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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