The Katy according to Danny ...

Riding the Katy Trail across Missouri had been a dream of ours since long before joining Peace Corps. The route sounded perfect; a rails-to-trails that travels through a mix of small towns and cities as well as farmland and wilderness, along the Missouri River for a good part. After spending a few minutes discussing whether this was the time to ride the trail, after all we were going to be so close to one of the trailheads,we could only find one problem and that was that we had ridden very little in the last three years. This was soon overcome as we realized that we could take our time riding the trail – our deadlines are of our own making. Of course, that wouldn't compensate for the wear and tear on our hands and rear ends - that would have to be time. 

The first challenge was to figure a way to get back to the start after finishing the ride. We went to a couple of bike shops and found that there were lots of shuttle services available. We called Debbie of Davidson Transport.  She was super responsive and we found ourselves and our gear (tandem and BoB trailer) transported to Saint Charles a few days later.

Our home-away-from-home was the wonderful Lococo B and B - an old St Charles home situated on the bluff, on top of a hill, about 12-15 blocks from the historic section of town. The homes were a mixture of the historic and the new modern replacements. 

 We stayed two nights in Saint Charles seeing the old downtown area and experiencing all of the the sights, smells and sounds.

 Daniel Boone was well known and liked in this area.  starting point for the Lewis and Clark Expedition
 
 the unique and the beautiful
 can you imagine coming to an old French settlement only to find Mexican bottled coke?

The second day in St Charles we rode to the start of the trail in Machens, which is no more than the Eastern terminus trailhead. 
along the way we experienced the first of many wondrous and enchanting vistas:  the hidden,  the informational (we stopped for every one of them along the route)  the scenic, the bypasses away from the traffic,  the open byways,  and the walled in, crunchy, leaf strewn, relaxing spaces,  the mighty Missouri,  the first of many refurbished 1800s homes (this one used to be a bar in the bottom and living quarters, rooms for rent in the top)

Eventually the trail will continue to connect into the River Road Bicycle Trail along the Mississippi in Illinois. Once at the trailhead, we both felt good and so decided to ride to a community named Portage Des Sioux for our first of many lunches in a biker bar, the only café in town, and, I might add, the best food to be found according to the locals. From here we rode a few more miles to the Mississippi to a monument to Mary who the locals believed saved their town area from a flood.

 and so begins our adventure; at the mighty Mississippi River.

After getting back to St Charles we found a combination bicycle and coffee shop. What could be better? They have only been in business for a couple of years but they have already outgrown their building and are moving. I guess this combination works for other customers as well.

Leaving St Charles after the harrowing ride down the hill from the B and B Bright and early the next morning, which is normally about 10:30 for us, after a wonderful nutritous breakfast

 we picked our way through the local Oktoberfest that was starting as we rode, no walked, through Frontier Park, the trailhead for St Charles

 

 we left St Charles headed for Klondike State Park just outside of Augusta. Our guidebook said that it was one of the nicest camping parks on the way. The author advised to make reservations for cabins, but said nothing about reservations for camping. I had the sense that it had some camping set aside for Katy trail cyclists or that there were no formal campsites. 

 the first of many,  the first trailhead outside of St Charles, also the first of many,  the bridges are all supported by informational signs as many are from the early 1900s and a coupe from the late 1880-90s, we are actually following the Lewis and Clark trail   at every trailhead there are informational signs on the area, the history and the Katy Trail as well as amenities to be found - sometimes lots, sometimes NONE.

