RecumBum

Today I rode a portion of the Prairie Spirit Trail, the only rail-trail in Kansas. It runs 33 miles from Ottawa to Welda in the eastern part of the state.

I drove to Ottawa and started at the old train station at the north end of town, continuing on surface streets then onto a paved trail though the southern part of town. I was encouraged to see a good number of people on the trail in Ottawa, most of whom looked like local townsfolk who used the trail to get around town both on foot and abike.

There’s a $3 trail permit required to ride the trail one it leaves the city limits, but I never did see the self-pay station in Ottawa. I found out later it was on a short spur at the main trailhead.

Once out of town the surface changed to a compacted crushed limestone as it passed beneath I-35 and continued into the countryside. The surface was actually a bit rougher than I expected, with a few ditches and such.

After a bit I hit the little town of Princeton, but there didn’t seem to be much there, although I did find a self-pay station, where I purchased a one-day permit, then I continued riding south, eventually reaching Richmond. At this point, the weather, which had been rather cool for August, turned, and it started raining just as I reached the shelter of the trailhead.

It rained hard for a good hour or so, as I sat on the picnic table beneath the shelter. Oh well, at least I had some snacks and water. Eventually some park employees showed up and we chatted a bit. They told me about a diner in Richmond, out on the highway.

Once the rain let up, I headed over there, as it was getting on towards noon. I found the restaurant, and had a salad and iced tea. Afterwards, I had to make a decision about whether to continue south on the trail, or head back to Ottawa. Even though I’d only gone about 15 miles, the weather was still threatening rain, so I decided to head back.

That turned out to be a good decision, as it was sprinkling by the time I reached Princeton, where I again waited out a shower in a trailside shelter. It was another half hour or so before I took to the trail again for the final jog back to my truck. The trail surface proved resilient, as it was still quite rideable, even after a good soaking rain. By the time I reached Ottawa, the sun was shining again.

In all, it was a good ride, though shorter than I’d planned.

However, I found myself feeling disappointed for some reason I couldn’t quite pin down. Frankly, I think the trail was just a little bland. There was some nice country, to be sure, but there was a lot of sameness to the scenery as well. Perhaps if I’d gone further south the land would have shown a bit more variety.

Still, I’m looking forward to going back and trying it again.