Ready to Roll

We are just about all packed up and ready to head to the great state of Missouri! Katy Trail here we come! Here’s the latest with the fifth Ian’s Ride.

The man can fix anything!

Russ, my talented and trusty wheelchair mechanic and stepdad, spent a few hours tightening up any loose bolts, greasing up appropriate components and replacing tired bearings. We replaced both drive tires and swapped out most of the pieces along the sip and puff line.

One problem I’m always struggling with are failing casters. I use a mid-wheel drive wheelchair so I have one caster at each corner of the chair. Unfortunately, these are not huge wheels and the bearings aren’t exactly made to hold up to long-distance wheelchair rides. For the first time we have modified casters with larger, beefier bearings. Big thanks to Dave Simon for putting these together. We are going to test them to the max on the Katy Trail.

This is my legs!

We have been fine tuning our flying plans and are continuing to do all we can to help the chair make it to St. Louis in one piece. However, it really just comes down to crossing your fingers and being as respectful, friendly and educating to the baggage handlers as possible. We put this handy-dandy sheet together and will attach it to the chair along with some prayer beads, a rabbits foot and a couple horseshoes.

There has been some unfortunate news in that a heat dome is covering the Midwest and will make for some brutally warm days. We will just have to play each day by ear. Likely starting extra early to get as many miles in with tolerable temperatures before possibly getting in air condition for the hottest part of the day. The good news is that the temperatures should start dropping after the first few days.

My suit of armor!

Then there are concerns of mosquitoes and cicadas, especially in those early hours. Well have no fear! The incredibly talented engineers over at Diestco were able to put together a cicada cage to help me survive the ordeal. I love that they make products to allow people to live their fullest life, especially in the outdoors.

Overall, it’s going to be amazing. I love doing these long rides and I really love advocating for these trails to be expanded, replicated and improved upon. They are an amazing resource for folks all around the nation and I really hope to demonstrate that their doable for just about anybody.

I’m particularly excited to check out the Rock Island Trail that they are currently working to expand. A historic rail line that was built in the 1900s and discontinued in the 80s. Having a defunct line just taking up space doesn’t really help anyone. I hope to see it developed further to add hundreds more miles of rail trails to Missouri’s already expansive network. If nothing else, it sure would inject some much-needed funds to declining communities along the corridor.

Finally, we are excited to have an advocacy event in Jefferson City on Monday, June 24 around 9:30 AM. We’ve got a good group of folks to talk near the capital. Some elected officials, riders and rider groups, a couple advocacy groups and state parks staff. It's bound to be a great opportunity to meet some of the folks who have worked so hard to make Missouri trail systems what they are and to sing their praise from the rooftops.

Well, I’m going to finish packing and pray to the old gods and the new that everything works out. It’s bound to be an adventure one way or another. We’ll be checking in from the road! #GetOutside

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The Katy Trail

We are pumped!

It’s 2024, which means it’s time for another big ride! I can hardly believe it’s been two years since we rolled 400+ miles of the easternmost section of the Great American Rail Trail (GART). The beauty was spectacular, the history enlightening and we got to meet some wonderful folks along the way. Furthermore, it cemented our love and appreciation of rail trails.

An amazing ride!

We really appreciate the work the Rails to Trails Conservancy has done to create and expand accessible trails for millions around our nation. So, we’ve partnered with them once again to highlight this incredible, accessible infrastructure. Rail trails are great destinations for wheelchair adventures because they generally have an appropriate width and manageable slopes. We thought long and hard on what trail to highlight for 2024 and we are excited with our choice.

It's bound to be beautiful.

We’re heading to Missouri to ride the Katy Trail! It is our nation’s longest consecutive rail trail and roughly travels between St. Louis and Kansas City. Much of the trail follows the Missouri River and we are excited to see what it has to offer. The route is 275 miles long which we hope to tackle in seven days between June 21 and June 27. The final 50 miles will be on the Rock Island Spur which moves us up towards Kansas City from Windsor, MO.

It's a roll of the dice…

Here I’ll admit, I’m a bit nervous about riding my wheelchair across Missouri in late June. It’s going to be hot and my body doesn’t sweat from increased temperature. I’ll rely on the team to spray me down and give me ice water whenever possible. Additionally, I’ll bring an ice vest to hopefully help keep my temperature down. Finally, I’ll do my best to start each day with the lowest body temperature I can manage.

