For the "K" route, BAK 2001 began in Elkhart, Kansas.   Many riders rode about 20 miles from the town of Elkhart out to the state line.   This extra mileage allowed most of them to complete their first "century ride" of the tour.  This year, our group consisted of myself, my daughter, Erica, my son, Geoff and friends Harold Stubby and his son Zach.  This was my 4th time on BAK, Erica and Harold's 2nd time and Geoff and Zach's first time.

To summarize the weather, Saturday through Wednesday brought us wind and, by each afternoon, temperatures in the 90s.  On Sunday, tail winds made the ride from Santanta to Dodge City a breeze.  This, combined with a relatively short riding day gave everyone some free time.  For the "K" route, the 'worst' day was on Tuesday when we rode 35 miles south from Pratt to Medicine Lodge.  Fortunately, the riding was in the morning before the wind became very strong and while our legs were still fresh.  Thursday brought clouds, cooler weather, lighter winds and rain.  As Geoff, Erica and I rode into Sedan, the rain was coming down hard.  Friday and Saturday were both fantastic!

The "K" route was privileged to have the infamous "Sag Hags" along.  The Sag Hags are Kathy Payne (New Strawn), Mary Ann Hugunin (Burlington), Kathy Hinnen (Toronto) and Donna Reist (Olathe).  Every day brought a different theme.  This year, the Sag Hags themes included Pajama Party, Court Jesters, Square Dancing, Mardi Gras, Flower Children, and Patriotic.

At the Tuesday evening route meeting, Glenn Reeves, Mary Holloway, Chris Slater, Geoff Reeves, Erica Reeves, Zach Stubby, Mary Ann Hugunin and Kathy Payne sang "Riding On BAK" to the "K" Route folks.   We named ourselves "Out-of-Sync" (....get it??)  Unfortunately, the music was too loud and the microphone didn't pick up very well.  Our effort was applauded.   At the Friday evening route meeting, in downtown Oswego, "Out-of-Sync" got another chance.  Leon Payne and Jimmy Hugunin joined us.  This time, we had the benefit of a country-western band's sound system and somebody to make necessary level adjustments.    The audience numbered between 400 and 500 people and included Larry and Norma Christie.  The performance was very well received.

The lyrics to the song are:

(To the tune of "The Way")

They made up their minds and they started packing
They left just as the sun came up that day
An exit to their annual summer slacking
Where are they going? Their riding on B.A.K.!

They've made lots of friends as they kept on biking
They have so many important things to say
And when their bikes broke down they started SAGing
Where are they going? Their riding on B.A.K.!

CHORUS:
Anyone could see the road that they ride on is black as coal
It's always summer they never get cold
It's fun for the young
It's fun for the old and gray
You can see their bicycles wandering off somewhere
They won't be first in but they really don't care
They wanted the highway
They're happy there today, today

Their bosses at work - no they couldn't find 'em
They left just as the sun came up that day
They just rode off and left their cares behind 'em
Where are they going? Their riding on B.A.K.!

CHORUS

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One of the best things about BAK is all of the wonderful people.  There are people with who you ride.  There are people who are always willing to smile, stop and talk about the day's ride.  There are people who are willing to help.  On Thursday and Friday, I needed a lot of help!  My rear tire blew out just as I was coasting into Sedan.  Thank you to the van owner who stopped almost immediately and took me on into town.  Ron and Mary Holloway helped us find a place to bed down for the night and helped me repair the tire (it had to be replaced).  That same evening, Larry and Deb Aldridge loaned us their truck so we could hunt for places to eat and for laundromats.  The next day, I noticed that my bicycle was very hard to pedal and was making a lot of noise.  Doug and Judy Davidson stopped and oiled my chain.  I had never met them before.  What nice people!

Biking Across Kansas is a wonderful experience.   Some days are very challenging; but part of the fun is proving that you are up to that challenge.   So many people think about bicycling across Kansas and asking "why?"; we think about bicycling across Kansas and ask "why not?".

Click the links below for 62 photos from the "Kan Do" route.

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