When we arrived at the campground, we discovered that it was full. As it was getting late traveling further was not a good option. There were several groups of Boy Scouts and I approached one scoutmaster asking to share a campsite, and he said we could share their area. They were very nice and shared with us a Dutch Oven baked peach and a cherry cobbler that night and a egg, sausage and who knows what else casserole for breakfast. Yummmmmm  Troop 809, St Monica's, St Louis, MO

Our next overnight was going to be at Hermann, which is across the Missouri from the Katy Trail at McKittrick. First though, we passed through:

 many, many dicey (if you stayed on your bicycle, clipped in) road controls 

bikes of many shapes and types shared the trail as well as houses and restaurants, 

 some anticipated as a stop and alas, they were 

 closed and up for sale - nothing to drink here!

 but a convenient place to get a flat

all along the trail are many sponsored niches, some looking out over the vista and some looking towards the trail. A welcome respite if needing a break, a cool drink of water (some had water, most didn't) and a place to fix something

 the colors are starting to change from green to the warm and colorful fall colors.

Just as we stopped at the McKittrick trailhead, in order to figure out where to stay in Hermann, I saw a woman cleaning the restroom. I asked her if she knew of any places to stay. She pointed about a hundred yards away to Joey’s Birdhouse, her own bed and breakfast. When we said, yes, that we would stay, she replied, “I knew that this voluntary cleaning would eventually pay off.” As we were settling in she brought me beer and Shirley sparkling, tangy lemonade along with snacks. Later she made to-order, from scratch pizza and we shared it with her and her partner.  here we also met the first of some new friends who just could't help follow us along the trail.

 The German influence in this area is great, resulting in many Germanic looking buildings. One town even had Bavarian decorated buildings.

 Fun times

 a lot of photos were taken from my "Rear Admiral" position on the tandem, giving some interesting results

 the informational were often a mix of historical and general interest. This rock withstood the many floods and people started to measure the flood waters on the rock itself. 

  a combination name, for lack of anything better. Can you guess which stats gave this very small, once thriving community it's name?

Sign posts marked the miles, but not consistently. Often they were accompanied by other warning or "of interest" signs.

 Awww the colors, some alone, some all together and the longer we traveled, the more intense they became.

Tebbetts,our next stop brings us to our next overnighter. Our guidebook described Mrs. Turner as a small grocery store owner in Tebbetts who really liked cyclists. Mrs. Turner donated a building for cyclists to use as an overnight shelter and has since passed away.It has bunk beds, a self-service bike repair shop, showers with HOT water and a kitchen. When we got to the shelter it was locked, but a sign on the door directed us to a telephone pole where the key was hung.  anyone who can read would have a night's rest, if they only knew it. Not only that, it was on the honor system.
When we opened the door a sign asked us to send five dollars each to the Conservation Federation of Missouri in Jefferson City or to simply take it to the local post office in the morning. We shared the shelter that night with a group of six other cyclists from Kansas City.  a bank from times gone by, but look closely, can it be?  what could it be? aw shucks, it's closed!

as we left town we were given a courtesy - cute

We rode on to Jefferson City. Jefferson City is across from the Katy Trail on the opposite side of the Missouri River.  It is also the capital seat for Missouri.  We took a bike path into Jefferson City that circled like a corkscrew to connect to the bridge that crossed the river. fun to go up and to go down, and what a wonderful way to cross the river on a busy thoroughfare.  just wide enough for the bike to be ridden and if you met another cyclist, one of you had to stop and hug the wall. from the bridge, looking towards the capital
This was a short day, as we needed to do laundry and get supplies. We also learned while here, that the warm weather we had been enjoying was about to end. We decided that we needed to cover more miles per day to avoid being caught up in it and with this in mind, we mailed our camping gear home. Lightening our load would allow us to travel faster and it really did made a difference. I (Shirley) have one word for Jefferson City - HILLS!!!!!

Rocheport was to be our next stop. It was an interesting ride: houses of all shapes and sizes, vintage and refurbished, or not
Lunch at Dotty's.
 There were signs of the illusive beaver, but none more sad than this:   the boards are the recycled plastic bottle boards, not wood as he thought. He tried all over the bench.  We met a lot of riders on the trail this day, some single, some in groups, some in pelotons. Bikes of all shapes and categories.  At last we came upon a tail head, this one leading off to Columbia, and lo and behold, there was a check-in station.  It was the Tour de Ted - a fund-raising ride for cancer in honor of Edward 'Ted' Jones, the person responsible for getting the Katy Trail up and going. Some of the riders had begun their ride in Colorado City, Colorado.
 we've seen Stonehenge, Carhenge, and now Boathenge!
Sometimes, you just have to stop and smell the roses.
Rocheporte was a lovely river town full of shops and bed and breakfasts. Here we stayed in an expanded part of an old school house B and B where we were pretty much on our own. Dinner was a wonderful meal at a boutique restaurant, shoulder to shoulder with other diners. Here even the playground got into the spirit of things. 

