Goals Challenges

While I didn't begin the year with any kind of intentions, I feel like I have grown anyways. When I was young I used to write New Year's resolutions on a nice white piece of paper and tie it with a red ribbon. I used the same ribbon year after year.  I was writing down things I wished I could do or would like to accomplish. I think I wrote "Stop biting finger nails." every year for about 5 years. I continued this tradition until I was in my teens. Then, I realized that it was futile. I wrote what I wanted and then didn't look at it again until the next NYE.

I gave up resolutions all together after that. In 2012, I wrote out my intentions for the year. I thought using the word intentions would make them softer, more flexible. Once again I wrote them out and never thought much about them. I realize now that even though I am super goal oriented. When you write out resolutions they are usually good ideas but not super important. Real stuff I get done. Good ideas happen if the mood/time/money works out just right.

So let me indulge myself in reflecting on some things I feel like I've become better at over the past year. They weren't resolutions but things that I've found joy in.

• Bike Touring. I feel like I became a real cycle tourist in 2013.  We hit the road several times with our gear on our bikes and a map. 5 days of self supported touring across KS were some of the best days I had.Our trips in 2013 validated that we have what it takes to be vagabonds and enjoy it!
• Commuting. I've been commuting for a few years & each year I extend my commuting season a little bit longer. This year I've commuted in every month. Some years I give up at the end of October. Allergies & cold shut me down. I owe my blogroll to keeping me motivated to cycling in the winter. Seeing people all over, in all kinds of weather & gear riding to work has been inspiring. I've become SO MUCH better at layering that I can get to work without freezing to death! 
• The Great Outdoors. I feel like my husband has opened up the great outdoors to me. Before we met I was a single parent who was doing everything and had little time to go adventuring. Now that the kids are older (21 & 16!) and I have more time and someone to explore with that has changed. I find that I crave the outside. I didn't see that one coming! I've always enjoyed nature but to actually lose my mind because I needed to go outside was a new one for me.
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I don't have 2014 all planned out nor do I have a list of intentions that I'd like to perfect. I do know it will be full of family, good times, bad times, & hopefully a ride or two around Leavenworth, Hawaii, Spain, or Germany!

Happy New Year!

October 2013 Katy Trail Weekend

Ahh...the Katy Trail. Just when I think I'm over this trail, I ride it again and fall in love.

Tunnel By Rocheport

I had no intentions of riding the Katy Trail this year. In 2010, Lance & I road the Katy for our honeymoon. It was my first long distance riding experience and I loved it. We've gone back each year since and road a different section each time. We've pretty much covered this trail and I thought it was time to move on.

Large Intern making breakfast

Then the bike club decided to host a weekend trail/camp ride. Since the bike club's intern lives with me (nephew) it seems wrong not to join in on the fun.

I never know where to look at when taking a selfie!

I am so glad I did! I had such a good time. A fantastic time! Our bike club invited the KC Metro club to join us and I got to meet several new people. I feel like we had such a crazy adventure that I cannot recount all that happened in such a short time. There was camping, pumpkin spiced coffee, dinners out in Booneville, riding, beautiful landscape, rain!, flash flooding, shivering in a Taco Bell, great conversation, wine & pizza on the trail, and so much laughing. I got to thinking on my way home just what made it such a good time & I quickly realized that it was the people! Every new person I met was interesting & a few a bit eccentric. Not one complainer in the bunch, just a great group of people looking to have fun. I didn't collect anyone's email address or contact info but I sincerely hope that I meet each and every one of them again. They were that good!

I road in these all day Saturday thanks to the rain.

Dirty Bikes!

Deluge of Water, We were trying to hide out from it but got caught up in the storm system flood!

The Missouri River

Labor Day Tour 94 miles

I woke up this morning, wishing I was packing a tent and headed out for a few hours cycling. I've heard the more cycle touring you do the more you want to do. Truth!

Our weekend adventure was rewarding and enlightening. Without the stress of having to get on the road as soon as possible, we were able to travel leisurely. Which was great because Sunday morning we scrambled into a picnic shelter mere minutes before a downpour that lasted 2 hours.

Day 1

Day 1We traveled from home to Leavenworth State Fishing Lake. It took us 2 hours to get to Tonganoxie, KS and another hour to get to the Lake! What a shock that was. We took the most direct route which I'm pretty sure qualified me for the Dirty Kansa. Several miles of steep, graveled, hills. I felt so accomplished when we finally made it! The lake was lovely. Total mileage that afternoon 28.86 miles.

Old Military Trail Camp

Day 2 Leavenworth State Fishing Lake to Lake Perry. This ride was so quick and enjoyable. We started out on some gravel and then turned onto asphalt. We road through McLouth and onto Ozakie. There were lots of rollers but I've given over to the fact that you can't avoid hills in Eastern KS. You'd never get anywhere! Our campsite was on top of a ridge that looked over the lake. As I said before, it is a hiker only site. It was perfect! And free! Total mileage 23.25 miles

The road was closed but we made it through!

Day 3 Perry Lake to home via Winchester & Easton. This ride took a little longer and was nothing but hills all day. Still enjoyable though. We road through Winchester hoping to eat at the cafe but they were closed for Labor Day. We still had food with us so we made lunch in front of the cafe and splurged on gas station ice cream cones. I tend to remissness a lot when we ride through Easton. I lived there throughout my childhood and am always surprised the memories that stir when I go through. Easton is in the Stranger Creek Valley and has a 4 mile climb up out of it towards Leavenworth. We stopped at the Hilltop at the top of the climb and rewarded ourselves with curly fries. Neither one of us had eaten at the Hilltop before. Outside it looks like an old gas station. Inside it's as large as a barn and full of every convenience item you could want including a cafe! Score! Refueled by the fries we road the remaining miles home. Total mileage 42 miles

Home!

Once home I commented to Lance how nice the riding was. We road in 48 hours what we road in 1 day on our vacation! It's the destination not the miles that makes these trips fun. And I love uninterrupted Lance time. He was already researching another excursion last night!

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!

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!

The Katy Trail

Beginning of our journey in Hermann, MO

 Over Labor Day weekend Lance & I hopped a train with our bikes. Destination, the Katy Trail. This was our third ride on the Katy. We road the middle section, the only section we hadn't gotten to. It was a fast 126 miles and helped us determine that 50-60 miles in one day is a good goal. You move along but don't have time to check out sites along the way.

 We really enjoy ourselves when we are out "touring". There is a great sense of freedom. We carry our tent and some food and the rest is up to fate. We've been lucky enough to take a few short trips this year.

Tunnel at Rocheport, MO

Tree down! We encountered 3 trees down on the trail. We worked together to carry the bikes over the trees.

I can't wait until we have a chance to do this more than just for a long weekend!