Ribbon Cutting Ceremony: Report

The Ribbon Cutting today was so much more than we could have hoped. Not only did we have multiple students attend, we also had many faculty and staff as well as Dr. Goodman and Dr. Liz.

The day was extra hot, luckily we came prepared with waters and orange slices left over from the Rock's U-7 soccer game. It is always nice to know your friends have your back.

Thanks again to all who attended and a special thanks to those of you who pledged money for our charity ride.

PS: We have a new member, Wes "McConaughey" Curry. Welcome to the club big guy.

Ribbon Cutting Ceremony for New Bike Rack

You're Invited

to

Logan Cycling Club's Bike Rack Ribbon Cutting Ceremony

Date: Monday, May, 24

Time: 3pm

Location: Bike Rack Outside Room 142a

Special Guests: Drs. Goodman, SDC President Julian McMurray, Dr. Jinpu Li

Refreshments will be provided.

Day Four: We Made It!

After a terrible day of riding, we were certain that anything would be better. The morning was a bit cool but the wind had died down and the sun was out. After a few miles in we ran out of outer road and had to travel north for a few miles to pick up with highway FF which would bring us all the way into KC. On our way north we made two stops.

The first stop was in a small town called Aullville. The interesting thing about this town was that the population signs on each side of the town quoted two different numbers. On the way into town the population was 72 and on the way out it was 85. I understand that the three of us would have increased the population but not by 15. I can only assume that in an effort to save money the town decided to create a range in while their population could fall at any time within the next few years. A good way to save taxpayer dollars.

The second stop was in Higginsville. It is a bit larger than Aullville but nothing to get too excited about. While entering downtown we could smell the sweet aroma of bratwurst on the grill. We pulled into the gas station and were pleased to find that it was their one year anniversary, which meant free food and drinks for everyone who stopped.

At about 7:30 that evening we arrived at our final destination at City Hall in Kansas City, Missouri. Shortly after we arrived The First Lady and Mrs. Captain showed up with warm clothes and party hats to celebrate my birthday. That night we partied like we were rockstars and stayed our last night camping in a friend's backyard.

310 total miles and about 22 hours or riding. It sure was an epic trip for us all.

More pictures on our Flickr page.

Day Three: Wind

Our original plan for day three was to ride from Boonville to Lee's Summit which is about 100 miles total. With every intention to follow our plan it was not to be, as we were met with 20-25 mph head minds.

The Rock had met us the night before and decided it would be a good idea to ride his track bike. We try our best not to argue with him because his personality matches that of a barroom instigator. Paul is also our club reverend and he often prays over us in the morning before we hit the road.

About 25 miles into the ride we saw a Dairy Queen and chose to stop. It didn't seem like many of their patrons were used to seeing three guys in skin tight clothing, but I am pretty sure the truckers didn't mind. While we were there we met a gentleman, who I could only guess is about 80 years old, with his father enjoying a blizzard. Apparently the fountain of youth is hiding at a DQ somewhere west of Boonville. They gave us some good directions and saved us about 7 miles, thanks old dude and almost dead father.

After meeting Jinpu a few hours later we decided to cut the ride down to about 65 miles after we estimated we would not arrive in Lee's Summit until about 11pm. We called around and found a hotel with some comfy beds in Concordia. We grabbed a bite to eat at a local saloon and met some of the locals. It is interesting where you find a southern accent in this state.

Only 65 miles to Kansas City.

Day Two: The Unintentional Century

I woke up this morning expecting to be very sore but felt surprisingly refreshed. The Kan-Do Campground had treated us well. After a quick breakfast and camp teardown, we jumped on the bikes and headed out to Boonville.

Originally our itinerary told us it would be about a 75 mile ride. The start was mostly outer roads but after about 10 miles the road turned to dirt and we were forced to take a detour. The map on my phoned showed a quick left turn and then a right back toward a paved outer road. What we did not realize was that most of the roads in middle Missouri are dirt and we went about 10 miles out of our way to get back en route.

A few miles down the road we ran into a truck stop and an odd McDonald's sign.

We also made a quick stop at Nostalgiaville and grabbed a Coke and a smile, 'cause that's the way it should be.

In no time we had traveled about 50 miles and we stopped in Columbia to meet Jinpu and eat some lunch. Upon our arrival we discovered nachos, a rack of ribs, a box of cookies and 24 beers waiting for us. Dr. Li had really outdone himself. It is always great to eat a huge pile of garbage after a morning of riding.

The last 25 miles quickly turned into 50 with a few wrong turns and a 2 mile walk on anunridable dirt road. As miserable as the afternoon became, it ended very well with us averaging about 22 mph on the last 8 miles into Boonville. A smooth road and tailwind is always nice to round out a ride.

When we arrived, our trusty sidekick was waiting for us atop a hill in Harley Park, and again we ended our day watching the sunset.

Day One: Riding Off Into the Sunset

Boy did you all miss a good time. They is so much to say I don't know where to start...

The day started off fairly slow as Captain thought we were leaving on Thursday and not Wednesday. We all me over at his place, packed the car up and we were on our way, to Logan. Like every group ride we must start at Logan. This time however, we took a picture with Mark before the ride in stead of at the end as we would normally do. While we were getting everything in order at school we noticed a secret service type mobile waiting at the front and Dr. Jason Goodman and a few others walking toward it. We exchanged the normal pleasantries and went on our way but during the ride I could not figure out what was going one. It could have been one of Dr. J's high profile friends like normal but after a while I believe I figured out what was going on. I believe what President Obama is going to nominate JayDog as the new Supreme Court Justice. It all made sense to me.

Anyway, after all that we actually started the ride. It started out fairly slow as we were preparing for am long day in the sun, cranking away. Our first pit stop was over the 364 bridge to make sure Jinpu was comfortable with all the directions and the GPS device. Upon our arrival we found no Jinpu. After a few phone calls he assured us that he was there and we must have been in the wrong place. We did notice a Delorean in the lot so there may have been some sort of alternate reality going on.

The next 20 or so miles did not go very well. We had hit a good amount of traffic in St. Charles county while people were getting out of work and they were not too happy to see us slowing them down. We were holed at numerous times and almost forced off the road in a few cases. Luckily we escaped unharmed.

Once we were west of Wentzville is was smooth sailing for us. It is amazing how long and straight the county roads are in Missouri. It is also interesting how they are all named by letter with little rhyme or reason. We started out on N, made our way over to Z, then back to N, then OO, M, H, F, and ended with TT. I am not sure which letter was or sponsor for the day but we did spend a good amount of time on M.

Our second stop was in Warrenton at a Kroger. Not much to. Mention about that, although we did get some interesting looks from some the shopper. Also, pepperoni and Cheetos have never tasted so good together.

The last stretch of 25 or some miles was amazing. It was getting late and we were running out of sunlight. Because we were headed west the sun was setting just in front of use the entire time and it was glorious. I imagined it to be much like the end of the Last Crusade where they all ride off into the sunset together. We however do not plan on making the worlds worse sequel in 20 years.

That's all for now. See you guys tomorrow.

And They're Off!

Today we embark on our qwest to Kansas City. Stay tuned for "daily" updates on our progress.

The itinerary has been updated below. So, if you are feeling adventuress come out and ride or meet us in the evening by the campfire.

Johnson