The last day was our longest.  the one and only tunnel, just outside of Rocheporte  We had hoped to stop here to sightsee as well as in Columbia but the weather became the deciding factor as our ride came to an end.  The beginning of the Sate Fe Trail, some of which we followed farther west. Apparently the trailhead for the Santa Fe Trail moved further west as the eastern areas developed 
 more open fields and rolling hills than we had seen before. The fields were slowly turning yellow as the soybean crops were ripening.  a clay tile grain silo - once many, now a lone testament to days gone by.  Boonesville bridge soon to be broken down for progress.  Need we say anything more?  the old makes way for the new   of course the only blow out had to occur about 1/2 mile before a trailhead where there were seats. 
along the way were minute signs of the old railroad ...
We rode a little over fifty miles to Sedalia  where we stayed at an old hotel that had been redone. We got to Sedalia just as it was getting cold and windy. We had planned to go another thirty-five miles to Clinton, which is the terminus, but we clearly lacked the clothes.  We gave in and called Debbie and the next day she took us back to our RV, just outside of Clinton.

Although we had already rode part of the trail towards Clinton, the question remains, “Do we or don’t we, finish the last twenty-two miles at a later date?”

The trip was a success. We met lots of wonderful people; learned all about Missouri history; and most importantly, we had a great time. 

The Katy Trail, Missouri, take 1:

The Katy Trail - said to be the longest rails-to-trails multi-use trail in the US. Every photo, every discussion, every blog entry leads one to believe that this is an awesome ride for those from beginners to advanced riders wanting a taste of the trail. We had discussed this before leaving for Peace Corps and here we are in one of the end cities of the trail and in beautiful Indian Summer. A perfect time to do it.

After watching the forecasted weather patterns, discussing the various options and obstacles, reading the official Katy Trail website, and buying the guide book we decided to ride the Katy Trail from east to west. Yes, we know, everyone says to do it from west to east mainly because of the climbs and the prevailing westerly winds. Well, from the forecasted weather patterns, the winds are said to be out of the SE and you are going to be climbing either way as far as we could see. Indian Summer should stay around for another two weeks with perfect riding and camping weather. So we booked our shuttle to take us to St. Charles, MO and start to pack the camping gear. Of course, we already have the tandem and the B-o-b, so here goes ...

Danny has offered to write this blog so I will add photos and comments as he publishes.

Sedalia, MO

What a busy week we had here in Sedalia, MO while attending the Escapees RV rally.  This is ours, and for as far as the eye can see, all sizes, shapes and makes ... 

We arrived a couple of days early and set about exploring the town. It is especially interesting as it has the old train depot turned museum for the Katy Railroad which has since been turned into a rails-to-trails route. The town is a quaint mixture of the old and the new, a combination often found in many communities throughout North America. Pride in their heritage is abundantly seen through the maintained older edifices, homes as well as businesses. Add to this the newer section of town and what do you find - Wally World and Starbucks alongside various fast food restaurants that offer all manner of foods.   a good ol' fashion drive-in that adapted to the modern ways... served a peanut butter hamburger of all things. We found a fabulous little mediterranean restaurant where we could get awesome gyros and hummus. But most of all, a welcoming, warm, fuzzy feeling wherever you go. 


