Day 4: Katy Trail Adventure, the Finale...Marthasville to St. Charles

Today was our final day of biking. We left Marthasville around 845 AM after a great breakfast provided by the Little House Bed and Breakfast. If you ever get into Marthasville and are looking for a place to sleep...check this place out!

The weather started cloudy but quickly became sunny, mucho bettero than yesterday. We had a slight head wind but nothing that was making us say "this stinks."

We made a few changes to our gear to aid in our sore butts. Last night we gave our daughter-in-law a lot of things we were not going to use today. This took a load off of our backs and tailbones as most of this came out of our daypacks. Second we really put on the Nutz and HooHa cream (seriously, that is what it is called) and other changes. This made a world of difference and the ride was soooo much more enjoyable! 

Just before reaching St. Charles we met a couple who were doing their very first endurance ride, just like us. We finished just about at the same time. After reaching St. Charles, our friends met us at the Bike Stop Cafe. We had a nice lunch, met a couple other through bikers who just finished and were headed back to Iowa.

We met many people on this trip from places other than Missouri. The people that you meet on trails like this are a different breed and I saw this in a positive manner. They are all very friendly, telling tales of what they went through, where they have been, what to look out for on the trail ahead. You can also get helpful tips on packing, etc. These are people that love the outdoors and even the people in the towns that we stopped in were very cycling friendly. 

This was an incredible trip, and although we had one bad day, it taught us a lot. As we were nearing the end, I realized that we were not going to be riding on the trails again and I kinda wish we were starting again. I can definitely see Tammy and I doing more of these trips.

Our thoughts on the Katy Trail...

The Katy Trail, from Booneville eastward to St. Charles is flat, so every mile that one does is done by pedaling, there are no hills to coast, so for about 155 miles you are doing nothing but pedaling. Now having said that, this is a perfect trail to do if you are wanting to try an endurance ride but have never done one, mainly because it is mostly flat, the towns the trail goes through are spaced about 10 to 15 miles apart and at each town there are facilities but you have to do your research as each town doesn't have the same facilities. While we most likely wont be doing this trail again...well Tammy would like to do it again starting from the very beginning, in Clinton, MO...but she's a perfectionist...anyway, we will do others.

Here are our stats...

Total Miles: 193.5

Total Time Riding: 16.5 hours

Average Speed: 11.7 MPH

Day 3: The Katy Trail Adventure: Tebbetts to Marthasville

In a few words, not one of the more enjoyable days.  Picture this...

Woke up around 7 AM to find out Tammy did not have a good sleep, a rather uncomfortable sleep, been awake off and on since 330 AM. I'd like to say I didn't do much better but I did...just not that much better. The mattresses were rather uncomfortable. Don't get me wrong, the hostel was a roof over our heads, a kitchen, shower, all one needs, but not very comfortable. When I woke up I noticed it was cloudy and it didn't look that good. Tammy said check the radar. When I did, it brought back memories of when I took a group of guys to Florida in March a couple of years ago where it rained 6 inches on us. It wasn't that bad, but there was a wall of rain heading toward us...in a matter of minutes. I told the other couple and all of us started rushing to get our gear packed, eat breakfast and get out the door. Unfortunately it started raining heavily just before we left.

For the next 3 or 4 hours it rained off and on, some of it heavy, but mostly a light nuisance rain. If there was a silver lining in this that would be that it was not cold. But none the less riding in rain is not fun, glasses get speckled, its hard to see as Tammy found out, and you get the nasty skunk stripe going up your back from the mud flicking off your back tire (see picture below of Tammy).

By afternoon the rain stopped...BUT we had a strong east wind, and what made things worse is that we were out in the open most of the time with an east wind blowing up the Missouri River valley...not fun. 

The couple that stayed with us at the hostel had the same problems. They were headed the same direction we were and at just about every rest stop they would catch up with us. They, Mike and Sherie, had done a few rails to trails rides, their longest was from Pittsburgh to Washington DC, about 300 or 400 miles. They are from Pittsburgh.

Our destination was Marthasville, a total of 53.5 miles from Tebbetts, and let me tell you, I stopped looking at scenery and wishing the miles would go by quickly. I, as well as Tammy, were losing energy and our butts were sore (I know, you heard me say it yesterday...well, it didn't get any better).

