Disco Duck and his little side duck’s tails shake on my handlebars as I ride on the grassy trail through the meadow mowed by 78-year-old Sister Jane, next to the prairie range where the alpacas graze.

I am heading toward the straw bale cottage known here (on the farm in rural Kansas where I am WWOOFing) as the Hermitage. Completely off the grid, it’s a one-room haven for solitude, and the guest log attests to the transformational experiences that mostly-solo travelers have had here since 1991.

I sit in the fading light of day on a small concrete bench overlooking a forested creek, hoping to finally spot armadillos, and read through the entries of those whose feet have passed this way before me.

This doozy catches my attention:

Solid ground or wings, folks. Like bikes. Like ducks.

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You may enjoy this little TikTok tour of the Hermitage.