Tuesday, August 07, 2007
Dallas Ramble - Day 4
Day four of this little trip was basically riding back home to Kansas City.
Late the previous evening I decided that I would return to Kansas City. This was due to three basic reasons. First, the weather had only been so-so with periods of light showers. It looked like the weather at home was much better. Second, I had hatched up a plan with a friend to maybe go bicycling in the Colorado mountains. Depending on his schedule, we would be going in a couple of weeks. Since I have been neglecting my cycling I wanted to get back and do some minimal cycling training. Finally, it really is pleasant to keep these short trips cheap. Camping helps. Another day in Dallas (especially when the weather isn't great) would just up the cost of the trip.
After waking up and getting dressed, I rode the short distance to my favorite Chick-Fil-A for breakfast. It was pleasant that several of the employees remember me despite the fact that it has been a long time between visits. I note there was a light shower as I arrived and left the restaurant. I then rode back to hotel and packed for my trip.
It has stopped raining by the time I was packed and checked out of the hotel. Since it was Saturday morning, the traffic getting out of Dallas was busy but not too bad. I had decided that I would take a more direct route back to Kansas City rather than alternates that add a lot of extra mileage and time. This is basically US-75 to US-69. Rather than the recommended (via mapping software) I chose to ride US-69 through Kansas rather than heading into Missouri and heading north on US-71 (which is a longer distance but maybe slightly faster due to speed limits).
US-75 is basically uninteresting with a fair amount of traffic. The same is true of US-69 in Oklahoma. There is one area where the road cuts through some lakes where the speeds can gat up. Fortunately for me I was listening to XM radio the entire trip to keep me from getting bored out of my mind. Near where US-69 meets I-44 in Oklahoma I got slightly off-track as I tried to avoid the toll of the I-44 turnpike. This was okay as I was trying to find a place to eat, gas up, and it ended up allowing me to ride part of the old route 66. One interesting thing I saw was a group (5-6) of late-model Corvettes driving down the road. They were heading the other way so I did not find out what they were up to. Probably a car club. It was somewhere near here where I met my first rain storm of the trip. As I go off on a county road (beautifully paved) it really began to pour. As there was nowhere good to stop I just rode on. The storm lasted about 15 miles. This was one of those showers where some cars pull over to the shoulder and wait it out. My Ducati wearing it's Avon Storm tires performed very well and I felt comfortable driving on.
I still had not found a place to eat as I continued North. By this time I was just looking for a McDonalds or other generally reliable restaurant to get something to eat at. By now I was within two-hours of Kansas City. It is at these times you ponder just continuing on until the destination. After deep thought I decided it was better to make a short stop for food as the skies ahead looked very threatening. Unfortunately as I rode I felt a flapping on top of my helmet, much like a bird flapping against the top of my helmet. I reached up and found that a plastic part (air duct) on my Arai helmet had come almost completely unglued. As I was traveling at highway speeds I just pulled the piece off and stuck it into my tankbag. You can read my thoughts about the terrible Arai company and the poor quality of there products by searching my blog.
I finally stopped in Pittsburg, KS at a McDonalds. My riding gear (waterproof) had held the rain out well. An inspection of my helmet showed that the failed plastic air cover (which is taped on with double-sided glue strips) just covers three round holes in the helmet. I decided I would have to fix this when I got home. The crash-worthiness of the helmet appeared to be intact. I chose to spend about 20 minutes at the McDonalds getting a quick bite and reading a book (as I often do to relax). I then got on the bike for the final leg home. Just as I was leaving the McDonalds I got hit by the second hard rain of the ride. This lasted for about 20 miles. Once again the riding was no problem.
The final miles of the ride were no problem with the weather turning mostly sunny and very muggy as I got near KC. Riding in from the south I am once-again amazed at how much the city has grown even in the past couple of years. It is a different and comforting feeling to ride on the roads that are your regulars (after spending even a short time away). Interestingly, even after my short trip, arriving back into Kansas City reminded me what a cool town it is for a mid-large city. I am still glad to live here.
