Reflecting on Salt: What Essential Ingredient Do You Bring To A Team?

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Route Map showing Day 38 of the TransAmerica Bicycle Trail, Great Bend Kansas to Newton Kansas

I didn't know Kansas is so rich in salt!

As I think about the value and versatility of salt, I'm reminded that each of us bring essential ingredients to a team.

Today marks 3 back-to-back Imperial Centuries: 124 miles, 118 miles yesterday, and then 103 miles today. I suspected I'd have longer daily distances once I hit the Great Plains!

The main negative consequence of the distance is the the vibration of the chip-and-seal country roads. If you see me elegantly enjoying my water bottle with my pinky extended, it's not because I'm fancy, it's because my right pinky no longer has feeling and I've also lost some motor control.

Photo, Day 38 of the TransAmerica Bicycle Trail, Mandy with Black-Eyed Susan flowers

Even thought I'm late in the season, Kansas has some beautiful roadside grasses and flowers, like this black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia).

Making memories
  • Towns on Today's Travel Route: Nickerson, Medora, Buhler, Hesston, and Newton
  • I had a wonderful stay in Newton thanks to the kind hospitality of Janet and Orvin. I'm grateful for the Warm Showers community that brought us together. I enjoyed learning local history that includes the strong influence of the Mennonite pioneers who settled in the area and established institutions of higher education. Janet and Orvin are both chemists and we enjoyed a wide range of conversations from family to faith to cycling (they traveled from Newton, KS to Fairbanks, AK) and even quantum computing. 
  • had two wonderful plates full of spaghetti thanks to the generosity of my hosts. I also enjoyed some wonderful homemade huckleberry-rhubarb pie!
  • I loved seeing the TransAmerica Trail signs throughout the town on Newton. Those are the first signs I've seen specifically welcoming cyclists to the town.
  • I met a local couple out for a few miles of cycling just before Hesston. I was reminded that cycling can be a lifetime sport! They've encountered and even hosted many long-distance cyclists in the local area. 
  • I cycled through the Quivira National Wildlife Refuge. I didn't know that Kansas has salt marshes. The refuge is full of diverse wildlife, especially migratory birds, and is a “Wetland of International Importance” as part of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands.
Photo, Day 38 of the TransAmerica Bicycle Trail, Mandy with her host family in Newton in front of their house

Thank you, Janet and Orvin, for a wonderfully refreshing stay with delicious food and delightful conversation!

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Mandy Birch is a global executive engineer and military veteran who builds teams, leaders, & multinational organizations that unlock the potential of disruptive ideas. She enjoys accelerating emerging technologies & strategic partnerships to drive multi-generational thriving for people & communities around the world.

Mandy's interests include: #innovation #leadership #technology #partnerships #quantumcomputing #career #growth #womenintech #veterans #entrepreneurship #creativity #future #foreignpolicy #democracy #geopolitics


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