Next Monday, October 18th, 994 years to the day after the Danes defeated the Saxons in the Battle of Ashingdon, a small but determined band of hardy bicycle adventurers are planning to depart from their familiar Omaha environs, ford the Mighty Mo, and venture south, relying only on their 2-wheeled pack chariots, pedaling through the Great Unknown to destinations untamed and wild, in search of, if not fame and fortune, at least a warm campfire and the simple pleasures of the changing colors of the leaves on the trees and the flights of migratory birds as they journey south--the very figures of the autumnal season.Savoring the vestiges of the now-past season of warmth before the inescapable arrival of the Snow Miser to these climes, our heroic troupe will make for the relative solace of Shenandoah, Iowa, reclaiming ancient paths usurped but only temporarily by the Iron Horse and the modern naivete of the last millennium, upon a trail that retains the ghost of its former industy: Wabash Trace. With a bit of good fortune and careful stewardship of rations, our stalwart crew intend to return from the Edge of the World--after a well-earned rest with bedroll and the o'erhanging stars for company--on Tuesday, October 19th, one day older by the reckoning of the calendar, but overbrimming with memories piled up to keep until Rapture.
Who will join us?! We seek resonant souls who too long for the journey into the Wild, those who savor the season's lees, whose strength in the saddle is matched only by their pledge of companionship. Do not hesitate, but grab the brass ring!
[For more details, email Matt at matthewsmartin@gmail.com. Each bicyclist must supply his/her own food & gear for an overnight camping trip and two days of bicycle touring of approximately 60 miles each day. Please RSVP. We will be meeting at the base of the Nebraska side of the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge at 9am Monday morning and return by 5pm Tuesday evening at the latest. Weather is expected to be 60s during the day down to 40 at night. Dress accordingly. Ride on!]
1 comment:
It's too bad that it's over weekdays. I'd consider something like that on the weekend. For those of you who may be interested in a similar ride, but over a single day, please join me as I treat my visiting brother to riding in the Great Plains. 120 miles to and from Shenandoah for lunch. Sunday, October 24. See this link for more details.
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