If you asked me two weeks ago where Jamesport Missouri was or what a Poosey was, I'd likely have told you it was somewhere in Missouri and Poosey sounded like a character on Orange Is the New Black. I'd have been right on the first account and wrong on the second account.
A few weeks ago the other half and I got invited to a Biketobierfest along with most/all of the SOVAG/SMNDFBR crew at a quint B-N-B outside of Jamesport MO, after a little discussion we decided it sounded like a lot of fun and RSVP'ed. The event was set to be held at Poosey's Edge Bed and Breakfast by Jason C. and his wife Jenny, at the time I wondered why we were driving all the way to Missouri to ride bikes, not that I don't like a new adventure mind you but it did hit me as a bit odd. As it turns out the place is owned and ran by Jenny's parents, which shed a big light on the why. Sometimes relatives that own businesses make it convenient and inexpensive but maybe not the best choice if you didn't feel obligated; however that was far from the case here. Poosey's Edge is nestled in, as Weird Al would call it, an Amish paradise about an hour east of St Joseph MO, an hour and a half NE of KCMO or for us a short 3 hours from Omaha. The accommodations are immaculate and include a sun room and huge fire pit in addition to a room for let, all available for your use as a guest. It's a place the misses and I have already talked about heading back to on our own at some point, you know, without all the sweaty cyclists but that's a story for another time as the whole sweaty cycling crew descended on the B-N-B.
If you are so inclined, they will even allow you to reenact the American Gothic picture for your own enjoyment.
We all got down there at varying times on Friday and hung out by the fireside swapping stories and drinking barley pops for the most part. Saturday after breakfast however, it was time to ride; Jason had a loose itinerary of rides scheduled but the weather and the sloth like movement of the participants made following that schedule a bit of a challenge.
The first ride was a 24 mile gravel route that would take us through Poosey Conservation Area, the first road was a bit interesting and we weren't even a mile in when we encountered a downed tree but since #crossiscoming, we navigated it without too much trouble. The road was fairly steep with some ruts from running water in the past and some pretty good sized exposed rocks, it probably would have been much more fun if I was familiar with the road, wasn't on the unfamiliar Fargo for her first ride and if it were dry so the rocks weren't as slick as walrus snot on an ice flow; still it was an adrenaline rush and fun in a white knuckle, nerve wracking way.
Most of the usual suspects made the trip down to Missouri and we even had a few new faces or new to me anyway. Brent and his wife Beth came up for the ride, some of the other guys had met them this year at the Pony Express but I didn't partake in that particular race so this was my first time meeting them. Good folks but then again, most folks I've met through cycling have been.
As we were riding around I saw more than a few buildings that looked to be long abandoned, I suppose if you aren't Amish, times were probably lean around these parts. Something about abandoned farm buildings call to me, pair that with an abandoned old car and it's pure photographic gold; especially when you factor in a purple Fargo.
Poosey Conservation Area was a pretty nice place to ride through, there was even a lake in the middle of it. The guy in the middle of the last photo that looks like he cannot breath is that way for a reason, someone realized that he forgot all of his riding kits at home. Thankfully I have great friends who loaned me some... but slightly smaller than I usually wear.
There was some rain earlier in the week, which made the water crossings full of water and full of splash. Of course riding and seeing all that water does tend to make one thirsty so a beverage was in order.
Although the clouds seemed dark an ominous we never really encountered more than a few sprinkles but they did make for some great photos.
One of the things I noticed down there was that because of the prevalence of other slow moving vehicles, drivers were more used to giving you room and going around without getting annoyed. It was also the first time I'd ever stopped at a place where you could restock your supply of goat milk soap and get a cold beverage, thanks Amish folks.
A few miles after the shop and we were back at the B-N-B and the end of the first ride.
There was a second ride on Saturday around Lake Viking, nice area and some really nice houses if you're into that sort of thing. There was also a road ride on Sunday before we left but my camera had an incident with the memory card and is/was out of commission so there weren't any photos of that ride but it was fun none the less.
While bicycles are always fun, the best part of the entire weekend was being surrounded by good friends while hanging out around the campfire and sharing stories. It was also kind of cool watching the Nebraska game on the side of a barn, that was a first... Star Wars after the game was kind of cool too. The significant other and I have already talked about heading down there again sometime on our own if things work out to where we can get some time off, I think watching the snow fall in the country from the warmth of the B-N-B would be almost perfect.
No comments:
Post a Comment