Final thoughts on the Katy Trail

Gateway to the Katy Trail

Well, we did it. We crossed the state of Missouri, and we did it on the Katy Trail. I’m always hard-pressed to recap such an experience. I think back to when I was in rehab shortly after my spinal cord injury and spending my days staring up counting dots on the ceiling. My future felt so bleak. Access to nature seemed extremely limited, and adventure… ha, yeah right. I wish I could’ve given a glimpse of what was to come to that broken man. Life is what we make it. We all have challenges but don’t let them be a barrier to finding joy.

These guys…

Boy did we find 280 miles of joy on that 12-foot-wide strip of limestone traversing the “Show Me” state. Spending time with best friends, exploring an unfamiliar region and not knowing what’s around the next bend is intoxicating. Sharing laughs, catching up on life, offering up riddles, observing nature, posing hypotheses, constant teasing and nonstop shenanigans take place while we are covering ~40 miles a day. It’s hard not to get enamored rolling along the greenway seeing constant flashes of color from the Northern Cardinals, Indigo Buntings, Baltimore Orioles or Blue Jays. Or the subtle beauty of the Monarchs, Great Spangled Fritillaries, Cloudless Sulpfurs or Hackberry Emperor butterflies. Never mind the turtles, reptiles, geology and flowers galore. There’s a lot to take in.

Loved the butterfly diversity

I didn’t know what to expect with Missouri. The nature was certainly stunning. Other amazing memories are crossing the Mississippi River and rolling in to see the Gateway Arch (though I was frustrated to find the elevator is not accessible). I loved getting to ride with locals, new friends, and old pals. It was great meeting Hugh on day one and getting boots on the ground knowledge of the Katy Trail and the interesting challenges related to expanding this kind of infrastructure. Having folks like Tristan and Doug travel all the way from Chicago to ride with us provided a different perspective on the trail, and offered some much-needed fresh jokes. Then there was our advocacy event in Jefferson City where we got to meet so many people passionate about outdoor recreation and developing trails accessible to all. It’s these experiences that remind us that what we are doing is so much more than having fun outside with friends. It’s about expanding access to wild and natural places and helping to create opportunities for people to find joy outdoors. It’s also about showing what’s possible for those with severe mobility impairments, and not letting your ability define your life’s course.

Exploring with friends

There is a real romanticism to exploring our nation’s rail trails. I think back to my childhood vacations where we would drive to various places around the West while I would stare out the window. Often I would see a train or rail line down in a valley meandering by a river or snaking through trees. These locations seemed so remote, so unexplored and so full of wonder to a child’s mind. Getting out there now and being immersed in the wildness that was so inviting to those young eyes is almost indescribable. Getting to do it with close friends makes my heart well over. It also gives me a big shot in the arm to double down on the advocacy side. I'm motivated to create events where people can be in the space and to work with communities, agencies and organizations to take old defunct rail lines and convert them to useful trails that bring communities together. More folks need to experience some of those childhood dreams.

Dream team

The main reason I was able to spend this time exploring rural Missouri was because of my amazing team. Josh (Dr. B) and Jimmy are amazing guys who make me feel like I can do anything. Everyone should be lucky enough to have friends like these. They are very different sized men but both of their hearts could not be bigger. It’s pretty amazing what we’ve done together. They have literally ridden thousands of miles with me around this country. Together we’ve explored 13 different states, one Canadian province and met countless people to share our story with. Their wit, humor and positivity make spending time with them a pleasure and encourage me to start planning the next big ride.

Missouri looked great on her!

So yeah, the guys are amazing every day out on the trail. However, that’s the easy part of traveling with me. The hard parts are the long nights and early mornings. I want to first acknowledge my amazing fiancée, Celina Smith. It was wonderful getting to see new sights and experience new joy with the woman I love, but it was far from a relaxing vacation. Each night demanded a bunch of work to get me into bed and then manage my ventilator once I’m asleep. This often requires waking up multiple times throughout the night to clear congestion. It can be miserable when all you want to do is sleep but a damned vent alarm keeps waking you up. Then, once we are up for the day and out the door, she is the driver, blog editor, lunch bringer, media organizer and so much more. She did it all with a smile and was completely supportive along the way. I’m a really lucky guy.

All-Star Edwin on team checkered vans!

That brings me to another support All-Star, Edwin Menes! Edwin has joined us on three Ian’s Rides now and I can’t imagine doing one without him. He would take over for Celina in the early hours, sometimes as early as 2 AM and get all the caregiving and behind the scenes work done while I tried to eke out an extra hour of sleep. He also drove the pickup truck that helped move bikes around and oversaw the moving days, getting all of our stuff to the next location. His quiet presence and impressive knowledge of my chair and my care made for a smooth 10 days on the road.

