Katy Trail bike ride
I'm leaving tomorrow for a week-long ride on the Katy Trail. Yes, I passed on a trip to California so that I could pedal approximately 50 miles a day and tent camp every night during what looks to be, once again, the hottest week of the year. Oh, and there are some storms in the forecast. I, for one, am trusting that there will be no rain. Trusting, but also packing my clothes in ziploc bags. That's what I did last year. The ride includes transport of your gear, but there's not always a covered area in which to unload our bags. The rain stayed away, but the bags kept my clean clothes from being contaminated by the smelly ones.
Last year was an adventure because I wasn't sure I could do it. I'd never ridden further than 35 miles in a day. This year will be a challenge because, due to an injury that kept me off my bike for nearly two months, I've only ridden about 50 total miles since April. My legs should be ok from all the running, but my rear end may be filing some complaints. If I have half the fun I did last year, it's completely worth it. The trail is awesome, the ride is well-supported and organized, and the other riders are the nicest, friendliest group you'll ever meet. Last year I went in knowing only my aunt and ended up meeting a lot of great people. This year, I'm looking forward to seeing old friends from last year and getting to know more.
My plan is to update daily with our progress. Hopefully the cell signal will cooperate. The trail passes through primarily rural areas, and last year there were a couple stops where calling home (or, almost as important, updating facebook lol :D) was tricky. At the first overnight, in Pilot Grove, Missouri, I think I had about 10 dropped calls home to my husband before we finally gave up and text messaged each other (sidenote: I'll be strongly wishing he could text MASSAGE me after a day on the bike.).
Of course, even texting became problematic after he dropped his phone in the sink on my second day away. This year, his phone is already messed up because he accidentally left it in his pocket in the washer for about 5 minutes. (Sensing a theme? Yes, his next phone should be waterproof. On a related note, we didn't have insurance on his phone, so if anyone out there has a working AT&T cell they'd like to donate to the cause, let me know!). He put it in a bag with rice to dry it out, and now it mostly works. He can make calls, but he can't get to all of his letters when texting. Makes deciphering his texts a challenge, and so our text conversations are me primarily me talking. Which, in truth, is pretty much how it goes in general. Lol
Soooo...today I pack, tomorrow we camp in St. Charles, and early Monday morning we set off riding west across Missouri. How early? Well, if the temperatures are in the mid-90's as forecast, we'll be finished eating and on the road around 5. I'm no early bird. In fact, the only time it's relatively easy for me to get up early is if there's a race or organized ride, but when sleeping in means spending the bulk of your riding time during the hottest part of the day, it loses some of its appeal. And yet, I can't wait!!
Last year was an adventure because I wasn't sure I could do it. I'd never ridden further than 35 miles in a day. This year will be a challenge because, due to an injury that kept me off my bike for nearly two months, I've only ridden about 50 total miles since April. My legs should be ok from all the running, but my rear end may be filing some complaints. If I have half the fun I did last year, it's completely worth it. The trail is awesome, the ride is well-supported and organized, and the other riders are the nicest, friendliest group you'll ever meet. Last year I went in knowing only my aunt and ended up meeting a lot of great people. This year, I'm looking forward to seeing old friends from last year and getting to know more.
My plan is to update daily with our progress. Hopefully the cell signal will cooperate. The trail passes through primarily rural areas, and last year there were a couple stops where calling home (or, almost as important, updating facebook lol :D) was tricky. At the first overnight, in Pilot Grove, Missouri, I think I had about 10 dropped calls home to my husband before we finally gave up and text messaged each other (sidenote: I'll be strongly wishing he could text MASSAGE me after a day on the bike.).
Of course, even texting became problematic after he dropped his phone in the sink on my second day away. This year, his phone is already messed up because he accidentally left it in his pocket in the washer for about 5 minutes. (Sensing a theme? Yes, his next phone should be waterproof. On a related note, we didn't have insurance on his phone, so if anyone out there has a working AT&T cell they'd like to donate to the cause, let me know!). He put it in a bag with rice to dry it out, and now it mostly works. He can make calls, but he can't get to all of his letters when texting. Makes deciphering his texts a challenge, and so our text conversations are me primarily me talking. Which, in truth, is pretty much how it goes in general. Lol
Soooo...today I pack, tomorrow we camp in St. Charles, and early Monday morning we set off riding west across Missouri. How early? Well, if the temperatures are in the mid-90's as forecast, we'll be finished eating and on the road around 5. I'm no early bird. In fact, the only time it's relatively easy for me to get up early is if there's a race or organized ride, but when sleeping in means spending the bulk of your riding time during the hottest part of the day, it loses some of its appeal. And yet, I can't wait!!
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