Dispatches from the homefront by Bill Poindexter
Kansas City, Missouri
Started back at the bike shop… Just part time … It’s an interesting group of Guys … One’s a Mormon – won’t drink, the other ones an ex restaurant sommelier who had to give up the restaurant business because of alcoholism, the other one is a very passionate cyclist to develop MS and has to wear braces to walk around, and does wheelchair rugby Leagues he has all sorts of other issues, problem, including diabetes, high blood pressure… but lives his life on his own terms… Married with kids… Then there’s another guy who is a one of the mechanics who is probably used to be a semi pro racer in Colorado for mountain biking, came back to Kansas City to take care of elderly parents, who have since and died and lived his life is a bicycle mechanic, incidentally, he was reliving his youth and mountain biking the other day on a full suspension E bike and ended up giving himself a concussion. Not just once, but twice… another bicycle mechanic used to work in the restaurant industry, but didn’t like the hours he was there today today with his guitar… There was one day before I left for Montana that he went and bought some ground beef that was on sale and made us all hamburgers on a portable grill. Which I thought was a lovely gesture.… and then the manager is a ex IT who probably couldn’t find another job because he lost his main gig when he was in his late 50s. Maybe that’s why he’s so empathetic towards the rest of us… Misfits :-)
The thing I like about this place the most, it’s just everybody’s very authentic and real. Nobody makes much money… There’s no like holding back at all. We are who we are.
I love that authenticity, and that truth…
Authors note: if you like my riding, and would like to sponsor me on my next expedition. In the first few months of 2024 I will be making my way to Mexico and crossing over at one of the border crossings and going in and meeting families and finding out about the people of Mexico and what their thoughts are about the world. I’ll be doing this solo. I don’t have dates yet, but I will in the next 30 days. If you’re interested in supporting this endeavor in any way, let me know or just kick back in keep reading. Peace and love from the road.
