Sunday Dispatches
Zen, bikepacking, and a dog
Author's note: In 2022 I rode my bicycle from Kansas City, Missouri to Yorktown, Virginia and then traveled north to the island of Martha’s Vineyard to work on a farm to be their head Cheesemaker. The route I took was not straightforward. I left early Spring, April 2nd. The 2nd day I made my way to Warsaw, MO and connected with Mac Vorce, at that time head of the Chamber in Warsaw, and he told me about the Butterfield Stagecoach Route a challenging, 250-mile gravel route from Jefferson City, Missouri down through the Ozarks to the Arkansas border. I would eventually connect with the Transamerica Bicycle Route and ride to Yorktown over a period of 35 days. This is the story of day 4 and part of 5.
Day 4 and morning of Day 5
I’m lying in my tent on the morning of day five of my journey having a little meditation of how grateful I am just to be alive and be able to do the things I’m doing. My friend Monica reminded me she was the one who called me the “traveling monk”. I resonate with that very much as my spiritual belief is strong no matter what religion I meet along my journey and right now I feel very Zen like. I’m lying on a forest bed in a conservation area just outside of Wheatland, Missouri. I’ve been up for a while listening to the pattering of the rain on the tent fly and in this moment, life is simple-me, the tent, the rain, and time and space and just being aware of the moment in time, I love that feeling. I retrieved my stove from my panniers for a breakfast of oatmeal with raisins, honey and banana along with copious amounts of coffee. I love the word copious, don’t you?
Not exactly sure of my route today and when the rain is going to stop. The sun is supposed to come out, so I think I’m going to hang out here and read my book, Provence 1970, and let everything dry out including my boots which got soaked yesterday because of the two stream crossings on the adventurous Butterfield Stagecoach route my friends Mac and Jen in Warsaw suggested. I’m starting to feel stronger getting used to the heavy weight of the load I’m carrying-70ish lbs as I brought everything I need to work at the farm on the Island for the summer. For you Bikepacker‘s out there I’m on a 26 inch surly long-haul disc trucker, with two front Salsa bags on anything cages and two rear expeditionary panniers from Arkle out of Canada, XM-45s I have had for 13 years. This bike is the best I have owned, so reliable, so durable, and as parts wear overtime usually the bike gives me plenty of warning so I can make repairs.
I’m carrying water, food, shelter clothing, couple books, maps and as my kiwi friends would say an assortment of ‘bits and bobs.’ Yesterday I left Mac Vorce’s home in Warsaw and hopped on the Butterfield Stagecoach Experience, on section 8 from Warsaw to Wheatland with a couple of route adjustments to get me closer to the Transamerica Trail. This route is one of the hardest I’ve ever done.
I would compare it to the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route in terms of its relentless challenging terrain and endless ups and downs, stream crossings, muddy dirt roads, gravel, and more loose gravel… Lots of solitude, kind people and very beautiful. I rode for nine hours and ended up taking a shortcut in the end to Wheatland because of a pending storm, which, of course, never happened. I found this patch of dirt by asking the cashier at the grocery store if she was a local and knew of a place I could camp, she suggested two places and this spot was the closest. I had to push my bike off into the woods so not to be seen as I am unsure if I was camping legally, as some Conservation Areas in Missouri allow it and others do not, but this one was full mud, and with the early spring weather being wet and cold I knew there would be no one else around. The only negative was I heard gunfire just after dusk coming from outside a home about a couple hundred yards away. I'm eager to get down to the Transamerica Trail to get started heading east as that is my ultimate destination. I am laying in the tent fully caffeinated dictating this to you from my phone. I feel good. Many people yesterday gave me water as I rode by their homes. There was a little dog named Little Missy who befriended me and kindly ran beside me for almost 4 miles-yes 4 miles until the owner’s niece and husband retrieved her. Little Missy was the strongest dog I’ve ever seen.
No matter how fast I went down the hill I would have to go slow up the next hill and I would look in my rearview mirror and she would be that little spot in the center of the mirror running to me. It was a soulful encounter between a human and an animal and there was so much synchronicity and universal beauty in that moment it brought tears to my eyes, seriously. It’s a kind reminder that we all living beings are connected.
If you like my words let me know.
Peace and Love, Bill
To see a short video of little missy following me just click here.
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