That's a damn nice beard!

There was one other member of the team who joined us for the final four days, my dad, Scott Mackay! He showed up right when we needed him most and really took care of the team. Bringing us coffee, snacks, equipment and just beaming his lighthearted vibe at the rest of us. He really saved the day with his final support task, driving the ramp van all the way back to St. Louis from Kansas City. Having him with us brought extra smiles and some extra rest. Thanks Dad!

Where to explore next?

I’m always asked what’s next after a big ride like this. I’m currently unsure. It will likely be a rail trail. However, the guys and I felt that with the early starts and rush to beat the Missouri heat we didn’t have enough time to smell the roses. We’re also recognizing that 40 miles a day is out of reach for most wheelchair users and we want to encourage others to explore some of the infrastructure we highlight. So, we are thinking of only doing 20 miles a day for future rides and maybe targeting trails that are a little over 100 miles long. The Mickelson Trail in South Dakota is on our radar, but we would love to hear suggestions. Our nation has so many beautiful places to explore, but for now, I’m going to soak up the incredible memories we made on the Katy Trail. #GetOutside

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So long Missouri

The UPS lady had checkered vans! It's clearly a movement.

Our final day was a move day, we left our Air B&B in Sedalia and hauled our stuff to a hotel near the brand-new Kansas City airport. Before we left Sedalia however my dad and Jimmy headed over to a UPS center to ship Jimmy’s bike and my lithium battery back to the West Coast. Grateful for them!

Thanks for the recommendation Isaac!

After getting everything tucked away at the hotel we needed lunch. Jimmy was quick to inquire about breweries in the area and I had heard that a fellow wheelchair user named Isaac owned one nearby. River Bluff Brewing provided some tasty food and some delicious beer. Their flagship beer is the Speedliner IPA and we were thrilled to have something bitter, hop forward and well attenuated. Pretty sure Jimmy sampled the whole menu while I scored some lovely glassware.

Celina and I then made a request for a trip to Kansas to pick up a geocache. It was only a few miles away and we were able to make quick work of it. Earlier in the day I had snuck off from the Air B&B to get my final “Missouri mile” (day 2798, but who’s counting) and figured I’d get a quick “Kansas kilometer” while in the area. The team was agreeable and patient but we had to head off to our final shindig the trip.

My people!

Before leaving to Missouri, I had reached out to SCI organizations in the state to see if there was an opportunity to connect with other chair users. Well, I got crickets (or perhaps cicadas) to most of my emails and messages but I did hear back from Erin Brown of the Greater Kansas City Spinal Cord Injury Association and she was wonderful. She organized a small happy hour with a few locals at a nice sports bar not far from our hotel. Before the evening was up, we had met Bob Rule, Tom Knaus, Tony Durham, Erin Brown and a lovely new friend Melissa whose last name I sadly missed. They were all passionate about living active lives in chairs. Tony and Tom are both active on their local quad rugby team the KC Revolution, with Tony being the captain. We shared some great stories and our contacts. Meeting other folks in chairs is a big reason I continue doing these rides. It’s awesome meeting other folks in chairs that are taking life by the horns and not letting their limitations define who they are. It’s an honor to be part of such a strong, diverse, resilient community who are out there living their best lives.

Never easy saying goodbye…

After an uneventful night and morning at the hotel we headed off to the airport. Edwin returned the rental truck while my dad was willing to make the long drive back to St. Louis to return our ramp van. Dr. B and Jimmy helped Celina and I with baggage at the curb. It’s always a sad time saying goodbye to the guys after one of our big rides. I try to see them several times a year, but after a big block of time together it’s harder parting ways. We joke and tease each other saying goodbye in the typical guy fashion, while underneath our heartstrings are pulled from wrapping up another spectacular journey together.

Our flight home was slightly awkward with another delayed baggage check. Then there was a language barrier challenge with both the baggage handlers and the people movers. Fortunately, they did get me into my seat with Celina’s help and the chair did arrive in Seattle in one piece. All our prior proper planning pulled us through and we made it home no worse for wear. Well, there is still some dirt on the armrests from the spill on day six…

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A Johnny Cash Farewell

Fancy start for the finish,

On our final day of riding we were expecting milder temperatures, so we allowed ourselves a later start than usual.  We did have a long drive to get to the starting point, but we still managed to start riding just after 8:00 a.m.  Jimmy and Dr. B were dressed for the occasion wearing their checkered shirts to signify us crossing the finish line today.  Despite the fact we left the Katy yesterday and are now on the Rock Island Trail, I wore my new Katy Trail jersey my dad bought for me yesterday.  We looked hella good.  If there were more people on the trail we would have turned a lot of heads.  As it turns out we turned zero heads.

