We took 183rd on west to Dillie Road, then north four more miles on gravel, maintaining a pretty strong pace. Two-and-a-half miles on blacktop brought us to 135th and Spoon Creek Road, where the road once again turned to gravel.

The next two miles were new to me, as I’d never ridden that part of Spoon Creek Road, or the subsequent mile on 127th. It was a nice route, past horse farms and big estates, then downhill and over Kill Creek, where we stopped for a bit on the bridge to observe the clear, slow-flowing water below us. The next little section featured a nice long curving climb, and then we were on Homestead heading north to Kill Creek Park.

At the park, we hit the mountain bike trails. I’ve ridden these trails several times, but it had been over two months since I’d been there, and the singletrack felt a lot different, with the trees and woodland lusher than it had been in May.

We’d had rain the day before, so the trails were slightly tacky — not muddy, but just moist enough to provide excellent traction without kicking up a bunch of dust.

I’m still pretty unskilled when it comes to singletrack, and though I never crashed, I dabbed several times, whacked a tree with the handlebars once, and had to stop and waddle through a couple of rocky sections where I lost my momentum.

With the high humidity and the trees blocking the wind, it got pretty sticky back in the woods, and when we emerged from the 4 miles or so of trails, I was soaked with sweat. A short spin on the paved trails back to the trailhead, and then a bit further to the little lake, where we had a bite to eat, filled up the water bottles, and sat on the dock looking at the water for a bit.

But eventually it was time to get moving again so we pushed off, up and down the big hills on Homestead, back to 135th, over to Gardner Road (along with a couple incidents with reckless drivers), south to Gardner Lake and across the dam, then the final few miles to drop 9Toes off at home, then a few more back to my place.

I got home with 41+ miles at an overall 13.5 MPH pace (including the singletrack). The trail beat me up a fair amount, but I still felt decent at the end, other than being soaked with sweat.

A quick shower fixed that, and a bit later a storm moved in, the skies opened up, and the rain cooled things off and knocked a bit of of that wicked mugginess out the air.

A good ride. A good day.

The trail system is known as the “Blue River Parkway Trails” or “BuRP”, and is located along the Blue River in South Kansas City, at approximately Holmes and Red Bridge Road, and features 12+ miles of trails of varying levels of difficulty.

I parked at the main trailhead off 118th street, and rode some of the easier trails on the west side of the river.

Most of the trails I rode were on the old railroad bed, and were largely open, smooth and fast. I initially headed south as the trail stayed on the bluffs overlooking the river. I eventually came to a rocky stream, and not seeing any way around it, forded it with the bike on my shoulder. On the other side, there were numerous side-trails, but I kept to the main track.

This brought me out at a railroad track, and I stopped to check the map I was carrying. The map showed that the trail continued on the other side of the tracks, so I carried the bike over and resumed. After a short distance the trail dead-ended at Holmes road. There was no signage telling me which way to go, so I turned back. Consulting the map, it seemed to indicate that the trail looped back over the railroad tracks. I explored for a bit, but never found this part of the trail.

Eventually I gave up and carried the bike across the railroad tracks and headed back the way I came. This time, though, I tried one of the side trails. It started off open, but soon was overgrown with grasses and brush. I continued on regardless, stopping to pick a few ripe blackberries along the trail, and eventually the track wound its way back to the main trail.

I forded the creek again, and was soon back at the main signboard.

This time I headed north, and took the first sidepath I came upon. Again, I was soon on an overgrown, grassy trail, but I persisted, and eventually came to the river. It was hard to tell, and again there was no signage, but I think I was supposed to either ride through the water, or wade across. But instead I turned back and returned to the main trail.

Taking the main trail north, I eventually came to the railroad tracks again. Looking at the map, it appeared that the trail ended here. But again, there was no signage.

At this point, I simply returned to the parking lot, loaded up the bike, and left.

I’m sure this is not a problem for someone familiar with the trails, or someone who has a guide, but for me, the lack of signage was frustrating, and ultimately a show-stopper. There were numerous side-trails with no indication of where they might lead, and no help at all when the trail dead-ended at railroad tracks or the river.

Anyway, I ended up with about 6.5 miles of riding over an hour or so. It was kind of fun, and I got to see some wildlife (a deer, rabbits, squirrels, and a black snake), and got to eat a few ripe blackberries. I never did see anyone else on the trails.

I don’t think I’ll go back alone. I’m sure the experience would be much better with someone who knows where they’re going. Perhaps I’ll try to hook up with someone and give it another go sometime.