilligans Island size
Cave Spider in your House!
Day 9 (01/09/2016): 3 Miles on the trainer. 31 Miles so far for the year.
Day 10 (01/10/2016): 1 slow mile in basement just to keep the streak going.
Day 11 (01/11/2016): 6.25 Miles on the Trainer Going to increase my miles this week. Started off good!
Day 12 (01/12/2016): 6.25 miles on the trainer. Calling for 50 tomorrow. Guess I better commit to riding outside.
Day 13 (01/13/2016): 5.35 Miles Outside on this Beautiful 50 degree day! Starting a pedal revolution for Waste Management!
Day 14 (01/14/2016) - 3 Miles on the trainer in between periods of the Blues/Hurricanes hockey game! Go Blues!
Day 15 (01/15/2016) - 6.25 miles on trainer! 59.24 miles total of Streaking!
Day 16 (01/16/2016) - 2 Miles in between periods of the Blues/Canadians hockey game! Go Blues!
Day 17 (01/17/2016) - 7.25 miles on the trainer. 11 degrees outside. It was a balmy 72 in the basement!
Day 18 (01/18/2016) - 7.25 miles on the trainer. Got the ride in before the blues game tonight! Go Blues!
Day19 (01/19/2016) -- Think we forgot to record, but he did ride.
Day 20 (01/20/2016) -- 3.25 miles on the trainer. Had to ride quickly so I could hit
the road to Pittsburg before the weather rolled in. Made it just as
sleet started to fall!
Day 21 (01/21/2016) -- Unfortunately, the streak has broken. Aging parents with hospitalizations and caregiving needs takes precedence.
START THE STREAK OVER:
Day 1 Part Deux (01/22/2016) -- 3 Miles on the trainer Streak starting over. Missed yesterday because my mom was in the icu.
Day 2 - Part Deux! (01/23/2016) -- 6.25 miles on the trainer Spent another day at KUMED with my mom. Hopeful she can come home on Monday.
Day 3 Part Deux! (01/24/2016) -- 1 mile on trainer. Full day. Wish I could have taken advantage of the warm weather!
Day 4 Part Deux! (01/25/2016) -- 1.25 miles on the trainer that I moved to my parent's
house so I could keep riding. Another long day with my mom.
Day 5 Part Deux! (01/26/2016) -- 1 mile on my Wife's trainer because mine is at my
parents house and I just had to come home and see my sweetie! Another
long day taking care of my parents.
Day 6 Part Deux! (01/27/2016) -- Bluetooth App was not behaving to measure my mileage
on the trainer and I was just too tired to mess with it so I just rode
for 5 minutes. Another long day helping my parents. Fingers crossed
Mom will finally get to come home tomorrow!
Day 7 Part Deux! 1 mile on the trainer. Mom got to come home today!
Wish I could sneak in a ride outside tomorrow, but not sure I will get
it done.
Day 8 Part Deux! 1 mile on the trainer. Sucks I did not get to ride
outside on such a beautiful day! Tomorrow I am going to ride outside
on the Haskell Rail trail!
(01/30/2016) Her: Day 30 Him: Day 9, Part Deux
A
much needed "together" day today. We bought our new Outback (we LOVE
it!), date lunch at a Mexican restaurant, then a 7.25 mile outside ride
(yeah, you read that right) on this beautiful afternoon. Good day.
Day 10 (01/31/2016)Part Deux! 1 mile outside! Around my parents neighborhood. Just needed to get outside for a bit. Been a long day.
Day 11 (02/01/2016)Part Deux! 2 miles outside! Felt good to breath in that cool air!
Day 12 (02/02/2016)Part Deux! 1 Mile on the trainer. Watching the Blues game on my laptop while I rode!
Day 13 (02/03/2016)Part Deux! 1 mile on the trainer. Was a battle getting
motivated to ride. This page did its job in keeping me going.
Day 14 (02/04/2016)Part Deux! 1 Mile on the trainer! Looking forward to a ride outside this weekend with my Sweetie!
Day 15 (02/05/2016)Part Deux! for him, Day 36 for her! 3 miles outside with my Sweet Wife!
Day 16 (02/06/2016) Part Deux for him, Day 37 for her. 10 miles on South Lawrence Trafficway Trail.
Day 17 (02/07/2016) Part Deux! 2 Miles outside in the dark! Was just a tad bit Windy!
Day 18 (02/08/2016) Part Deux! 4 Miles outside in the dark around my parents
neighborhood! Actually had to avoid some people tonight. Last night
there was not a soul out in that wind.
Day 19 Part Deux (02/09/2016)! 1 Mile outside in the dark! 21 degrees! When it hurts to breath you should consider other options
Day 20 Part Deux (02/10/2016)! 2 miles outside in the dark around the Parents
neighborhood! Double the temperature of last night at 42 degrees!