The rally offered up many different venues for volunteering as well. We chose to drive the golf carts around offering rides to whomever needed one. The campground was a fair ways away from the vendors and various seminars being offered and for many these rides were the only way that they could go from one to another. We met a lot of great people driving these things. We even met a couple who are from Perth, Australia.  They are here in the US for 10 months then go home for 6 months and then come back again. They will do this for 3 years and then go home permanently before heading to Europe to do the same thing. They bought a truck and 5th wheel which they will sell in year 3.

The main reason for our being at the rally was that we have joined the DOVEs group - this is a Disaster Response group within Escapees that works within the confines of the Red Cross Disaster volunteer program. In order to be able to respond in a disaster within the DOVE group you have to have various Red Cross trainings and 2 days of trainings were being offered here at the Escapade. We were also able to get one class online before the Escapade. With this one, we sat in the car in front of the hospitality building for 3 hours doing what is affectionately called a Webinar. Not a bad way to get a course actually but you sure need a good internet connection. If the hospitality free wifi hadn't been set up yet, we would have used Starbuck's free service. So now we are only missing one of the mandatory trainings before we can be assigned out on a disaster.

Towards the end of the rally Danny got out the BoB trailer and we took it out for a spin on the Katy Trail to see how it pulled and how we managed with it on the tandem. The trail is made of chipped limestone and is sharp. We wanted to ensure that our tires were ok for it. All worked out well and the trail is very nice to ride. We actually rode out in both directions so got in a few miles (i.e. 20 miles both ways). At the end of the training classes and a day of rest, we moved over to Clinton which will be the end of the trail for us, where the rv will take a small holiday while we ride the trail. A highlight of these rides was Sunday afternoon finding what we thought was a bike shop - you never know when you will need something.  Surprise surprise - a person came running out to us and asked if we wanted some breakfast. Yes, for free. Seems that the young couple were feeding their community members (i.e. those in need I am sure and we sure don't look like we are in need) as their "give back a little something to the community". Pancakes, scrambled eggs, juice and coffee was on the menu. Of course, we partook and with much conversation had an enjoyable interlude from riding. And then we found out that it was no longer a bike shop, it had moved to another location and the owner was allowing them to offer there service for free

And so another adventure was about to begin...

Fort Scott, KS

After leaving The Washington Carver National Monument we drove on towards Ft. Scott, KS. Here we would add another stamp to our National Parks Discovery binder. The tourism pamphlets regarding Ft Scott show an interesting historical town that has made much of it's history as a fort in the 1840's.

We decide to park in the fairgrounds and when we arrive we are the only ones there. Thank goodness there were not any activities planned for the next couple of days and we would have peace and quiet. We had hookups albeit in the grass. When the custodian came around to collect the money however, he told us we could move out onto the road as it was supposed to rain that night and the next day and if we were on the grass, we just might not get out for awhile. That would never do as we were scheduled in Sedalia in a couple of days.

Taking a driving tour around Ft Scott we were taken by the gorgeous late 1800's homes that have been restored and reinvented.  Of course there are those that haven't been but they are definitely in the minority. As one passes down the various street, very often one sees signs of renovations. Of course, there are places where the old have been torn down to make room for the new. I too would want ac and   tight, non-drafty walls with adequate plumbing. To give credit where credit is due, many of the rebuilt homes were built in  the prevailing style of the late 1800's early 1900's. There was one standout however,

 ...art deco with the typical art deco colors of Florida - pepto bismol pink and sunflower hello. The icing on the cake however, just had to be the pvc rendition of palm trees swaying in the winds. Too bad the vivid colors aren't given justice in the late afternoon sun.

The next morning we took a trolley tour given by the Chamber of Commerce. A fast and furious tour of the various personalities and homes of Sedalia. Seems like every town has their homegrown heroes and Ft Scott is no different. Ft Scott was named after General Scott of the era and it is said that he replied "I'm not and don't expect me to go out there either." when asked if he was thrilled to have all these [frontier] places named after him. The fort was actually built along the Permanent Indian Boundary line that supposedly protected the Indian lands from being encroached by the White Settlers and to protect and prevent the inter-Indian conflicts. This fell by the way side before the fort could be completed but during it's heyday it was a major intersection. After the fort was sold off in the 1850's to the town and the town folks, the town continued to prosper as a the jumping off point for the new land openings in the west. Fortunes were made here and the housing of the late 1800's attests to this fact. Then it started a slow downward spiral until we come to today where it is a hustling refurbished town, proud of it's past, and making the most of it.