On the way to today’s starting point at the Leeton trailhead Jimmy realized he didn’t have his helmet.  It was too late to turn around so he figured he would do without it today.  We soon learned why Jimmy didn’t bring his helmet.  He left it at the trailhead yesterday when we finished.  Also, on the way to the trailhead this morning Celina orphaned a number of chicks as she once again drove through another bird and created a feather explosion.  We need to put a bell around Celina’s neck so birds hear her coming.

Osage orange found along the trail.

Yesterday we transitioned from the Katy Trail to the Rock Island Spur Trail heading to Kansas City.  The overall scenery didn’t change much, but there were some noticeable differences in the surface and infrastructure.  The surface along the Rock Island Spur is a little more varied.  Today there were sections that were so smooth it felt like it was paved.  Other sections had small rocks that made for a rough ride, but entirely doable for me and my chair.  A few sections had thick sand that slowed me way down, but could not stop the Ian’s Ride train.  We also noticed a lot of plant debris in the trail.  This is most likely due to the storm that came through two nights ago, along with recent trimming of the brush adjacent to the trail.  The team and I were talking about the surface and think more use in the years to come will help compact and improve the surface.  I think a wheelchair parade could really speed this process along.  It’s almost the Fourth of July… 

More storm damage.

Around mile 20 we came across a tree that had fallen across the path making passage impossible for me.  The tree still had lush green leaves, and was likely a casualty too, of the recent storm.  We headed back to the nearest access point along the trail where Celina picked me up and shuttled me to the next access point after the fallen tree.  It turns out the next access point was no more than a quarter of a mile from where the tree had fallen.  Jimmy and Dr. B rode on the trail past the tree and we all met back up where Celina dropped me off.  From the time we came across the tree to the time we were riding again, it was no more than a half an hour.  We don’t like losing time this way because the day gets hotter and hotter as time goes by.

Waiting for a breeze.

A few miles down the trail we came across two men who were doing maintenance along the trail.  They had heard about my Evil Knievel stunt yesterday and were very apologetic about the condition of the trail in that one specific spot.  I told them what happened and that we could have been smarter in handling the obstacle.  They knew we were coming today and told us they just removed two trees that were blocking the trail.  We told them about the one we just saw and it was news to them.  I have a feeling they went straight there and took care of tree for future trail users.  The level of maintenance is impressive and noticeable.  We have seen workers each day of our ride working on the trail.

Look closely!

Even though today was only in the mid-eighties it felt warmer, at least according to Jimmy.  Man does that man sweat a lot.  The team must be doing too good of a job keeping me cool, because I felt cold for a lot of the ride.  There were some long stretches with no shade, which probably added to the gallons of sweat coming off of Jimmy.  There were a few small lakes along the way, which probably helped keep me nice and cool.  I really enjoyed looking up at the beautiful blue skies with the different cloud formations.  Jimmy just thinks the sky is hot and refused to enjoy its beauty.  While I was keeping cool under my canopy with a fan aimed at my face, and constantly being sprayed, a Hackberry Emperor (Asterocampa celtis) butterfly decided to hitch a ride.  He (or she) knew the most comfortable place on the trail. 

Finish line!

About one mile from the end of our trip the trail abruptly ended at a road, or so it seemed.  It took us a moment to figure out that we needed to ride on the road for a bit before meeting back up with a very short trail segment that would in fact complete our journey.  It’s notable that after 280 miles this was the first and only time we had to navigate roads.  Riding on the road brought back memories of our early Ian’s Rides before we became older, smarter, and more cautious.  As we rolled over the finish line we were greeted by two adoring fans, Celina and my dad.  They cheered as loud as an entire stadium of Chiefs fans.  The had put down checkered flags and streamers to add the perfect touch of class.  The decorations were hella tight.

We did it!

