KANSAS CITY BIKE RIDE - Travel And Photo Today

Today was perfect for a bike ride – I just couldn’t resist. I loaded up my bike and set out to try a new route. Previously I have written about using the smartphone app – B.iCycle – an app that I love. So I fired that up and headed out on my Kansas City Bike Ride.

I should also add that the photos in this article all come from my iPhone. No way am I taking a bunch of heavy photo equipment on a bike tour. And besides, the iPhone does a very nice job.

Here’s a screen shot of my route – B.iCycle loads up the route to Google Earth. I added some “pin” locations which give the names of several of the points of interest on my ride.

I parked my vehicle at The Isle of Capri Casino started my biking tour of Kansas City by following The Heritage Trail bike route which heads west along the Missouri River and then turns southward into the city. I stayed with the trail on and off during this tour, deviating to visit some of my favorite sites.

I rode past the Roasterie Air-Roasted Coffee Plant. It always smells so darn good! And I love their airplane icon.

Then it was uphill (not my favorite direction on my bike) to visit the Liberty Memorial, which houses the National World War I Museum.

From there you get a wonderful view of Kansas City Center. Kansas City Union Station is the large building in the foreground.It still provides train services in a small section but the building houses restaurants as well as hosting various exhibits and displays. At the left upper portion of the photo you can make out the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts.

I found a fellow visitor who was kind enough to take a photo of “yours truly,” all decked out in all of my (non-professional) biking garb!

From there I zipped over to the nearby statue commemorating Pioneer Women and Mothers. Kansas City has strong connections to pioneers, Lewis and Clark, and all that went with the westward movement.

Then I turned my bike and headed down the hill (one of my favorite parts of any bike outting) to take a break at Hall’s Crown Center. Kansas City is the home to Hallmark Cards and the Center is the location for many of their office buildings as well as an upscale retail center and hotel. Lots of nice activities in the area – fountains, a new Lego Land, trees, tables, etc. A perfect place for a tired cyclist to take a break on a Saturday morning ride. You know, catch your breath, have a cup of coffee and a bear claw. (This biking thing can be hard work – you gotta keep up your energy reserves after all!)

Turning northward once again I headed toward one of my favorite buildings in the city – The Kauffman Center For The Performing Arts. I love the architecture. And the interior is just as stunning as the exterior.

Then it was time to retrace some of my route back to my waiting vehicle. My Kansas City Bike Ride was a really enjoyable morning outing. I covered about 14 miles in total, doing so in a leisurely, tourist like manner. As I’ve written before (click here), you don’t have to leave town to take a vacation. This bike ride was a fine “mini vacation” right here in Kansas City.

Travel Is A State of Mind ………….. Enjoy The Adventure!

Dr.B, The Photo Trekker

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