Knees are a wonderful thing. When they work well you can do almost anything. When they don't, well that is another story. Still on the recovery rebound from a January mountain bike crash my knee this year dictated that my summer plans follow a somewhat less aggressive program. We had planned a trip to Canada to ride the Kettle Valley railway trail through British Columbia. Instead, we are now headed for the (as I understand it, but yet to be determined) slightly less challenging KATY trail in Missouri. I've never spent much time in Missouri so this will be a first. Usually the only prerequisite of a Mabry vacation is that it includes mountains, so this year will be quite the change as I'm given to understand that Missouri lacks much in terms of vertical elevation. Humidity yes, but sadly mountains no. Still I'm cautiously optimistic about the trip as the KATY trail is renowned as America's longest rails to trails conversion. There's even a guidebook which my wife Sophie has been faithfully reading. Me, I'm a little more simple. Point me down a trail and off I go, satisfied just to discover whats around the next corner.
Driving out of Denver on a Friday afternoon is its usual adventure with bumper to bumper I-70 traffic in both directions. Fortunately most of the eastbound drivers are not heading to Missouri (what do they know that I don't?) so quickly the highway transforms itself from urban gridlock to suburban sprawl to suddenly vast swaths of farmland as we head east towards towns I never give much thought to. Flagler, Arriba, Limon drift by. We stop at a Subway in Limon for dinner. Its a hopping place with three busloads transporting migrant workers to fields unknown to harvest the lettuce, peppers, pickles, and jalepenos I ask for on my sandwich. Then its off down the road heading for tonight's stop in Goodland, Kansas.
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