Late the previous evening I decided that I would return to Kansas City. This was due to three basic reasons. First, the weather had only been so-so with periods of light showers. It looked like the weather at home was much better. Second, I had hatched up a plan with a friend to maybe go bicycling in the Colorado mountains. Depending on his schedule, we would be going in a couple of weeks. Since I have been neglecting my cycling I wanted to get back and do some minimal cycling training. Finally, it really is pleasant to keep these short trips cheap. Camping helps. Another day in Dallas (especially when the weather isn't great) would just up the cost of the trip.
After waking up and getting dressed, I rode the short distance to my favorite Chick-Fil-A for breakfast. It was pleasant that several of the employees remember me despite the fact that it has been a long time between visits. I note there was a light shower as I arrived and left the restaurant. I then rode back to hotel and packed for my trip.
It has stopped raining by the time I was packed and checked out of the hotel. Since it was Saturday morning, the traffic getting out of Dallas was busy but not too bad. I had decided that I would take a more direct route back to Kansas City rather than alternates that add a lot of extra mileage and time. This is basically US-75 to US-69. Rather than the recommended (via mapping software) I chose to ride US-69 through Kansas rather than heading into Missouri and heading north on US-71 (which is a longer distance but maybe slightly faster due to speed limits).
US-75 is basically uninteresting with a fair amount of traffic. The same is true of US-69 in Oklahoma. There is one area where the road cuts through some lakes where the speeds can gat up. Fortunately for me I was listening to XM radio the entire trip to keep me from getting bored out of my mind. Near where US-69 meets I-44 in Oklahoma I got slightly off-track as I tried to avoid the toll of the I-44 turnpike. This was okay as I was trying to find a place to eat, gas up, and it ended up allowing me to ride part of the old route 66. One interesting thing I saw was a group (5-6) of late-model Corvettes driving down the road. They were heading the other way so I did not find out what they were up to. Probably a car club. It was somewhere near here where I met my first rain storm of the trip. As I go off on a county road (beautifully paved) it really began to pour. As there was nowhere good to stop I just rode on. The storm lasted about 15 miles. This was one of those showers where some cars pull over to the shoulder and wait it out. My Ducati wearing it's Avon Storm tires performed very well and I felt comfortable driving on.
I still had not found a place to eat as I continued North. By this time I was just looking for a McDonalds or other generally reliable restaurant to get something to eat at. By now I was within two-hours of Kansas City. It is at these times you ponder just continuing on until the destination. After deep thought I decided it was better to make a short stop for food as the skies ahead looked very threatening. Unfortunately as I rode I felt a flapping on top of my helmet, much like a bird flapping against the top of my helmet. I reached up and found that a plastic part (air duct) on my Arai helmet had come almost completely unglued. As I was traveling at highway speeds I just pulled the piece off and stuck it into my tankbag. You can read my thoughts about the terrible Arai company and the poor quality of there products by searching my blog.
I finally stopped in Pittsburg, KS at a McDonalds. My riding gear (waterproof) had held the rain out well. An inspection of my helmet showed that the failed plastic air cover (which is taped on with double-sided glue strips) just covers three round holes in the helmet. I decided I would have to fix this when I got home. The crash-worthiness of the helmet appeared to be intact. I chose to spend about 20 minutes at the McDonalds getting a quick bite and reading a book (as I often do to relax). I then got on the bike for the final leg home. Just as I was leaving the McDonalds I got hit by the second hard rain of the ride. This lasted for about 20 miles. Once again the riding was no problem.
The final miles of the ride were no problem with the weather turning mostly sunny and very muggy as I got near KC. Riding in from the south I am once-again amazed at how much the city has grown even in the past couple of years. It is a different and comforting feeling to ride on the roads that are your regulars (after spending even a short time away). Interestingly, even after my short trip, arriving back into Kansas City reminded me what a cool town it is for a mid-large city. I am still glad to live here.
