Day One
Thursday, May 22, 2025
Lisa: It took us longer to pack the strollers—we had somehow brought more stuff for fewer days (including spare tires and tubes that weighed a lot!) The sun intermittently shone, the only day that it did. We started out listening to Kansas’s first album which provided some musical motivation.
Ottawa to Richmond
Left our Airbnb in Ottawa at 8 a.m.
Packed up the strollers and hit the trail by 10 a.m.
16.66 trail miles, 17.53 total miles
62° to start with a high of 72°
Richmond
Click on the yellow crosses to the right to read the sections below
Downers
Lisa:
- NO SIGNAGE.
- We couldn’t get Marianne’s umbrella stand to stay upright, so she had to hold the umbrella.
- Could not fall asleep, even though I was exhausted. Just lay there all night listening to Marianne breathe and getting up to use the bathroom four times.
Marianne:
- High-mileage day.
- The mile-long dirt road from the trail to the lake was paved with large gravel extremely hard on the tires.
- The road leading to our electric campsite was impassable underwater.
- Small red ticks fell on us while we ate dinner in the campsite shelter!
- I wish I’d brought a fishing pole.
- Didn’t sleep well—I was cold all night!
Highlights
Lisa:
- The umbrella stand kept the sun off me.
- Pushing the stroller under trees in God’s Country was wonderfully familiar.
- Fine, temperate day.
- Cheering a LIVE baby armadillo across a busy street.
Marianne:
- We had a beautiful day to hike. Sunny but a cool breeze. Blue skies.
- Richmond Lake was a nice place to camp.
- Beautiful sunset.
Quick Tips
-
The signage from the Ottawa trailhead is nonexistent. At the junction of I-35, it’s difficult to discern which way to go, and we ended adding an unnecessary extra mile to our distance. Study the map carefully before you set out. We didn’t!
Fast Facts: Richmond, Kansas
- Founded in 1870
- Population 459 (as of 2020 Census)
- Named local farmer John C. Richmond, who donated forty acres of land to the railroad for a station location.
Photo Gallery
Click on a photo for a captioned slide show to learn what you're looking at
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