A big concern is having to fly with my power wheelchair. I’m a big proponent of flying and seeing the world no matter how complicated your disability or equipment. However, it is a fact that wheelchairs get damaged frequently during air travel. This is scary. This means our trip could be over before it starts if the wheelchair gets damaged on the way to St. Louis. We just have to prepare the best we can and be sure the baggage handlers in Seattle have all the information they need to ensure my chair gets stowed safely. Then keep fingers crossed that the St. Louis staff provides the chair with white glove treatment. Sometimes you have to take a chance…

Come on, these little guys. What's the worst that could happen?

Another interesting challenge, the cicadas! When planning this adventure, we didn’t realize that every 200 years the 13-year cicada cycle and 17-year cicada cycle match up to create a super swarm. Of course that occurs in 2024. We don’t really know what to expect other than a lot of noise, a lot of bugs and a lot of crunchy exoskeletons. One way or another, it’s bound to be interesting.

Dream team!

I can’t do this alone. I’ll need some folks to support me while I’m out on the trail, and ones crazy enough to be willing to go to Missouri in June during a 200-year cicada super swarm. I once again projected the Ian’s Ride logo on the nearest cloud and soon Josh Blaustein and Jimmy Quenelle were on board. These two are a huge reason I’m able to do these rides. They set time out of their busy lives every other year to chase me around whatever harebrained trail I decide to ride. I’ll say it again, this kind of friendship and support is phenomenal.

Someone's got to pick me up when I'm down.

In addition, my lovely fiancée Celina Smith will be driving the SAG van and bring us lunch when we are out on the trail inundated with cicadas. I’m really happy to have her with me for this big event. This will be the first Ian’s Ride where my mom, Teena, gets to stay home. She doesn’t like cicadas. We will also be bringing my trusty caregiver Edwin. He was with me on my last two big rides and we are grateful to have him again. He’s a bit skeptical regarding the super swarm.

So why the heck do I do these long rides? It might sound miserable to go bouncing around in a power wheelchair for nearly 300 miles through some really humid heat. But hell, some of the best things in life are difficult. It’s the overcoming of adversity and pushing your limits. I do this to demonstrate what is possible for people of all abilities. I do this to appreciate a much-needed adventure in time with close friends. I do this to highlight accessible infrastructure and encourage others to go follow their own dream. Mainly I just want to show that you can live a full life despite disability. Oh yeah, I also do it for the beer at the end of the day!

Love meeting folks on the trail!

We will be active on social media throughout the entire journey and do daily blogs documenting the experience. We’ll be connecting with media outlets and trail organizations wherever possible to tell our story and promote accessible outdoor recreation. We hope to connect with other wheelchair users along the way and particularly meet some folks in the hubs of St. Louis and Kansas City. If you have any must-see spots, notable comments regarding Missouri, or you'd like to join us for a section please let us know. Otherwise, follow along and wish us luck dealing with all those damn cicadas! #GetOutside

 



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GART Wrap up – Invacare Victory Lap

Although we had finished the ride, we had one more important day ahead of us. A visit to Invacare. The plan all along was to finish at the factory where my chair had been built and to acknowledge those who had a hand at creating the equipment that allows me such incredible independence.

We had quite the welcome!

We woke up early in Columbus and loaded up for a two-hour drive to Elyria. It was a nice drive, much of it through Amish country where we would pass the occasional horse-drawn buggy. When we finally arrived, we all jumped out of the van and wanted to get a picture in front of the big Invacare world headquarters sign in front of the building. While we were goofing off getting our photo, we noticed quite the shindig just around the corner from where we were.

Getting pictures with the movers and shakers

There was the Invacare arch, a giant tent with tables and chairs underneath and a lot of people mingling around. We headed straight over and I immediately felt pretty special. The first person I saw was Sandy Habecker, one of my main contacts and someone I admire and respect deeply. Her smile was huge and shortly after greeting me she began to introduce me to the many folks who had gathered.

Introductions

There were two other wheelchair users in attendance and I quickly went to introduce myself. I first greeted Kelly Hanlin who was easy to chat with, was quite the advocate and had worked at the Columbus Zoo. She’s awesome! I then spoke with Addison Delp. I liked him immediately. The first thing he said to me was, “I’m going to beat your record”! He is a senior in high school, dabbles in power soccer and loves getting his chair dirty. We are certainly birds of a feather. I look forward to connecting with both of them more in the future.

The customization for each chair is pretty amazing

We then settled in for some socializing, got some pictures and the team had some lunch (which Invacare had provided for the whole company and guests) while I continued chatting with the growing crowd. I soon realized that many of the individuals were workers from the factory floor. I immediately began expressing my gratitude for having a hand in building the chair that continues to allow me to live my best life. I got a little emotional talking with some of these folks. They take a lot of pride in their work and I really tried to convey the importance of that work to those of us who depend on their craftsmanship. They are truly unsung heroes. I then had a quick interview with a local journalist before heading off on a tour of the factory.