Day 21 Part Deux (02/11/2016) ! 6.25 miles outside in the daylight with my Sweetie! Enjoyed having her with me!
Day 22 Part Deux (02/12/2016)! 2 miles outside! That crazy north wind is back! I don't like it!
Day 23 (Missing post, but he rode 3 miles outside in the COLD weather!!)
(02/14/2016) Day 45 for her, day 24 Part Deux for him: A beautiful day
for a 12.5 mile ride on the Lawrence River Trail levee with My Funny
Valentine! Knowing my love for Nantucket, he took me where I could at
least see seagulls in Kansas!
(02/15/2016) Day 46 for her, day 25 Part Deux for him: 8 mile ride on the South Lawrence Trafficway trail. The first part in daylight, the last part in darkness.
(02/16/2015) Day 26 Part Deux! For me. Day 47 for her 5.25 miles outside. Beautiful sunset as we finished our ride.
(02/17/2015) Day 27 Part Deux! Around the neighborhood!
(02/18/2015) -- Missing post
(02/19/2015) Day 50 for me and day 29 Part deux for him :
7.5 miles around the suburbia of Lawrence in gorgeous weather, then
spaghetti dinner with the parents, and then we got to COME HOME!!!!!
Very proud of my guy for everything he did over this last month and for
keeping his streak going in spite of everything, only missing that one
night when mom got rushed to ICU. In fact, I'm thinking he should really
get a pass for that.
(02/20/2015) Day 30 Part Deux! 15.1 Miles on the Lawrence River Levee Trail with my Sweetie! What a Beautiful Spring day for a ride!
(02/21/2016) Day 31 Part Deux! 1 mile on the trainer in the basement.
(02/22/2016) Day 32 Part Deux! 2 miles on the trainer in the basement.
(02/23/2016) Day 33 Part Deux! 3 miles on the trainer in the basement.
(02/24/2016) Day 34 Part Deux! 4 miles on the trainer in the basement.
(02/25/2016) Day 35 Part Deux! 5 Miles on the trainer
(02/26/2016) Day 36 Part Deux! 1 Mile on the trainer
Kind of got lost on recording for a spell, but didn't break the streak.
(03/09/2016) Day 48 Part Deux! 5 miles outside around town with my Sweetie! Beautiful evening for a ride!
(03/10/2016) Day 49 Part Deux! 5 Miles out and back on the Flint Hills Nature Trail Another beautiful evening for a ride!
Today we attended the annual meeting of the Kanza Rail-Trail Conservancy in Ottawa, where an update was given on the ongoing work being done to complete the Flint Hills Nature Trail. Lots of neat things in store for the 117-mile trail from Osawatomie to Herington. When it's all done, it's going to awesome!
After the meeting, we rode the recently completed portion from Colorado Road in Pomona east to Iowa road where it is still yet to be developed. During our 12-1/2 mile round trip ride we encountered 9 other cyclists (a couple of them were fellow meeting attendees), proving that if you build it, they will come.
Here is one of the new bridges. The side rails are constructed of metal, not wood, so it should outlast any current user of the trail.
The trail parellels the existing BNSF *extremely busy* active double-track line --- a little too close for this girl's comfort. I sometimes grossly misuse my imagination when I picture things like a stray nail or something on those metal rails, and then train cars scissoring and China Shipping containers flying through the air, with me riding alongside just a few feet away. There is no way that scenario could end well. I do the same thing when I'm sitting at a railroad crossing in my car, wishing I wasn't quite so close to those churning metal wheels. I really need to stop doing that.
All along this 6-mile section are signs warning equestrian users of train noise. I doubt I would want to ride a horse on this section. Oh wait, I doubt I would want to ride a horse........ anywhere. :)
Here was our turnaround point at Iowa Road.
Here is where the trail users have to cross the very busy 65 mph Highway 68, and right there in the background is my least favorite highway railroad crossing EVER! Why this highway does not have a bridge over this insanely busy double-track railroad is a complete fricking mystery to me. I practically hyperventilate every time I have to drive over this thing, ever since the time I experienced being the first car in the line waiting for a train to cross, having the warning arms go up, so I started to proceed across the tracks and the lights came on and the arms started to come down AGAIN, as another train was approaching on the second track. Shit like that is simply not cool. Not cool at all.
Crossing this highway on a bike was not my favorite thing, either. We did this once to say we did. I would definitely not want to have it be a part of my daily routine.
There were a lot of rubbernecking drivers during the time it took to get this self-timer picture set up. I'm glad they kept it between the lines. But maybe seeing us there will alert them to the fact that this pedestrian crossing IS utilized and hopefully they will remember that the next time they travel this way and be on the lookout. Or maybe not. Probably not.
