New Bike for the Brain route for 2011!
Exciting highlights for the improved Bike for the Brain route for 2011:
Our Bike for the Brain route for the bicycle ride is quite different this year as we are riding through KCK, the Riverfront Heritage Trail, and more of Johnson County to visit more of our beneficiaries. We’ll be riding by Jose Faus’ mural on 32nd and Metropolitan, that stretches for three block to tell the history of Argentine, a historically diverse and integrated neighborhood between the Kansas River bluff over to Johnson County. Jose said that all the people are making funny faces in the mural because “It was my first big project and I really hadn’t quite learned how to draw yet.” If you are in the need for sporting goods, don’t miss Mickey’s Surplus one block off our route at 2601 Strong. Huge bargains to be had.
Jose Faus' 3 block mural in Argentine on our new 2011 Bike for the Brain route
We’ll then ride for the Bike for Brain route across the Kansas River past the hugest ever collection of used train wheels that you’ll see through the historic Armourdale neighborhood, “You have to cross a river to get here,” according to their entry park on Kansas Avenue. At 10th and Central you’ll enter a more Mexican part of town where many local entrepreneurs are still supported, including Hassig Drugs, one of the last family owned local pharmacies where they say, “We can beat the prices of any of those big chains.” Going down 10th you’ll pass Crossline Towers which is an example of lots of high rise low income living located in Kansas City, KS. The city has a mix of small town feel in a quite urban and city location.
In downtown Kansas City, KS, you’ll see on the Bike for the Brain route at 7th and Minnesota one of our community partners, Mental Health America of the Heartland. This is our local affiliate of one of three big national advocacy organizations that help to spread mental health information. MHAH was been our fiscal sponsor for our first five years until B4B filed for its own 501 c 3 status this year. Also in KCK you’ll see SIDE, one of the best peer support centers in the country, and a 2010 Beneficiary of our program. Their art program is very excellent and hosted by Jan Kobe, who also teaches art at the Wyandot Center, another of our 2010 Beneficiaries. You’ll also ride right by the Strawberry Hill Museum where you can get a one hour tour for $7 in the AC if you are hot while learning a ton about local Slavic and European people and local architecture.
The New ASB underpass on the Riverfront Heritage Trail on the Bike for the Brain route. Photo by Corinna West.
Moving out of KCK you’ll get on the Riverfront Heritage Trail which is currently being extended all the way across the West Bottoms. You’ll cross the Woodswether Bike Pedestrian Bridge underneath I-70. Many people don’t even know that I-70 has a bottom deck to it. This bridge has 13 sculptures on it by an Stretch Rumaner who also owns Grinder’s in the Crossroads Arts District. The idea for the cultural heritage is this trail was a huge part of Kansas City’s underground railroad and lots of people moved into eventual freedom along this route. If you didn’t know, there is also an underground railroad museum on 27th and Quindaro that is open 9 – 1 Weekdays.
Moving through the West Bottoms you’ll smell Kansas City’s sewage treatment and innovative waste food processing plant (whatever that means). The Bike for the Brain route will then come up into the City Market area where produce can be bought for a bargain 7 days of the week, with local farmers coming Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday. We’ll then ride by KC University of Medicine and Biosciences, one of our local sponsors and into the Cliff Drive. 4 miles Car Free every weekend. This is based on the Ciclovia program which started in Bogota, Columbia, where many streets are closed to cars certain times so that people can get out and truly enjoy their city. Kansas City officials report much less trash dumping and crime along this route now that cars are banned sometimes. We’ll then ride over to Truman Medical Center and head back out into Johnson County. Stay tuned on this website for more details and descriptions of that second half of our Bike for the Brain route.
10 mile Route:
30 mile Route (bel0w):
50 mile Route (below):
