In the bicycling world, Kansas has become synonymous with gravel riding. Unbound Gravel which some say is the “world premier gravel race is held in Emporia Kansas every year, which is only 75 miles away from the small town of Iola Kansas, which is the place I have called home for the last seventeen years. I am not sure if Kansas has the best gravel riding in the nation or not, but I can say that with approximately ninety eight thousand miles of gravel or otherwise unpaved roads, we are not lacking places to ride.
If gravel roads are not your thing, the Prairie Spirit Rail Trail connects Iola to the City of Ottawa Kansas, some fifty miles to the north. The Southwind Rail Trail is connected to the south end of the Prairie Spirit Trail, and extends the trail an additional seven miles south to the town of Humboldt Kansas. Beyond the great gravel and rail trail riding opportunities in Iola, the Lehigh Portland single track trail system was developed several years ago, and includes approximately ten miles of single track mountain bike trails around the Elks Lake which can be accessed directly from the South Wind Rail Trail, just south of Iola.
I came into 2023 with the goal in mind to do more bikepacking, bike touring, gravel packing, bike camping, bike fishing, or whatever the latest marketing phrase is for loading a bunch of gear on your bike and disappearing for a day or two. When you think of Kansas, wilderness is not the first thing that comes to mind. However, having put in some miles on gravel roads in southeast Kansas, I can assure you that it does not take long to find yourself in the middle of some very remote areas. Kansas also has a number of great camping and fishing lakes where cyclists can find that much needed overnight ride away.
So with so many great mapping apps out there, I decided to create some gravel routes leaving Iola which lead to various lakes for overnight camping trips. With this goal in mind, I pulled up a map for the Iola area and widened the map to see what lakes I could find within overnight distances. After finding numerous lakes with camping areas, I then began to use a mapping app to establish routes to each lake. Although I would love to hit the road on a bike every weekend, from a practical standpoint, it is just not possible. Taking an overnight trip once a month however, I believe to be doable. So I began what hereafter shall be called the “Tour Des Lacs” (Tour of the Lakes) Series. On January 6th, 2023 I road out of Iola, on a loaded bike, headed to the Cedar Valley Reservoir which is approximately 26 miles to the north.
This was not my first time riding to Cedar Valley, which is a 350 acre lake with plenty of campsites, several of which are off the beaten path. There is also some single track around the south end of the lake for those who want to get in some trail riding while you are there. There are some great shore fishing opportunities at the lake which make casting a line directly from your campsite convenient. The lake provides bathrooms between May and September. The campsites have fire rings, and although you cannot cut wood, there is usually plenty of dead fall to fuel a fire.
I chose to ride north from Iola on 1600 Road. I planned to ride gravel to Carlyle Kansas, a small unincorporated town five miles north of town, and then hop on the Prairie Spirit Trail to Colony Kansas which is an additional five miles to the northeast. When I jumped on the rail trail, I noticed that it was a little wet. It made riding the next five miles a bit slow. I enjoy riding on rail trails, however, they kind of have that feeling of riding on a trainer. The rolling hills of gravel provide a fair amount of what can be some steep climbs, but the downhill side of it makes it worth riding and can provide a much desired exciting break as you fly down the descents. I have also found that my average speed on gravel roads is often faster than on rail trails.
Once I reached Colony, I crossed Highway 169 and headed north on Indiana Road in Anderson County. As I continued riding north, the ride was beautiful. The temperature was in the high forties with the wind blowing directly from the east which had little to no effect on the riding. It did not take long before I found myself in the middle of some very open and remote farm country. Having lived in Colorado for a number of years before moving to southeast Kansas, I have always appreciated the beauty of the mountains. There is something about the Kansas open landscape that equal the mountainous beauty in a different way. The vast expanse of golden fields holds a subtle beauty of their own, which is softly harsh. When riding here, I often think of the lyrics to a song by John Denver entitled Matthew which I used to sing when I was young. “Gold is just a windy Kansas wheat field and blue is just a Kansas summer sky.” It is a simple and realistic beauty reminiscent of simpler less complicated and intrusive times. It is a place from which men have come and gone, and left their scars, on a land that will outlast us all.
