Wednesday, July 12, 1995
3A
Crankin'solo across the U.S.
KU student takes break from ride in Kansas City
By Trine Nygaard Kansan staff writer
Brent Taylor took a rocky road to a break this summer.
he arrived in Kansas City, Kan., on Sunday night to rest for a few days with friends and family before continuing his solo cross-country mountain bike ride.
Taylor, Prairie Village junior, said he wanted to see the countryside, meet new people and do some fly fishing in some of the world's finest rivers.
Taylor said he had wanted to make the trip for two years. An attempt last summer fell through, but this summer he and his roommate decided to hit the road. Friends took them to Oregon in their 1978 Volkswagen bus
"We covered 1,600 miles in five days," Taylor said. "On the way, we took time for sightseeing, so it was a cool way to start the trip."
The journey began May 23, in Seaside, Ore. Four days later, Taylor's friend quit and took their tent and almost almost all of their food.
"He really did a number on me. I guess he just turned not to be the buddy I thought he was," Taylor said.
Taylor, who rides between 50 and 75 miles each day, decided to continue alone and to turn the misfortune into a positive experience.
"Now I go when and where I want to, and I don't have to wait for anybody," he said. "It turned out to be a blessing to be alone. People are more willing to talk to and help a lonely guy."
Two to three times a week he is invited to dinner by strangers who let him stay in their houses, use their idle campers or cann on their front lawns.
He has not had to pay for a hotel room yet, but one night he had to stay in a public restroom because it rained too hard to camp.
Choosing the route was easy. He wanted to start in
That's a long ride!
Brent Taylor, Prairie Village junior, is resting at his parents' house before completing his cross-country mountain bike journey.
Noah Musser / KANSAN
the north and fly fish for trout along the Blue Ribbon streams.
He said that he had the best fishing experience of his life when he caught a 25-inch brown trout in the Madison River in Montana.
Darryl Tichener, one of the friends Taylor made along the way, runs the Madisonian, the local paper in Ennis, Mont.
"One day he walked into the paper looking for a little publicity to show his accomplishment," Tichener said. Tichener, having learned that Taylor also needed a job, invited him to stay at his house in Virginia City, Mont.
He worked for Tichener at one of his gift stores for a day and staved with the family for two nights.
"He is a good kid and a good worker. We just had a good time visiting and partying for a few days," Tichener said.
With an average expense of $4 a day, the trip is inexpensive. So far Taylor has spent $200.
Taylor plans to leave Kansas City on Sunday to finish the second half of his tour, which is scheduled to end Aug. 8 in Myrtle Beach, S.C. From there he will take a bus back to Kansas.
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