This now marks the successful completion of our fifth Ian’s Ride.  Just a few days before we were ready to hop on planes to come to St. Louis there was concern about the temperatures we would be dealing with.  These concerns were justified and we discussed the issue and ways we could combat the heat.  One suggestion was to go to Canada instead.  That sounded lovely, but we had put too much time and effort into the planning of this trip.  We certainly weren’t going to be stopped by the heat dome making millions of people across America suffer.  We have spray bottles and a fan.  My team was wonderful and made sure we all arrived safe in Kansas City.  I can’t imagine doing any crazy adventure without my team.  We say goodbye to the Katy and the Rock Island Spur.  It seems fitting sign off with a Johnny Cash lyric about the Rock Island Line; “I may be right and I may be wrong, but you’re gonna miss me when I’m gone.”

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Katy Did This and Katy Did That

Trail changes after rain.

Van’s club!

Katy did get rained on last night while lightning flashed for hours and the wind lashed and tore at branches, some of which ended up on the trail waiting to be scooped up by my chair, thrashing and slashing under and behind my carriage as we rode for the day.

Katy did get softer with the rain in ways that sometimes made the travel feel sluggish, where once in a while one of my drive wheels would get slightly bogged down such that I’d get pulled in that direction; or where I felt like my battery was getting low; or where Jimmy and Dr. B felt like something was off with their bikes. We all had to work a little harder.

Katy did get visited by my dad for the first time today now that he has joined the crew after Edwin picked him up from the Kansas City Airport yesterday evening. His presence is a breath of fresh air as his happy self dives into various tasks and as he takes some weight off Celina and Edwin. He brought a new pair of checkered Vans for Edwin, who is now inititated into the Checkered Hall of Fame. Edwin deserves it. He is a badass who has helped make this whole trip flow from the quiet background.

Life happens!

Katy did get rolled on by me, Dr. B and Jimmy for more than 200 total trip miles shortly after we started today; and for about 230 miles total after we said goodbye to her later on in the day.

Damage control.

Katy did test the strength and sturdiness of my Diestco canopy after I went head over wheels in my chair, (or casters over canopy), when I responded to Dr. B’s warnings of a soft spot in the trail by accelerating to power through it only to have my front end dip into liquified mush, then strike an only slightly submerged culvert pipe that sent me head first into the trail. Dr. B put hands onto my chair after the initial impact and fortunately caused my chair to rest on its side. “What the hell just happened?” flashed through my mind. Jimmy and Dr. B immediately mobilized to help me, but I asked them to take a picture first to capture the absurdity of the moment. We were all in full sun, with me staring straight toward the blazing orb. Jimmy stood in the way of the sun to provide me with shade as he and Dr. B took stock of the situation and began to address it. Amazingly, they got me upright very quickly. That’s not an easy task. Equally difficult was then getting me out of the soup, and successfully getting across the whole hazardous section. Jimmy went and got rocks that I then drove over while he pulled me and Dr. B pushed. We were all hot at that point, so after making the crossing we got to a shady spot before starting to work on me and the chair. A couple of goats wandered over to Jimmy and Dr. B’s bikes, and one of them started eating Dr. B’s flag. My dad and Celina met up with us there. The crew started MacGyvering the chair to fix my broken armrest. A bike flag stick, some webbing, a couple of hose clamps, a bunch of zip ties and probably some bubblegum had my chair riding as good as ever. Edwin met us at the Sedalia Depot to help get me repositioned in my chair. The crew added some more touches to the emergency repairs. After addressing numerous issues, we hit the trail with fortitude and determination to see this through, and I was so thankful that my chair wasn’t more severely damaged.

Despite the crash, we soon hit the “high point”!

Katy did have some long sunny stretches this afternoon as well. Jimmy pulled another emergency repair of the mount for my trusty Diestco canopy turned roll cage. Diestco is the sponsor of the day (selected and announced as such before the debacle that showcased my hella tough canopy).

Butterfly beauty all around

Katy did have a lot of butterfly diversity, both today and throughout the trip. Jimmy got a picture of a Question Mark butterfly. Tiger swallowtails, Variegated fritillaries, Cloudless sulphurs and others drifted amongst us.

Enamored with Missouri.

Katy did underscore what a trail can be when people put their minds and resources toward large projects of the sort.

And Katy did recede to the distance after we kissed her goodbye and began the Rock Island Trail section of our trip.

Postscript:

My jerry-rigged chair kept cranking through the afternoon. It wasn’t in the 90’s like it has been every other day of this trip, but it was still warm. The accident burned a lot of time, so this was by far our latest day on the trail. After leaving the Katy, we merged onto the Rock Island Spur Trail which has us heading northwest toward Kansas City. The trail surface was a little more irregular. Nice steel-buttressed bridges gave way to large culverts.

