A few months back we found ourselves in Marysville Kansas picking up some bicycle pumps at Backroad Bicycle from Mark, during that conversation we got to talking about the two Trek 1120s we had just purchased in hopes of doing some bikepacking this year. It was then that Mark casually asked if we were registered for the Flint Hills Gravel Ride yet. Truth be told we were not, I actually had never been down to that area to ride, and conveyed such. It was then that Mark mentioned that he was registered and was toying with the idea of trying a 3 day bikepacking ride down to Americus and then riding the shorter 30 mile version of the FHGR. We were immediately sold on the idea, I mean we did just drop a decent amount of money on bicycles to do just this very thing.
And that was how we found ourselves departing from Marysville on a chilly Wednesday morning on an epic gravel adventure. The initial plan was to bring tents and camp but as the day of the trip got closer the temperatures overnight on the first two nights started to plummet until they were well below freezing. Since that didn't really sound like an ideal situation for sleeping in a tent we punted and instead changed the route so we could stay in hotels each night instead.
Winds were huffing and puffing on Wednesday with winds in the 20-30 mph range, thankfully for us it was mostly coming out of the north, northwest and we were traveling mostly south and east. It was literally like when you go riding in the wind and you wish you could just keep riding with the wind all day instead of needing to turn back and it was as great as it always sounded.
Surprisingly with the winds at our backs and the sun out it was actually a pretty enjoyable day and the sights were pretty spectacular for "flat" Kansas.
Near the end of the day we were searching for a restroom and came upon this old stone church in Flush Kansas built in the year 1900 and we were hoping it would be unlocked but unfortunately god did not provide on this day.
Safely in Wamego we made a B-line for the Wamego Inn where we could stow the bikes and stop pedaling for the remainder of the day.
The nice thing about riding bikes all day is that you don't feel as guilty for indulging in a little greasy food, pizza at Gambino's followed by an ice cream at an ice cream shop that time forgot... check out that 70s décor! After pizza and ice cream it was time to turn in for the night a bit early in preparation for day 2 of the adventure. Day one by the numbers, 66 miles, 4200 feet of elevation and just under 6 hours on the bike.
Check out the companion video on Youtube for more of the experience.
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