first ride of the season

Friday was a perfect day for a ride... the skies were blue and the temperature around sixty... so off we went! Our friend Jim drove in from Dallas on Thursday, and Jenn arrived at about 9:45 Friday morning. We loaded up Jenn's car and headed toward June Marie's Mystical Mile on the Katy Trail.

Ready to go... a day full of promise!

At the east end of June's Mile

Jim and Jenn on June's bench...

It really is all about the love...

We even experienced our own personal flyover by a big bird on it's way back to Whiteman Air Force Base.

We got on the trail in Calhoun... made the seven mile trek to Windsor for lunch, then turned around and headed back to the car. Nearly fifteen miles in all... and we didn't see another person the entire time we were on the trail. It was wonderful!

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The first person we encountered was back at the trailhead as we loaded our bikes. We had the pleasure of meeting a deligtful man named Buster - and his companion, Mama Dog. We learned that Buster is a WWII Navy Veteran, who served on the USS Duluth. He seemed to be about eighty-ish and said that he lives in a house about 40 feet from the trail... the same house that he's lived in since 1938. Below is a picture of Buster and Mama Dog and me...

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Buster gets out on the trail every day on foot or bicycle, and said that he rides the entire trail each year during the June ride sponsored by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources. No small endeavor... as the challenge covers roughly 225 miles in four days. Buster ROCKS!