First timer with kids

Sunflower Sue, 2015-05-01 19:13:02

I’d like to ride the PST with Hubby and kids in late May, after school is out, and was hoping for some tips from frequent PST riders. We’ll be driving in from Southeast Kansas. My main roadblock at this point is trying to figure out whether to ride from Ottawa to Humboldt or vice-versa. We are toying with parking our car at one end and asking a family member to drop us at the other, so that we just do a one-way trip this time. It will be their first trail ride of this distance and we don’t want to overwhelm. One thought was to stay overnight midway — perhaps the B&B in Garnett? If it were just adults, we’d ride pretty much straight through, stopping of course for drinks etc., but with them we’d like to stop off in the towns along the route to poke around, visit a park, see a museum, etc. Has anyone done this and if so, do you have recommendations, a ballpark for how much time we should plan on it taking to get from one end to the half-way point (a half day?), any “must see” things — places to pose for a photo for their journal, something scenic, etc.? Thanks in advance for any tips anyone can provide!

on2wheelsks, 2015-05-04 14:16:33

There are photo ops all along the way. Garnett is a great town, you left out how old your kids are, so hard to say how long it will take. I can usually average about 12 miles an hour fairly easy, by myself. I love the PST!

JD_Shawnee, 2015-05-13 05:51:53

Sounds like an adventure.

Yes, many photo-ops along the trail: bridges, creeks, ponds, nature, prairie scenes etc.
Not as many B&B’s here like on some trails. If the one in Garnett is full, you might consider the Economy Inn on the north side of the business district. It’s clean and reasonable. It’s Northside Café puts out a very nourishing breakfast if you want an early start the next morning. Have a great trip.

Timon of Athens, Lawrence, KS, 2015-05-17 18:29:41

Hi Sue,

Like on2wheelsks said, it will depend on your kids. Do some rides around town and find out what their limits are. In my experience with 1st timers, they can usually do 3 times the distance that their average ride is with no problem.

There is an inviting stop about every 10 miles plan to spend some time at the trailheads. Rest, water and snacks ( not to mention restrooms) are great motivators when you are in between stops. Let each town be a small reward. This reward will add to your time as will the climb to Garnett heading south or Colony heading north. These are not tough but they are persistent.

So, yes, half the trail in half a day is quite reasonable.

Enjoy!

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