Bare-bones

The Invacare world headquarters factory is pretty freaking cool. You get to see raw metal coming into the plant and that raw metal being turned into a wheelchair in just one day. Between the fabricating, metal processing, painting, assembly and testing it is spectacular to see the process unfold in real time.

One particularly special moment was when we were halfway through the tour and factory floor workers asked if they could all get a picture with me. Individuals started joining our group from all over the factory and I was soon surrounded with those who had completely assembled my chair a couple years prior. I gushed with appreciation and was pretty humbled they all wanted a photo with me.

So grateful for each one of these people

After the tour, me, Kelly, Addison and a number of engineers got together to discuss what we loved and didn’t love about our power wheelchairs. It’s wonderful to have the ear of the company who is providing the equipment that allows me to live a full life and be immersed in the outdoors. I, of course, emphasize the current limitations with range in their SP2 line. Lithium batteries or more efficient motors could resolve this issue. We discussed suspension, light packages, current rollback, tires, tiedown loops, the electronics package, the challenges of flying and much more.

They recognize the need for equipment that works well for people with an active lifestyle. I feel I’ve already demonstrated that the chair holds up quite well to difficult terrain and weather. In addition, I’ve shown the chair will run for 24 hours straight. These are pretty rigorous, real-world trials to put a chair through and it continues to be my daily driver.

Packing up after a long ride

Finally, before we left, we were able to utilize their shipping department to get the bikes and the lithium battery shipped back to the West Coast.

It was a beautiful finish to a beautiful ride. I am so thankful to Invacare. They’ve been our platinum sponsor for years now and they continue to manufacture wheelchairs that allow people with limited mobility to live their best life. Most importantly, they take feedback from their users to continue to improve the products that me and the wheelchair community utilize. I look forward to a long and fruitful relationship with the company that provides me with such independence.

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GART Day 12 - Columbus

I’m going to keep today’s blog on the shorter side despite meeting so many wonderful people today.  The team is a little tired and we are looking forward to some much needed rest.  Once I am back home and I’ve had a chance to recover I will write a summary of our trip.

 

Centerburg! The center of Ohio!

The start of our final day!

For the first day in almost a week we did not have rain, or as Dr. B calls it “spheres of dihydrogen monoxide.”  We started our ride today in Centerburg, OH.  As the name suggests, it is the geographical center of the state.  Dr. B wanted to search the town for a plaque of some sort to get a picture, but I told him “no, we’ve got to get moving.”  We rode along very nice, well maintained trails for almost the entire route toady.  There were a few sections where we needed to exit a trail, take some roads and sidewalks to get to the next trail, but for the most part the navigation was straight forward.

 

Our trail guide, Rick! Thanks, Rick!

The first twenty miles of today were bittersweet.  We knew we were on the last day, and these twenty miles would be the last for Jimmy, Dr. B, and me, just three of us.  We have so much fun being on the trail together and relying on one another for support, humor, and motivation.  About twenty miles into the ride we were met on the trail by a hand cyclist, Rick Haller who is a member of The Adaptive Sports Connection.  Rick is from the area and has a lot of local knowledge of the trails and how they all connect and intersect.  We asked him to guide us to where other members from his club would begin riding with us, at Alum Creek Park, or as Dr. B calls it “Potassium Aluminum Sulfate Creek Park.”

 

Rick leading the way to Columbus.

Eric from Rails to Trails

As we left Alum Creek Park we rode along the creek.  It was hella beautiful.  We switched from one side of the creek to another multiple times over beautiful bridges.  A few miles down the trail, still being guided thankfully by Rick we were joined by Eric Oberg from Rails to Trails Conservancy who rode with us until about a mile from the finish line, where he would ride ahead to get the finish line set up.   As we were riding Eric would talk about specific parts of the trail and the work it took to get much of this trail developed.  You could tell he was proud of the work he’s done and hopeful for development of more trails making the current trail system even more fluid.

 

As we approached downtown we found ourselves on sidewalks and roads (with sharrows).  For the most part traffic was not bad, but there were certain intersections where we needed to be extra careful due to the speed at which cars were traveling.  At these intersection Jimmy, Dr. B, Simon (Rick’s son), and another cyclist, Dave were very helpful making us all visible.  We were now a group of 10 – 15 cyclists and wheel chairs.  Sometimes it takes more time that the crosswalk allows when you have that many in your group.