I continued north for the next ten or so miles, passing nothing but an occasional farm house and meeting no one other than an occasional cow or goat with whom to have a conversation. I find talking to local livestock is most helpful in resolving some of life’s most challenging problems. They listen attentively, as you share your deepest distress, with a confused look of consideration as if they are truly trying to find a solution for you dilemma. In the end they are always unable to bring the issue to a conclusion which forces you to figure it out yourself. For which I thank them and head on my way always feeling better than I did before I stopped, knowing that my deepest secrets will be safe with them.
A few miles to the southwest of the lake, you enter the small community of Mont Ida Kansas, population 23, many of which are part of a larger Amish community in the area. The town was established in 1880 as the railroad came through the territory at that time. A post office was established there in 1880 and remained in service until 1944. There is still an active railroad on the north end of town. The town still has a working school, a church and a butcher. The Mont Ida cemetery is just south of town and contain a greater number of dead than the number of living in the community. The lake is approximately two miles to the northeast of Mont Ida. The wind was still blowing from the east which made the remainder of the ride to the lake a bit slow but not uncomfortable. The last portion of the road to the lake entrance is uphill so you cannot see the lake until you crest the hill at which time you can see a portion of the north end of the lake below you in the distance. It is truly a beautiful sight of your end destination, and it is all downhill from there.
Upon arriving at the lake it took me a few minutes to locate a campsite. I had arrived at around 3:30pm which gave me plenty of time to set up camp and get a fire going. The campsite was somewhat secluded and right on the lake. I immediately found plenty of fallen wood with which to start a fire which would burn into the night. Once the wood was gathered, I commenced setting up the tent and unpacking my things. I changed from my riding clothes into something dry and warm and then got the fire going. Once the fire was going, I began to boil some water to use in my ramen noodles and a cup of tea, both of which hit the spot. Near the fire pit, I noticed, someone had carved a face into a tree stump. After several conversations with Sump Head, he finally convinced me to start writing about my little adventures. And so Stump Head Adventures came to fruition.
There was a full moon that evening which was amazing to watch as it rose above the hill across the lake from where I was camping. It was one of the brightest moons that I have ever seen. Even with the light of the moon, as things got a bit darker, Orion could clearly be seen shining bright. The local coyote choir lifted their voices into the night, serenading the celestial bodies as Stump Head and I danced around the fire beneath the brightness of the moon. It was a mesmerizing performance of nature on display.
I had several other meaningful conversations with Stump Head, while tending the fire until it finally went out. It was around 38 degrees when I turned in for the night, but I layered and bundled well into a North Face zero degree sleeping bag and slept soundly until almost 7am the next morning. Upon awakening, I changed into my riding clothes, which I had tucked into my sleeping bag to keep warm during the night. I then began to break down the camp and pack up.
I had prepared some cold oat meal the night before which was ready to heat up using a small wood burning stove that I brought with me for the occasion. I like using natural fuels when I can and the small stove kept me from starting another cook fire in the fire pit, which I would have to make sure was fully extinguished before leaving camp. Once I finished my oatmeal and a granola bar, I loaded everything back on the bike, bid Mr. Stump Head a final farewell, and headed south. With the north wind at my back, I made it to the house in just over two hours. I did not take the rail trail on the way home but stuck to the rolling gravel roads.
During the entire trip, I was passed by two trucks in over fifty miles of riding, which is one of the reasons I love riding gravel so much. There are no cars. I had no mechanical issues and my Kona Sutra LTD performed exceptionally well. Overall, it was a great night out and back in under 24 hours.
There is always a wonderful feeling of accomplishment when I arrive home and put the bike back in the stable. It is often difficult in life to find time to do the things that you want to do. We all desire big adventures and new things. There are definitely times that I embark on multi day treks over greater expanses in search of solitude and discovery.
However we often overlook the shorter more frequent and equally fulfilling opportunities which exist just within a few miles ride from our garage. My encouragement to you is to be creative and build your own local adventures taking advantage of what time you have in the midst of your busy schedule. Find your “middle of nowhere” place close to you and gear up and head out, and escape the weariness of the day to day. Stump Head Adventures
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