Biking vacation

Instead of taking our kids to Mt. Rushmore when it was going to be overrun with motorcycle dudes partying it up at Sturgis, we decided to stay closer to home. We took our bikes (well, 4 of them) on the Amtrak train from Union Station in Kansas City just a couple of hours east to Sedalia, MO. Sedalia was a booming railroad town in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, but seems to have been dwindling ever since. Actually, they looked like they were trying mightily to revive their cute old downtown, but they weren’t quite ready for our arrival. Main street was ripped up, the train station was built but unfinished and uninhabited, and there is NOTHING to do after 7pm downtown. The streets were slow enough all six of us jaywalked across downtown streets regularly during our short stay.




Upon arrival, we got off the train and walked the bikes about 4 blocks to the bike store where we had arranged to rent 2 more bikes and they graciously supplied us with pedals, since we accidentally left ours on the train.





Then we checked into our hotel just across the street, which had been built in the early 1900s. We were starved for lunch, so we went down to the next block for some awesome burgers. Then we headed east on the Katy Trail. It was a lovely day until the heat index went above a hundred, at which point, Willa nearly melted down. We were seriously worried about heat exhaustion. But we made it 5 miles AND BACK to the mercifully air-conditioned historic train station (which is NOT the same place as the current Amtrak non-station, in case you are ever there). We were still hot, so we biked to the city pool for a lovely splash and rest.


The next day was much cooler, and we decided to try the trail to the west (6 miles and back this time), eat ice cream cones, get manicures for souvenirs (can you guess which 3?) and eat Mexican food for dinner. By day three, the kids were pretty much done biking. Alan and I woke up early and biked to the next microscopic town (12 miles away) in the cool of the day and the trail while the kids watched TV. Then we came back, packed up our kids and our backpacks, checked out and headed back for a train ride home.



It was a really unique and fun trip. We learned a lot of history, stayed active and had fun. But we were glad to get back home to our own familiar and populated planet.