Maze Bike Ride Two (MBR2) Seg #16 5/10/13

Seg #16 Prairie Spirit Trail: 5/10/13 (MBR2)

 

Start

Humboldt, Kansas

N37.77661W-95.42931

N-S miles 35.4mi*

End

Garnet, Kansas

N38.28587-95.24903

Trl lgth 38.8mi Ride 43mi



It first looked like an easy ride. NOT!!!!



It was a short night in Iola, despite sleeping-in for an extra hour to give Geoff’s PDT(Pacific Daylight Time) body a little break. The weather report before I headed to Kansas forecast southwest winds and temperatures in the eighties. But that wasn’t the way it shook out on Friday morning. The temperatures were in the low sixties with a twenty mile per hour the northwest wind. Boo! Hiss! The hotel was only a few feet from the Prairie Spirit Trail (PST) which appeared to be a hard asphalt surface. No sooner had I rode less than a mile, the asphalt trail became a bumpy grass path formed by a vehicle or two using the trail for something beside recreation.  Once the hard surface trail ended, my predicted one hour ride was nixed and so was the idea that Geoff could meet me in Humboldt in an hour; instead I was in for a tough two hour ride. There were barricades placed at every point the trail intersected county roads, roughly a dozen orange fences to keep out hunters? 

I wasn't hunting---just went around such fences

After going through the first barricade, it was clear that new crushed limestone was being laid. This new surface was not as compacted as it needed to be. With recent rains and lack of compaction, this Maze Boy had a major workout riding a beach soft trail for nine miles. This type of trail saps one’s energy and lends itself to even more pokiness in achieving an one hour ETA.  It was 11:30 before I got to Humboldt. To meet Geoff at the proper latitude, I needed to ride south of Humboldt, a mile or two on a street that turned into a road. For a short stretch I was brushing shoulders with huge 50 ton concrete trucks pulling out of the Monarch Portland Cement Company. What a big operation for a small town! This is the first time since starting this journey that I had to ride a street that really didn’t qualify as a street or trail. Unfortunately I expect to find myself trapped into riding a road or highway once in a while. I hope not more than a mile or so. The goal is not to ride where vehicles are traveling above 45 miles per hour. When I got to 1200 Street and Connecticut Avenue, Geoffer met me and we threw my bike on the carrier, sequestered  a sandwich from the Iola McDonalds and then father and son rode north towards Garnet, KS. Geoff rode thirteen miles north and then turned around and rode twice as fast south with the wind at his back. With a stinky headwind, the three hour ride became a four hour and half hour ride just to make it to Garnet, short of my goal. I had eight more miles to reach the target latitude of 39.39997 near Richmond, KS. Since the Los Angeles Kings hockey team was playing the St. Louis Blues in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and Geoff wanted to get to Chris’ house to watch the game (both my boys and their buddy Brian are huge hockey fans), therefore the last eight miles were shelved and we took off for Chris’ house in Runnells. Most of the route back to Iowa was interstate, so Geoff put the pedal to the metal (80+mph) to make the five hour trip a 4 hour trip. We missed the start of the game but caught all the goals and witnessed a Kings win to take the first round of the playoffs. Everyone at Chris’ house whooped it up, high fiving, back slapping and cursing with jubilation. I sat there a bit dumb founded by the antics of forty plus year old men. Next for the Kings is the San Jose Sharks. Will the Kings capture the Stanley Cup a second year in a row?  

Ian with Dad, Uncle and GPa. Fore

The next day was a major sleep in for all fellows at 8930 Vandalia Road. When we finally got moving, Chris, Geoff and grandson Ian took me mini-golfing. It was windy as heck so some of our putts required hitting a moving target. Ian won the back nine and his dad won the match. Ian is becoming a good golfer at age 13.



Tom as in “Got Tom” aka “Got Milk”

Niece/Cousin Maia, graduated from Iowa State University on Saturday. A geneticist no less! We joined Maia and her family for a nice meal at Aunt Maude’s in Ames. A few days later, Connie and Tom visited the graves of family members in Norway, West Amana and Watkins. Connie gave Tom the "Got Tom"tee  shirt Geoff brought from California.





25 year hiatus. This year made up for it!

May 12^th was a special Mothers Day for Connie. Chris and Geoff were home for the day for the first time in twenty-five years---1988. MBR2 didn’t go as smoothly as MBR1 but the family fun associated with it, really made this a very special week.