Our numbers were growing as we approached Columbus

 

Jenny!

As downtown approached we were met by Jody Dzuranin, the Executive Director of the Ohio to Erie Trail.  She would guide us to the finish line and we could celebrate our accomplishment.  We made one final turn onto a nice path that rolls along the Scioto River into the heart of downtown.  As we made this turn we were joined by a fellow wheelchair user, Jenny Border the local United Spinal contact who rode with us for the final mile.

 

Getting some love from Adaptive Sports Connection.

After crossing the finish line, we were able to celebrate and just breath.  There were a lot of people that rode with us today and it was nice to get a chance to talk to them and look them in the eye.  Sometimes on the trail this can be difficult.  I want to talk to all of the wonderful people who are here to support us and get outside, and sometimes riding on the trail makes it too difficult to see everyone.  After I had a chance to talk to everyone and share a special moment with my team we were ready to go get some beer.

We were jubilant!

 

So nice to celebrate with this group.

My team and I, joined by Jenny went to Hoof Hearted Brewing because whoever named this placed must be as immature as we are and probably likes the same stuff we do.  The beer was good, much better than the beer we have been drinking along the way.  Jimmy had a big smile on his face.  We were even able to eat some deep-fried alligator, expect for Dr. B of course.

 

In total, we road over 440 miles.  We started in Washington DC and ended in Columbus, OH.  We encountered just about every terrain we could think of.  From the first day to the last day we experienced a temperature range of nearly fifty degrees.  We had a number of days of rain.  All along the way we were intrigued by the history we were riding through.  We were unable to spend the time reading and learning about all these historical sites we were passing because of the schedule we were trying to keep.  We are thankful for everyone we met along the way, and all the beauty we were able to see along the way.  It’s amazing what can be accomplished when you have the support I have, and when you get outside.

My amazing crew!

GART Day 11 - A Day of Rest

My Dad not bothered by the rain at all

Today was a day of rest, of sorts.  We had no trail miles planned, but we did have a long drive ahead of us to get to Columbus, OH.  As we left Pittsburgh it began to rain.  Interestingly it was the remnants of Hurricane Ian we were dealing with.  As we drove, the rain became much more intense and the drive was a little nerve racking.  About half way to Columbus the rain let up and the drive became a little more relaxing and we could enjoy some of the fall colors.

 

We love bike paths!

We’d never seen this shade of green in our sushi

Once we settled into the hotel in Columbus Jimmy, Dr. B, and I went out for a short ride to a brewery.  We found a nice trail that got us almost all the way to the brewery before we had to use sidewalks for the last quarter mile.  After some bad sushi and less than stellar beer we returned to the hotel.  The ride there and back was a little over five miles.  This isn’t anywhere near what we have been doing each day, but at least we can now say we’ve ridden our bikes and wheelchair in Ohio.  Tomorrow will be a more impressive day on the trial for us.

 

While at the brewery we discussed our highlights from this trip and talked about future adventures we’d like to embark on.  One highlight we all had was the C & O Trail which was built on top of what used to be the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Towpath.  While riding and talking about the C & O our interest was piqued to say the least, which has led us to research other towpaths we could visit and ride in the future.

 

In our research we found that most documents support the idea that towpaths originated in Britain in the 1700s.  However, we dug deep, real deep, maybe too deep and came across evidence to support the idea that towpaths may have originated in ancient Egypt.  Hieroglyphic carvings recently unearthed within the pyramids show images of animals pulling boats along a canal.  The weathering and aging of the images has led to some debate regarding the identification of these beasts of burden, but the consensus is they were camels.

 

In our pursuit to ride the towpaths of the world, we are hoping to visit Egypt, perhaps for Ian’s Ride 2024.  This would be the holy grail of towpaths.  If it doesn’t happen in 2024 we will continue our pursuit of the Egyptian camel tow path*. 

 

Over the past two weeks Dr. B, Jimmy, and I have spent a lot of time and logged a lot of miles on the trails on these eastern states.  Riding side by side with each other over 400 miles provides the opportunity for bonding you just don’t experience in other settings.  Throughout this journey we were inspired to give one another trail names.  We encourage our readers (that’s you!) to participate in a little game.  I will tell you our three trail names, and you try to determine which name belongs to Dr. B, Jimmy, and myself.  Please provide your best guess in the comment section.  Our trail names are Meadowlark, Quinoa, and Ringo.  

 

Ringo, Meadowlark and Quinoa in no particular order

 

*Please note, due to poor judgment and too much beer there may be a few historic inaccuracies in the writing of this blog

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