All in all, however, this was a great relaxing ride. The trail surface is smooth and amazing. I'm dreaming of the day the portion of the trail around my town is in such great condition. What I heard at the meeting today was encouraging that it WILL indeed happen in the next few years.
My sweetie treated me to a once-in-a-lifetime awesome experience when he suggested we should get tickets to a Royals playoff game. We couldn't have chosen a better game -- Game 6 -- as that was the one that advanced them on to the World Series for a second year in a row. How exciting it was to be there in person to witness it with 30,000 other equally excited fans! So much energy in that stadium. It was incredible. Here was our amazing evening in pictures........
The line just to get in the gate, and we were none too early getting to this point by the time we had wound our way through the 45-minute experience that was simply getting from the point of entering the parking lot to where we were actually routed to park over in the Arrowhead lot.
Posters of our Boys in Blue spotted on the winding way up the cat walk to our seats in the Hy-Vee section.
A fan's poster spotted in the bathroom. LOL
Saw it on the Jumbotron later during the game.
We were climbing the stairs to our seats at the tippy-top of the nosebleed section as the national anthems were starting.
No sitting around waiting for the game to start for us tonight!
Since we were playing Toronto, anthems were sung for both Canada
and America
Country singer Clay Walker sang the Star Spangled Banner.
My sweetie beside me and the Royals outfielders down there along the right field base line during the Canadian anthem.
Our first attempt at a selfie came out terrible and I asked my sweet husband to be the one to hold the phone to attempt the second one since his arm is longer. At that point, the nice couple behind us interjected and offered to take a picture for us since they "didn't want to listen to a marital disagreement." LOL
Game start time!
Let's get this party started!
The view from our seat.
It might have been nosebleed section, but still a great view!
Moose hit the now-famous home run.
Fireworks erupted and water shot out of the fountains........
and they replayed on the Jumbotron
But then this....... LOL
And then this.
Whooooooo!!!!
And then my Paulo Orlando came into the game and my day was complete.
I love that Paulo!
(Trust me, this is Paulo, not an ant.)
We knew there was a possibility of rain. Rain had been forecast for several days prior. So, we had gone prepared for the possibility with umbrella and ponchos in our bag. But we were lulled into a false sense of security when the game began and proceeded without precipitation. We were, however, unaware of this Facebook post that WIBW issued at 7:50 pm. No notice was ever given to the spectators at the stadium that rain was imminent before the end of the game. Seems like something they might have at least maybe put on the big screen at some point. Or maybe that's just me. LOL
And, yep...... it arrived. :)
But we waited it out at our seats. With our ponchos, we stayed almost completely dry. And thankfully, for being nighttime at the end of October, it was an amazing 70 degrees, so it wasn't a cold, miserable rain.
In fact, the rain delay was actually much longer than it seemed for somebody who was sitting in the rain waiting it out. I was shocked the next day to find out it had been a 45-minute to 1-hour delay.
But look at the time there. Boy was I glad that (A) this was a Friday night, (B) we didn't have to go to work tomorrow, and (C) we had a hotel room reserved and didn't have to make the 2-hour drive home!
So, they removed the tarp and the game resumed.........
But at that point, I had a bad gut feeling that things were stacked against them and that it wasn't going to end favorably for the Royals. Wade Davis had just started pitching when the rain delay was called and he had had 45 minutes to cool down and that just didn't bode well to me or several people seated around us based on comments I heard. I added my own muttered, "I don't have a good feeling about this at all....."
However, my ever-optimistic husband made me laugh out loud
for longer than I probably should have with his response to that:
"None of that. It's probably just something bad left over from lunch."
Love that guy!!! :) :)
And damn if he wasn't right. But the top of the 9th inning was not for the faint of heart. The Royals got in a heck of a tight spot and somehow managed to get themselves out of it.
What an amazing roar erupted from the crowd when Moose caught the line drive and threw it over to Hosmer to make the last out and win the game. I'm so glad I caught it all on video.
There's Moose and bunch of the guys celebrating on the Jumbotron
And here's my sweetie and myself with the celebration
happening on the field below us. So. Cool.
One of the best experiences of my life and I owe it all to my wonderful husband
for convincing me we should be there in person to experience it.
And we each have a rally towel as a souvenir of our amazing evening!
I imagine it will be going in a frame.
#ForeverRoyal
Getting out of the parking lot was another long adventure but at that point where were so hyped up it didn't matter how long it took. :) It was well after midnight and we were starving, so we had IHOP at 1:00 a.m. That was special, too, because it was the same IHOP that was right across the street from his dad's office that his dad used to take him to when he was a boy.
Be sure to check out our video montage at the very bottom of this post
to experience the chills and goosebumps of the game with full audio!
