Nice Ride, Isolated

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Figs from Olathe, KS on 5/8/2013 8:19:17 AM:

Yesterday, Tuesday the 7th, I rode Clinton to Green Ridge and back... a really nice ride, but man, did I feel isolated. Because it was a Tuesday, traffic was extremely light. I saw 3 joggers and maybe a half dozen bikes, all up by Windsor and Green Ridge. An aweful lot of this route is in the open and offers no shade. A point that was drummed home at 2:30 PM as I was finishing. My previous ride on the KT was Rocheport to N. Jefferson and back. Much more scenic and shaded. My next "scheduled" ride on KT is Pedaler's Jamoboree... much more "accompanied", so I don't get lonely! :)

ArkyKenny on 5/8/2013 8:49:46 AM:

Part of the reason I love the Katy is that it has so many personalities. You saw a very neat one yesterday.

Since you are a KC area person, you will probably find yourself doing the Sedalia to Boonville run too. You will probably want to bring a buddy with you if you ride for that (my favorite) part of the trail because it feels even more remote and removed (but it does have the shaded tree tunnels)

I love the kind of riding you described. It is the thing I enjoy the most aobut the Katy. No cars, no phone (that I answer anyway), no nothing but "Me" time, finding the right gear, and the right rhythm on the bike. There just aren't very many places that one can "Go and Go" on a road-ish bike and not have to worry about being hit by a car, dodge other riders, etc. Part of me has, for lack of a better term, "sub-clinical autistic traits", so the Katy is where I get to indulge.

Now, go be a social butterfly at Pedaler's Jamboree.

Figs from Olathe, KS on 5/8/2013 12:22:51 PM:

Kenny, we MUST hook up for a ride some day!! Great stuff!!

Hank from New Haven on 5/8/2013 8:06:42 PM:

I almost always have some "adapt" time whenever I hit the Katy. Which means the first 10-15 minutes I am bored or at least "unimpressed," as the same ol Katy and it's same ol long unwinding trail is still the same. But then something almost magical happens and I unwind and hit the groove and the next thing you know I am in love and 15-18-25 miles have passed.

My wife and I rode 78 miles in one day last spring, Clinton to Boonville, and one thing that sticks out was hitting the bridges over Highway 65 and I-70. The highway and traffic roaring by seemed like an alien world. I felt literally joyful pausing there on my bike. For me the great appeal of the Katy is how it takes you "out of this world" and into a much more peaceful, slower, and more beautiful one. LOVE it.

Bill Penland from Ottawa on 5/9/2013 10:45:39 AM:

I know precisely what you mean. I live in Ottawa, KS, which is the start of the Prairie Spirit Trail, which I ride frequently.

The PST is much more "cocooned" away from reality in most places than the Katy is in most places, which REALLY adds to that "out of the world" feeling. I've mentioned a few times on my blog that riding that trail, especially for a long ride that takes a good chunk of a day, it's struck me before that I could just as well be cycling on Mars, for all the separation and lack of human interaction.

As Kenny mentioned, it's one aspect out of several displayed by the trail, which is really cool.

Figs from Olathe, KS on 5/9/2013 2:44:32 PM:

Bill, I was going to ride PST Tuesday, but chose KT instead, due to support available along the trail.

I guess I must be somewhat whimpy, cause I like seeing other people and having a cold drink from time to time.

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