This sounds like a downer of a day, and to some extent it was, but Tammy and I are learning from this experience because we wish to do more rides like this. Not necessarily the Katy Trail, but other trails around the country. I told her while today was rather miserable, I was stll really enjoying this.

Along the route today there were many historic markers, each one saying "Lewis and Clark crossed the Missouri River here." After seeing so many, Tammy and I started to wonder if Missouri just made these up to make the trail interesting. And, how do they know this is where they crossed? What if it was several feet further? And, why is it important for us to know that they crossed there? What was cool was a standing rock next to the trail that had markings of each major flood since the early 1900s (see picture). It did have the 1993 flood marking.

For dinner there was Philly's Pizza in Marthasville. It was excellent! Our grandkids met us there and we had an enjoyable meal. About half way through the meal, Mike and Sherie came in...yes, they made it. They are camping near the soccer fields tonight. We are staying at the Little House Bed and Breakfast in Marthasville. One word...AMAZING! We got the whole house to ourselves! Plus there was laundry machines and the owner had made a fresh blueberry crumble for breakfast. I couldn't wait, we both had a piece before dinner.

The rain did manage to bring out the wildlife. Today we saw about 5 deer (got video of one that just stood in the middle of the trail until we got up on it), a turtle, snake, fox, and many squirrels. One squirrel shot out from one side of the trail, went between Tammy's wheels and to the other side...rather funny!

So far we have completed 151.5 miles since leaving Sedalia Monday afternoon. We have only 38 miles to go to reach St. Charles, our destination.

Day 2 Updated to add pictures: Katy Trail Adventure, Boonville to Tebbetts

We had a decent nights sleep, although it could have been better. The hotel served a continental style breakfast...ie pastries and a little bit of fruit, not really what one needs for biking. There was only one other person in the dining area, an older man who was walking the Katy Trail. We struck up a conversation with him, found out he started out in Clinton, MO and had walked a little over 60 miles in 6 days. He intends to walk the entire Katy Trail. 

The ride started out a little chilly, about 57 degrees, and a nice head wind...what one always desires when biking...NOT! We quickly warmed up, and along the way we saw many people, riders and hikers. We met one couple at Hartsburg. They were riding the Katy Trail also and planned on staying in Jefferson City, but when they got there, it was going to be another 4 miles in to town to find a place, so they decided to move on to Tebbetts, where we were staying. In fact we had just gotten to Tebetts when they pulled up. 

In Tebbetts we are staying at a hostel. Never have stayed at one before, but for 5$/person, you can't beat it. It is a dormitory style place where everyone shares the same sleeping room...bunk beds. There is also a communal shower and kitchen area. We had talked to the owner before we went and he said there was no restaurant, so we brought our own microwaveable dinners. Yum! Who would turn down microaved pot roast, lasagna, mac and cheese...hmmm.

We rode a total of 60 mies today. This was a personal record for me, this was the furthest I've ever ridden in one ride. However, for the Katy Trail and carrying a 30lb back pack, this was rather much. My legs were'nt hurting but my butt sure was. A couple people told us to take an bike tire inner tube and wrap it around the seat, infalting it a little. We are going to try that tomorrow.

Interesting fact, back in 2001, a man by the name of Sam became the first person to ride the entire Katy Trail in one day. He averaged 15 to 16 miles over the 240+ miles. He did it in 14 hours.  It has taken Tammy and I 2 days just to do 96 miles...and we still have more to go!

The scenery has been beautiful, but haven't seen much in the way of wildlife except for a deer, birds, squirrels, one barking chasing dog, a few snakes (all non-posionous), swarms of gnats and dragon flyes.

Enough to say we are really enjoying this trip (except for the sore butts). We are learning what not to do and what to do for future trips.

Tomorrow is another long day, but not as long as today. Hopefully we will have a good night sleep and be ready for tomorrow.

No pictures with this one, Tebbetts isn't known for their broadband :)

Day 1: :Katy Trail Adventure - Sedalia to Boonville

Our adventure began at the Kirkwood, Missouri Amtrack station where we were catching the train with our destination in Sedalia, Missouri...about a 3 hour trip. While waiting for the train, we met a couple who were also traveling to Sedalia to bike the Katy Trail. They, however, were biking tomorrow. The trip to Sedalia was very nice, in fact quite pleasant in Amtrack and I would definitely recommend traveling this way. They were very accomodating for our bikes and all the staff were very friendly.

