March 17, 2018
A Little Short of My Goal
Day Four: Windsor, MO to Belton, MO
It was overcast and cold, and the wind was in my face as I rode out of Windsor onto the Rock Island Spur of the Katy Trail. This is a relatively new, 47-mile extension of the trail; it's been open a little over a year.
I was in a hurry this morning, trying to get as close as I could to the Kansas state line by around 2:30, when I needed to meet up with Joy.
The trail surface was quite rough in places - really not suitable for a road bike - and the scenery was frankly a little bleak and depressing.
I kept my head down and just ground it out. It felt like it was slightly uphill the entire morning, but I never went back to look at an elevation profile to verify that. Maybe the headwind made it feel like I was climbing.
I passed the first town, Leeton, without stopping, but when I approached Chilhowee (population 325) after about 20 miles, I stopped when I saw a charming hand-lettered sign advertising the "Chilhowee Corner Store."
I rode a few blocks to a "downtown" area that appeared completely abandoned except for the store, housed in an old bank building.
I was very impressed with this little store. Clean, brightly lit, with a sitting area for eating/resting, and a clean bathroom. I talked to the friendly lady working there for a while, and she told me that the new trail had brought the store a lot of business in the riding season, especially on the weekends when there was otherwise little traffic. She asked me to sign the store's register, and I was surprised by how many cyclists had already been in since the trail opened.
After Chilhowee there wasn't a lot to see, and if anything the scenery seemed even bleaker - of course, this was a damp, cloudy March day; I'm sure it would be much different later on when the leaves are out and everything is green.
When I got to the end of the trail at Pleasant Hill, I improvised a route that had me heading toward Overland Park, Kansas. The wind was still against me, though, and I quickly realized I wasn't going to get to Kansas in time.
Also, there were some actual hills - quite a contrast to the mostly flat Katy Trail.
After a couple of unpleasant miles on a busy state highway where a rumble strip made the narrow shoulder unusable, I turned onto a relatively quiet country road and headed almost straight west.
When I crossed I-49 at around 2:00, I decided that was enough. I biked a few miles on the frontage road, stopped at a McDonald's near the interstate exit, and called Joy's aunt Rita, who lives in the area and was nice enough to agree to come pick me up and take me to the downtown Kansas City Marriott, where Joy had just finished up her conference.
After we checked in, I cleaned up, and then later we went out to dinner with our friend Christa, who I hadn't seen in several years. That was a good time, although the odd dish I ordered at the pretentious restaurant, the taste of which I can't really describe, was something I would certainly never order again. I'm a simple man: Just give me large Chipotle burrito, and I will be happy.
Today's ride: 63 miles (101 km)
Total: 332 miles (534 km)
| Rate this entry's writing | Heart | 6 |
| Comment on this entry | Comment | 2 |
Thanks for this report, which happens to include about everything a touring cyclist could experience! Among the highs and lows, the highlight was reading of Joy’s thoughtful supper delivery.
Jeff
6 years ago
I guess I bit off a little more than I could chew by trying a pretty ambitious schedule so early in the season.
I was definitely happy with Joy's Chipotle delivery!
6 years ago