One of the houses that we had a very brief introduction to was a house of normal appearance where an avid quilted lives. She is so into quilt making that she has apparently decorated her house inside and out with quilts. To attest to the fact, I offer a couple of photos of the outside of her house, courtesy of the owner herself.

 

She was thrilled to be asked for photos of her house.

We enjoyed an afternoon at the national historical park where we partook of the type of cache that we particularly like - a multi-staged cache that takes you through the area making you read and learn the history. Then end is the satisfaction of finding the end correctly, learning all about the area and putting your name in the log book. Sometimes you can collect a travel bug and leave one, but this one was not big enough for anything other than the log book.

We could have spent far more time here but alas, Sedalia is calling and the storm clouds are a brewing. So off we go, farther to the NE ...

on the road to ...

... Sedalia and the Escapees RV rally starting the 15th. For us however, "on the road" can mean a multitude of things. For now it means just that a couple of days here, a day there, and perhaps a couple days that leads to a couple of weeks in other places - our typical mode of travel.

We stayed in Big Cedar a couple of weeks and enjoyed exploring SE Oklahoma and SW Arkansas. Oh what a beautiful area of fields, valleys, mountains and above all, green. I do get so tired of the browns and beiges of the drought and SW summer normal colors.

I am now back in saddle of my bicycle, extending my riding more each time I hop on. It is a hard slog after being off for so long and getting so out of shape with having a car and driving everywhere. While in Peace Corps I walked and road public transportation (which means walking even more). I did ride in Panama but it was only to go into town, a ride of no more than 3 miles when I did it. As I often had to carry things, my bike was out of the question. But now I am back into it ... oh my aching legs, shoulders, arms, wrists, and butt.

We also got the tandem up and running - that is another story. It felt so good to get back on that one. Once on it I quickly recalled one of the downfalls of riding the "Rear Admiral" position, NO cooling draft comes my way until Danny gets down onto his aero bars.

Thanks to a friend on one of the quilting blogs that I belong to, and the fact that we are going to be in Missouri, Danny and I have decided to initiate ourselves back into touring on the tandem. We are going to ride the Katy Trail after we attend the rally and classes. We still have planning to do and make a decision on the week that we will do it in, but hey, the main decision to do it has been made. http://www.bikekatytrail.com/ We are hoping to post as we ride by using the MiFi but as we will be camping some days, that might not happen.

On to Tulsa where we visited Alf, Stacey and the Boys. All are doing well and enjoying life. The drive up from Big Cedar, although only 200 miles give or take, was breathtaking. i think that I could actually live here if we could find something on a lake. The green and trees are my undoing along with the mountains. Oh they aren't at all like the Rockies or the Alps or the Andes, but still they are as beautiful as any of them. Of course having the ticks is a big worry and the mosquitoes do drive me batty when I am out, but other than that, it is great. While in Tulsa we managed to visit a wonderful bike shop where I replace my disintegrating helmet and gloves. So now I am in top form, safety-wise. 

Our next leg took us into the far SE corner of Missouri where we stopped at the George Washington Carver National Monument: Another stamp for my book. Here we learned so much more than the "discoverer of almost 300 uses for the peanut". He was a scientist, educator, humanitarian, and above all he had a deep sense of purpose that his Creator led him by. He only patented three discoveries of which one was for pigments that are now found in the basic Crayola as he didn't want his discoveries to be "held by a minority" but available to those on the lowest part of humanity. His Agricultural Pamphlets were translated into many languages and became the Bible of Ag in many developing Third World companies, used by many NGO's. A truly humble, gentle man, but a man with a stubborn streak that led him to great things. He was born a slave, managed to educate himself when it was denied to him, and spent man years teaching at Booker T. Washington's Tuskagee Institute in Alabama as head of the Ag department. He was also a renown painter having earned Honorable Mention at the 1893 Chicago Worlds Fair.

