Labor Day Adventure

Lance & I usually spend Labor Day Weekend going on some sort of adventure on our bikes. The past 2 years we've taken our bikes on the train out of KC & dropped off somewhere on the Katy Trail in MO.

This year we are staying a little bit closer to home.

The plan:
 Late Saturday afternoon we will ride from our house to Leavenworth Fishing Lake. Camping there is free but there are no showers. They do have pit toilets & water though. Then Sunday we will ride out to Perry Lake. I have been to Perry about 3 times in my life. The most recent was about 15 years ago so I'm looking forward to it. We found free campsites for hikers. There is an old service road that leads to it so we will be camping away from most people. We have the bikes so once we set up camp we can wander around Perry and use showers at the other sites. Monday we will head back home via Oskaloosa, Winchester, & Easton.

It is supposed to be super hot over the weekend so I'm glad we didn't plan for 60 mile days! We've kept it at a relaxing 30-40 miles with plenty of time to hang out. No laboring on our watch.

I'm really looking forward to some biking, camping, & uninterrupted Lance time!

Mountain Bike Riding

Last fall I ventured out into the land of mountain biking. While there might not be mountains in KS, we do have some lovely single track trails that can wear me out!

We right a mountain bike trail about once a week. There are several trails within an hour of our house so it does take a bit of planing and a chunk of time. I improve my bike handling skills with every ride and now and roll over rocks and roots that would have me squeezing the brakes last year.

I enjoy the Lawrence Rivertrail. It's a fun, green trail that makes me feel like a pro. Wyco trails wear me out but I enjoy them as well. And we have now ridden the Stocksdale Trail in Liberty, Mo twice. The first time it got dark on us but I enjoyed them. The second time I wasn't feeling well but road the whole trail. There is a lot of up and down riding but I felt pretty confident. There are rock sections I walk through because honestly, I've not had a fall yet and I'm not about to tear myself up.

If they were closer I could see myself mtb riding a few times a week. It's a great stress reliever. Sometimes there is just not enough hours or light in a day.

Groceries by bike

A few weeks ago we had a huge plumbing emergency. The pipe that connects our house to the water main shot craps. I quickly raided the emergency fund & took a fine tooth comb to the budget. The easiest line item to cut was our fuel budget. We had no out of town trips planned over the next couple of weeks so it was doable. We will ride our bikes EVERYWHERE.

The thing I've struggled with most has been meal planning. Going to the store everyday hasn't worked out quite like I thought it would. Some nights I have too much going on or I'm too tired or it's too dark. I realize now (hindsight's the best) that I should have asked Lance to help more here instead doing the task myself.

So Saturday, one of the hottest days we've had in awhile, I was determined to shop how I used to shop. Everything for the week in one fail swoop. I put my large panniers on my bike and headed out. It was hot and I had a very warm headwind.

I bought what I needed and loaded up. In order to not squish the bread I put it in the top of the pannier after I had buckled it down. Unfortunately, the vibrations of the road caused it to slip out about Kenton St & Grand. I heard a buzz noise around that area but thought it was my purse. Oops.

There's 10 lbs of chicken, 2 lbs of beef, & 5 lbs of frozen fruit in addition to the other stuff.

And here it is all loaded. My bike was heavy but it all fit. Success was had however, choosing to ride at the hottest time of day and loaded with so much food wore me out! I was spent by the time I got home and napped! Next time...I'll bring Lance.

Still Riding

Still here. Still riding. All the time. I didn't realize that it was so easy to start a blog about riding everyday, and then never post about riding everyday. I feel like I have so much to say and so many miles I've covered. Why aren't I writing?

We've been all over KS on our bikes. Locally and outside our local roads. I've been more adventurous this year on my bike than ever before. I've ridden the most miles in one day and have gone on a solo journey or two. I consider myself a mountain biker and a cycle tourist. I can live on the road for many days with just my man and our bikes. We have what it takes to be vagabonds.

So let's catch up on Team Tobey's 2013 adventures!