The crushed material on the trail surface turned redder. We finally saw our first snake of the trip. A herd of goats passed by right in front of us on the trail, including a bunch of kids. The debris load on the trail increased. The afternoon sun was strong. Dr. B and Jimmy rode alongside me, all of us in tune with each other and with what we had to do. We’ve gone so many miles together over so many different types of terrain over the years. We all just rocked on.

Goodbye Katy, hello Rock Island!

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The Longest Day

Since yesterday was cut short due to our late start and high temperature we knew we had a long day ahead of us, and it turns out it was a long and hot day.  The heat index was well over 100 degrees.  Dr. B would be upset if I didn’t mention that temperature is reported in Fahrenheit.  Units matter!  Today felt hotter than yesterday, despite the published temperatures being lower for today.  Early on we recognized that it would be a challenge for me to keep my temperature low enough to be safe.  My team has done a really good job thus far, and we continue to learn along the way.  Our first line of defense is constantly spraying me with water.  As I was explaining to Dr .B, water has an enthalpy of vaporization of 40.7 kilojoules per mole so it is excellent at removing heat from my body.  I’m trying to take advantage of all those hydrogen bonds within a sample of water.  Our second line of defense is placing “ice packs” on my belly and chest.  These “ice packs” are made of saturated fats, which have a hella high enthalpy of fusion adding to the amount of heat that can be removed from my body, ultimately keep my temperature low.

Wonder what’s hiding in there!

Dr. B had told us that his favorite section of the Katy Trail was the ten miles east of the town of Rocheport.  That was the section we didn’t do yesterday due the time constraints.  We didn’t want to miss this section, so we began where we left off yesterday, which was nine miles east of Rocheport.  The beginning of the day was beautiful as advertised.  The dolomite rock formations we were so fond of yesterday gave way to even more stunning sandstone cliffs with towering overhangs above the trail.  We saw a lot of caves within the rock walls.  In addition to the beautiful cliffs, for most of these first ten miles the Missouri River was to our left.  The combination of cliffs and the river made for a great start to the day.

Still stunned by these rock walls.

As we made our way down the Katy we couldn’t help but notice a couple of things about the animals that live (or don’t live) near the trail.  What we first noticed was the number of dead Eastern moles (Scalopus aquaticus).  We could hypothesize about the cause of death, but we decided to focus on more pleasant thoughts.  An interesting fact about moles is that a mole of moles would roughly have the same mass as the moon.  That’s hella moles.  As we continued down the trail we notice there were pockets of cicadas in the trees being quite loud.  We call them cicada pockets, also known as Missouri Hot Pockets.  Probably my favorite animal sighting today was a turkey vulture perched on some rocks sunning her wings.  I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a vulture do this.  This is behavior more suited for a cormorant.

Early on the miles went by relatively easy.  The day had not gotten too hot yet.  Despite the mellow pace and reasonable temperatures, Jimmy required his first lunch by 9:30 am.  Celina came through with a breakfast sandwich just in time.  Dr. B and I waited a little longer for our only lunch, and Jimmy joined us for his second.  This is a good time to thank Celina for always having food and drinks along the way as we are in need.

Blowin’ in the wind.

As we continued on, the trail became a little rougher than I have been accustomed to.  Don’t get me wrong, the trail is still very well maintained and I am grateful for that.  I just found that sections today seem to have a little rougher gravel.  Combining the rougher trail, more climbing than usual, some pretty strong headwinds, the heat, and the additional nine miles we had to make up, today was a tough day.  I felt strong most of the day.  The last three miles humbled me.  Up until then I felt strong and felt that my temperature was under control.  The heat was more than we could combat.  I finished with a temperature of 99.9 degrees (Fahrenheit).  I wouldn’t want to go much higher than this.

So long to the Missouri River.

Overall, today was a good day.  Challenging, but good.  We crossed over the Missouri River, and at the same time said our goodbyes.  We won’t be seeing the Missouri again on this trip.  Today’s route was marked by multiple tunnels and numerous bridges.  Looking back on it this makes sense since the terrain was more up and down than previous days.  We experienced more elevation gain today than all previous days combined.  We finished at 1:45 p.m., which was our latest finish so far.  We don’t want to be finishing this late from now on, since this is often the hottest part of the day.

A welcome end to a very hot and long day!

We are all looking forward to tomorrow.  There is rain in the forecast for tonight, and the temperature is expected to be ten degrees (Fahrenheit) cooler tomorrow.  I have decided to let the team sleep in a bit since the temperatures will be a bit lower and we don’t have to get such an early start.  The entire team is excited about this.  We have two more days of riding, and I’m ready to finish this ride strong.

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