I’ve been so looking forward to biking a few days on the Katy Trail with my sister Ann.
Ten years ago, I “woke” to the joys of bicycle touring while on a self-guided trip through Burgundy with my two sisters, Jeanie and Ann. Since that first Tours des Soeurs, bike trips have become a wonderful excuse for us to get together and share in something we all love to do. Although our daily lives are separated by thousands of miles, we've managed to reunite for some type of bike ride/tour in almost every year since that first awakening.
Jeanie, Susan and Ann on the inaugural Tours des Soeurs in Burgundy, 2009. The state of my biking ability can be discerned by the angle of my helmet.
Cycling the Island Line Rail Trail, 2014 with our high school friend Jo-Anne. We took the bike ferry across the Lake Champlain cut for a great day exploring South Hero Island, VT.
Ann and I chose to ride the Katy Trail this year for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is its location within a day’s drive of her home in Texas and mine in Iowa. In addition, this will be Ann’s first self-supported ride and we figured that a Hall-of-Fame Rail Trail along the Missouri River would be a great introduction to that aspect of bike touring. There have been a multitude texts, emails, and phone calls over the last couple of weeks regarding what type of bike she’ll need, what gear/clothing to bring, etc. We were to meet today in Sedalia, MO and begin our ride tomorrow morning.
Alas, we have been foiled by Mother Nature. There have been several trail closures due to flooding and trail repair, with continued rain and thunderstorms predicted for the rest of the week. As we have the luxury of delaying the trip, we decided to postpone until June, a time more likely to be warm and sunny. Meanwhile, I’ll continue my daily rides in the cold winds of Central Iowa. At least it will help me prepare me for Northern Minnesota two weeks hence!
Until then, wishing everyone a happy and safe National Bicycle Month!