**************************************
Saturday, October 24, 2015
So, this being a bike blog and all, we felt compelled to include a bike ride on this trip, although in no way, shape or form was the bike ride the priority of this awesome weekend. LOL
We stayed at the Holiday Inn on the Plaza and since the Harry Wiggins Trolley Track Trail was very close to there, we decided to give it a try, even though it got pretty poor reviews as a "bike trail", and I would likely agree with that assessment, as it has many, many street crossings. The trail, as its name implies, is the reclaimed track of the former trolley line. It is a much better jogging and dog-walking trail than it is a bike trail, but for our purposes today, it worked just fine. We were not out for a strenuous exercise ride, we were just wanting to enjoy some time on the seats of our bikes, checking out a trail we had not visited before.
I always like to see artsy stuff incorporated into trails.
The world can always use more beauty and creativity.
The trail sign had children's artwork on tiles up at top. Wonderful idea.
It was a beautiful fall day for our very low-key bike ride
on this pretty urban trail.
I really should have had my blue RockiNoggins helmet cover,
but I had left it at home.
The pink polka dots didn't really match the Royals hoodie. Oh, the shame! :)
I assume the little stone house is the trolley station this plaque refers to,
but who knows?
The trail went through the Waldo neighborhood of KC, MO.
(Where's Waldo? Found him..........)
The bus stop had a neat bike rack
And on the other side of the same bus stop, another artsy
-- and unexpected -- find.
A piano. Just sitting there.
See it back there? LOL
It was painted up funky and had some sort of wooden appendages nailed onto it, and even had a stuffed snake protruding from it. It was bizarre and hilarious. I imagine it was also very out of tune, although I did not try it. I'm wondering to myself now -- too late -- why I didn't at least pound out the old standard
"Heart and Soul" that we used to play to drive our junior high music teacher nuts. Dang it! Think Tom Hanks in "Big."
It apparently was part of the 2015 Pianos on Parade event.
According to the sign taped on the top, it is
"Looking for a good home. This piano is free to take."
Nature trails are all fine and good, but I have discovered that I like to have things to look at while I ride along, too. And art is more interesting to me than just trees and gravel, so this trail was right up my alley!
We came upon two separate KC BCycle stations along this trail.
We have ridden bikes rented from BCycle in Houston (blog post here), and DecoBike in San Diego (blog post still pending) Glad to see KC also offering the service, but in the hour or so that we rode this trail, we did not see anyone riding one of these bikes. If we had not brought our own bikes with us on this trip, we likely would have taken advantage of the BCycles. It is a great concept and we have found them very handy in several cities we have visited and have been glad for the opportunity to ride bikes in situations where we could not have our bikes with us, when we have flown to our destination rather than driven there.
The BCycle bikes all have baskets on them, many with advertisements
and funny PSAs.
But the BEST thing discovered at the KC BCycle station
was this little darling right here.......
All in all, we had a wonderful leisurely 7-mile ride along the
Harry Wiggins Trolley Trail.
We finished off our night with my employee appreciation dinner at Fogo de Chao Brazilian steakhouse on the Plaza. Interesting restaurant. They bring skewers of meat around to the table -- any and all kinds of meat -- chicken breast, chicken thighs, pork, steak, lamb, there was probably turkey, too (honestly, I lost count.) And they will keep bringing meat around to the table and asking you if you want some and you will wonder why they won't leave you alone because you are stuffed and couldn't possible eat another bite. To make them stop, we realized that we needed to turn the coaster that was at each place setting over from the green side to the red side. And then they stopped asking. :)
He experienced meat ecstasy. She, being not that much of a meat eater, preferred the extensive salad bar, although the sirloin steak was excellent. I believe if the next employee appreciation dinner is held there, I will have to try to remember to hold out for the sirloin. I don't need to try all the other kinds of meat. The sirloin and the salad will do me just fine. And then there was dessert. I'll hold out for that, too. :)
As we walked back through the Plaza to our hotel after supper,
we enjoyed seeing all the Royals flags lining the street
and took our picture in front of the Royals blue fountain.
What a wonderful weekend spent with the man of my dreams!
No video of the bike ride, but here is a video montage of our incredible Royals game experience:
The following weekend, we rode the north half of the trail. She rode 14.25 miles round trip and struggled from about mile 10 on. Some rides are just like that. At about mile 12, she lost feeling in her ass. At mile 13, her legs followed suit. At mile 14, she was very, very happy to see their vehicles up ahead. 
That last quarter mile felt like pedaling with concrete blocks. That's where the "Just Keep Pedaling" name of this blog originated. When we first started riding our bicycles back in 2013, there were many rides when we both felt like that! 
It's a bit rough in several spots. Many times we found ourselves riding over to the edge to avoid the ruts in the center, and others times we found ourselves riding in the center to avoid the ruts on the edge. LOL 
I thought this picture of this lone tree just said "Kansas."
The trail paralleled the placid-on-this-day Kansas River as we approached downtown. 
All in all, it was a beautiful day for a ride with my guy. 
