Amber and I on another wild adventure.

Mt. Sunflower

Nepal has Mt. Everest. The Swiss Alps have the Matterhorn. Alaska has Denali and Colorado has
Pikes Peak. Kansas has ... Mt. Sunflower: the highest point in Kansas at a whopping 4039 ft. Today, Amber M. and I took a slight detour from our bike ride and explored Mt. Sunflower in all it's majesty.

Actually, Mt. Sunflower is little more than a high spot in the pasture but it is in fact, the highest elevation in Kansas and we proudly added our name to the registry book and left a few mementos as we drank a toast to Mt. Sunflower with our Diet Dr. Peppers. You could say it was the "high-point" of our day.

The morning started with rain. Not something you can say very often in Western Kansas but there it was. I drove to Amber's house and we waited it out, she sipping espresso and me snacking on donuts. A few months ago I mentioned my goal of riding or running in every county in Kansas at some point and Amber jumped right on my bandwagon and so we were off on another crazy adventure. We headed north, taking 2 vehicles so we could do mainly tailwind rides because, well, I'm lazy like that. Amber, being the good sport that she is, went along with my crazy idea. First stop - Logan County.

Mt. Sunflower, the highest point in Kansas

Apparently I didn't look at the odometer right and we only ended up riding 4 miles in Logan County, but it counts! The wind was more of a cross wind but on the lovely downhill I managed 34 mph! I love flying down the hills and this stretch of road had almost zero traffic.


Next stop, Sharon Springs in Wallace County. We left the car at the city park and took the pickup south into Greeley County. we definitely had a tailwind for this ride. It was fabulous! We made it back to Sharon Springs in no time flat and logged 18.75 miles in the two counties.

Then we loaded up and headed for Mt. Sunflower. I mentioned it to the locals at the quickie mart and they laughed good naturedly and told us to have fun. We had heard it was tradition to drink a toast to Mt. Sunflower but beer wasn't on our menu so Diet Dr. Pepper would have to do.

It's an 18 mile drive, mostly on dirt country roads and we laughed all the way. I know it's corny, but I

A toast to Mt. Sunflower

was looking forward to "seeing" the plains from on high. I wish I could say the view was breathtaking. It wasn't. There were many vistas along our ride earlier that were more panoramic and scenic. But it is truly amazing to see the vast prairie in all it's glory. We drank our toast, filled out the guest registry, and left our little hand sanitizer bottles in the mail box for the next guests.


What a day. Three more counties colored in and a trip to Mt. Sunflower, all shared with a good friend who is willing to go along even when she thinks I'm crazy. I know we complain about the wind and lack of trees, but I think that's what makes us stronger. We have to stand up to that wind or learn to work around it. (Tailwind ride, anyone?) We value trees and prairie grass. And horizons. And challenges. Our wide open spaces remind us of how small we really are in the grand scheme of things. And they keep us humble. So here's a toast to Mt. Sunflower. May all who visit appreciate just how truly awesome you are!

Groundhog Day - Again!

Amber, Kate, Claudia, and I ready to run the tunnels!

I’m starting to feel like I’m in the movie “Groundhog Day” for real. For the 5th year in a row I’ve woken up in Kansas City and headed to the tunnels of Subtropolis for the TLC Groundhog Run. And for the 4th time I’ve used this race as my fundraiser for Arthritis National Research Foundation as part of the Race For A Cure team. I always come away in awe of the amazing underground world in the heart of such an urban setting. I’m also in awe of the generous spirit of my friends and family. They really came through for me and blasted through my donation goal, raising $1,225.00!

Don't take a wrong turn!

The run itself was a little anticlimactic, especially since I didn’t do the entire 10K and only finished one lap of the course. In my defense, that was my plan and I actually tried to change my registration from the 10K to the 5K, but with both races sold out there was no way to transfer to the shorter race. I have not been able to get back on track after my flare over the Christmas break. I knew the 5K was all I could manage.

Starting out at the back of the pack I managed my intervals for the first 2 miles. But I knew I didn’t want to cross the line too early and possibly cheat someone else out of a hard earned award so I dawdled the last mile and took lots of pictures and generally had a great time. When Kate passed me on her way to the finish line I thought it was safe to start running again. I finished in just under an hour and sheepishly accepted my medal.

Kate, Claudia, Dan, and I. First event together
in a long time. 

On the whole it was a great weekend. Dinner on Saturday evening with Amber M. and her family was fun, the ride with Kate H. was filled with laughter, and seeing Claudia B. again made the weekend even more special. It’s been a long time since Kate, Claudia, and I did an event together and it felt like old times. Dan K. was there too. Team 4F was well represented! I don’t know if I’ll go back next year or not. It’s a unique place to run and a nice winter incentive to keep busy but 5 times may be the charm. It will be interesting to see what happens next Groundhog Day when my alarm rings in the morning.