Not So Empty After All: Stories from the Great Plains Gravel Route Speaker Event

About this event

Bike Walk Wichita invites you to "Not So Empty After All: Stories From The Great Plains Gravel Route" on November 2nd, 2026, at Chicken N Pickle.

The Great Plains are often dismissed as flat, empty, or simply somewhere to pass through. Beginning in early May, Hannah Glatter traveled roughly 3,300 miles by bicycle along the Great Plains Gravel Route, while biologist and educator Jacob Alexander joined portions of the journey to explore the landscapes, ecology, and communities along the way. Together, they’ll share what they found by moving slowly through the Great Plains, focusing on how the realities of a big adventure challenged their expectations of the landscape, the journey, and what it means to have a successful adventure.

Highlights of the Evening

Social Hour 5:30-6:00 PM

• Light Hors d'oeuvres with cash bar

Speaker Session 6:00-7:00 PM

• $30 per person for speaker event

• The Great Plains aren’t empty! Moving through the region at bicycle speed reveals an incredible amount of ecological, geographic, and human diversity.

• Slowing down and being curious about the places we travel through can fundamentally change our relationship with them. Adventure can be about understanding a place rather than simply crossing it.

• Big adventures rarely unfold exactly as imagined. Changed plans, setbacks, accepting help, and redefining success can be just as much a part of the experience as reaching the destination.