MoBikeFed Board Member Rachel Ruhlen biking to all 40 Missouri State Parks, May-June 2014
In May 2014, MoBikeFed Board Member Rachel Ruhlen is taking the ride of her life--biking to all 40 Missouri State Parks (that have camping facilities) during May and June 2014.
Rachel regularly blogs about bicycling and walking for the Kirksville Daily Express and other newspapers around Missouri. Here is the article she wrote about her upcoming trip:
Coming soon to a state park near you
Five years ago, I biked from Columbia, MO to Omaha, NE and back. I camped in state parks and city campgrounds. I carried everything on my bike. It took 11 days and I rode 744 miles. When I got home, I decided that I would bike to the 40 Missouri State Parks that have campgrounds in 2014. My dad looked at my mom, who had worried about me biking by myself and camping by myself, and bought a bike so he could go with me. I had gotten lonely a lot on my first trip, so I was very happy that I would have company.
It's 2014 now and our trip starts in less than a month. It's hard to believe that it's almost here. All winter, Dad and I have had weekly Google hangouts to plan our trip. We've been going to our gyms and, when the weather was not too bad, riding our bikes. We've collected tents, sleeping bags, a pocket fisherman, a tiny inflatable raft, a cookstove, smart phones, black box cameras, spare parts, and other equipment. We've researched state parks, highways, obscure facts about obscure towns, newspapers, the Department of Natural Resources (DNR), apps, and more. We reached out to friends, bicycle clubs, bike shops, newspapers, the DNR, Missouri State Parks, the Missouri Bicycle & Pedestrian Federation, and many others. We have a blog, a mascot, and trail names (Shere Khan and Balloo).
Missouri has a hiker-biker policy, so we won't be turned away even when the campground is full. The DNR is sponsoring our trip, so we won't pay campground fees. They are writing an article about us and the publicist is meeting us soon for photos.
I will never feel that I have trained enough or prepared enough. But I can't wait to start! Ready or not, I'd leave tomorrow if I could.
We want you to join us. You can bike with us for a few miles when we pass through your town. If you're more adventurous, you might join us for a few days. If you don't have a bike, we'd love to see you at a state park or anywhere on our journey. We could use some help along the way: a ride to the grocery store, a few extra bananas and boiled eggs, or route advice.
If you can't join us or meet us, please follow our journey online and leave words of encouragement on our blog. 'Like' our Facebook page, 40 Missouri State Parks to get updates and announcements, and visit the 40 Missouri State Parks www.crazyguyonabike.com journal.
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