 As a sickly young boy he spent many hours becoming one with nature and nurturing his love for botany, a love that would guide him for the rest of his life.

There are many sayings posted around the world regarding education that are his quotes - we saw them in Nepal in the schools, in Panama, and in Colombia, to name just a few. 

A truly great man ...

Feeling humbled and thoughtful, we continued on to Fort Scott, KS.

Labour Day Weekend ...

Labour Day Weekend, 2012 ... we are stopped in a small place called Big Cedar, in SE OK where our landlord suggested that we attend the big Choctaw Nation celebrations (PowWow). So on Saturday over we went, after our visiting friends from DFW left to return home. Driving over to Tuskahoma the traffic was sparse, not suggestive in any way of the immensity of what is supposed to be a HUGE celebration.

As we drew into Tuskahoma, we had no idea where to go but I was sure that there would be signage of some sort to follow. No sooner had I said this than we saw a roadway sign with large orange blinking lights (you know the kind, the "road repair up ahead" type of sign powered by solar panels) telling us to turn at the next right. Two cars ahead and three cars coming in the opposite direction all turn the same way. Yes, we must be in the right place.

As we slowly drive onto the the Choctaw Nation's land, all we can say is, "We are late!" There are cars parked everywhere. Parking signs say "Parking Lot 13, 14, 15, 10, etc" with attendants at every corner for all 4 ways. With temperatures soaring into the 100's, there are huge cooling units at each corner offering water and a cool-down to one and all. There is even a huge water tank that one can douse oneself in. We follow directions that are given before we can stick our head out the window to ask - we end up parked a very long ways from the festivities that can be seen as we drove through the area.

Loading up with water, sunscreen and bug repellent, we lock up the car and head for the road. Wow, along comes a golf cart and asks if we want a ride. Asking where we want to go, we say the exhibition hall. As the women drives, she gives a very pride-ful history of the Nation (3rd largest in the "nation")  and explains the workings of the festival. Everything is free except food and midway activities and rides, including the concert with Martina McBride and Ricky Scaggs that evening. Turns out, we were being transported but the "elder" car - a system set up to transport all the seniors. Everywhere we looked, they were there, whistling people around. There was also the usual tractor-pulled hay wagons with seats ferrying people from the parking lots to the main events.

Us, along with the anticipated 125,000 attendees jostled and weaved from ac place to ac place. (Temps over 100F) We saw the craft hall - lovely traditional Indian crafts, quilts, leatherwork, beadwork, furniture, paintings, textiles, and ... you pushed and shoved your way through the crowds to just see let alone buy anything. It was air-conditioned and many people were there for that reason alone. Imagine, if you will, coming in when the gates opened in the am to set up your chairs or claim your seats for the evening concert and sitting there all day in soaring temps. You too would head for the ac buildings as often as you could leave your space safely. Then to the midway looking for corn - not to be found but we did find deep-fried pickles, a favorite of mine, and an ac building with health exhibits and booths. The most amazing thing however, was the big sign in front listing the calorie count of fair foods and the entrance booth giving away free ice cold oranges and apples as a healthy alternative. AND the building has AC and we also run across a real neat bicycle tour for next May (2013). Could not sign up but they were taking names to send info to on how to sign up and when.

Then over to the museum, another ac building. It is a new, very modern but historic looking building  with a wonderful statue in front of it.   They are indeed a very proud nation, having overcome adversity and looking to the future while learning from the past, which is established within the museum.

As the heat beats down and I become hotter and hotter even with the wonderful interludes in the ac buildings, we finally have to leave. It was a wonderful experience, one that I wouldn't have missed for anything, if only from the historical part. The festival was very well organized and one that they enjoyed offering to the community at large. Can we find anything more to enhance this? Only time will tell.