Peace, Please

Since 2015, I’ve been cycling peace signs large and small. Most recently, I cycled 652 miles to map a peace sign onto Kansas with my friend, Brenda Mueller. Several other cyclists joined us for parts of it and many people supported us in ways large and small. I thank all of them for their extraordinary … More Peace, Please

Clicking

Yesterday, my bike developed a clicking sound. By the time we pulled into Wellington, it was so loud that I was concerned a mechanical failure might come between me and the end of the peace sign ride. This morning, I thought I’d see if I could clean my bike a bit. I used the flathead … More Clicking

Dexter Rising

In 1903, residents of Dexter KS celebrated a newly dug well that spewed natural gas at an astonishing rate. At a lighting ceremony to celebrate the find, to great puzzlement, the gas did not burn. Analysis of “Dexter gas” at the University of Kansas revealed that it contained a large percentage of helium, the gas … More Dexter Rising

Go With the Wind

Ten miles from our ride start today, we returned to our starting point, completing the peace sign’s circle that represents Earth. Then we turned south to begin cycling the letter D in semaphore flag code — one flag straight up and one flag straight down. D stands for Disarmament. Just a short way down the … More Go With the Wind

Rain!!

The rain finally came to KS. Even though I was on a bike trip, I was joyful like Kansans because I’ve seen up close how desiccated crops and creeks are. In spite of our plan to hunker down for a day, we realized we had enough time after the end of the rain to get … More Rain!!

Brown Fog

A 40 mile per hour tailwind pushed us from Anthony to Hutchinson as we scribed (electronically) the left side of the peace sign. Four riders, Callyn, Don, Mary, and David, joined in on a 77 mile tailwind ride. Just sitting on my bike without pedaling, I reached 30 mph at times. Ruth Holliday drove SAG … More Brown Fog

Rocks and Wind

Of the 67 mile ride today, 11 were on gravel. Both Brenda and I hate gravel and can’t figure out why some cyclists love it. There is constant risk of falling, you have to watch each rock in the road while picking out the least treacherous track, and the going is so slow. If you’re … More Rocks and Wind