We got to Sedalia around 1245 PM and we noticed the clouds were thickening. I looked at the radar and saw a storm moving north of us, but what radar didn't show was the drizzle that was falling in Sedalia. We got off the train, put on our bike shoes and helmet and traveled 5 blocks to the 5th Street Pub and Grill where we ate lunch. People on the streets were very friendly to us, waving at us, telling us hello, it's really a bike friendly town.

Lunch was great, and while we ate, the drizzle got heavier and heavier. By the time we finished eating, the streets were wet and we decided to put on our jackets and brave the rain. But before we left Sedalia, we found a bit of trivia...Sedalia is within 500 miles of 20 states...okay, I didn't say it was useful trivia, but none the less...trivia.

The Katy Trail is not a direct rails to trails in Sedalia. One has to follow the signs on the roads to get through town. I mean literally follow the signs on the road...the signs were ON THE ROAD, painted. But they were well marked, and soon we were on our way, drizzle and all. The trail was crushed limestone, hard packed in most areas. The trail took us through pasture lands, cattle fields, under roads, above roads and over roads. We traveled 36 miles from Sedalia to Boonville in about 3 hours. This part of the trail was the hilliest, although the hills were gradual, it almost seemed as if there were no down hills, ha!

One community we went through was Clifton City, MO. Clifton was known as the devil's half acre in the 1800s because of a man that was selling bad wiskey made of new or raw corn. This is also where Jesse James had a hold out...where they were hiding.

As we have been riding and going through these small communities, the Missouri State Parks, which the Katy Trail is the longest and biggest state park in the country, enriches the trail with history.

Our destination today was Boonville, 36 miles from Sedalia. We were glad to see Boonville, and in particular, the Hotel Frederick. This is an historic hotel that has been renovated. It is BEAUTIFUL! We are in one of the best rooms that overlooks the Missouri River. The room is amazing, almost a suite, but not quite. I guess coming from Atlanta, $127 doesn't seem like much for a room, I definitely think we are getting our moneys worth. 

We were told that the lounge had a good dinner and they also had live music. We went down there, and I have to admit I was sceptical about the food...and the entertainment. Let me say we were pleasantly surprised. Although the food didn't sound like much, it was more like tapas than anything, it was amazing...and filling for us bikers! The entertainment was a guy in the his 60s singing old time country music. While this is not my style, and although he was mediocre, we were entertained. And while we were listening and eating, the hostess and the what I believe was the singer's wife, gave us a bowl of fresh tomatoes to eat along with homemade jalapeno poppers which were delicious. All to say we had a pleasant evening, along with other Katy Trail bikers that were enjoying the show.

Like I said, we did 36 miles today and this was our short day. Tomorrow will be my first metric century (62 miles)...fortunately it is very flat, and from what I read, a 0.5% grade which follows the Missouri River.

Our legs didn't get sore, but our butts did! I really need to get a softer seat...or more junk in my trunk!

We will be staying at a hostel tomorrow evening so I don't know if I will be able to make an entry, but keep watching for it tomororw evening just in case.

Day 0: The Pre-Adventure

Today marks the Pre-Adventure to the Adventure that Tammy and I will be taking beginning tomorrow. We have logged a lot of miles in training over the past few weeks and today we drove to St. Louis to my mom's place.

We started packing our packs this evening and...wow...let me put it to you this way...we are having to improvise! We are both wearing daypacks along with a pack on the front of our bikes and a carrier over the back wheel of Tammy's bike (I'll get a picture of this tomorrow). 

Tonight is a night of enjoying dinner with family and a good nights sleep. Tomorrow, the adventure begins.....

Our bikes are following us down I-55 in Missouri.

Less than 2 Weeks...and Counting!

We are just under 2 weeks from departing for St. Louis to ride the Katy Trail. Tammy has been doing some excellent training. In fact she just completed her first century ride this past Sunday. She rode the Savannah Century in Savannah, GA. She rode 101.6 miles in a little over 7 hours. Unfortunately it was very hot (Savannah, go figure) with a heat index of 108 in the afternoon. However she did complete it. I have a feeling she will be doing much better than I will on the Katy. Over the last week and for the next 2 weeks I will be trying to get in as many miles as possible riding the single track in Peachtree City as well as riding the golf cart paths in Peachtree City.

Hopefully the weather will cooperate during the 4 days we are on the KT. We are both looking forward to this adventure together. Stay tuned for more updates!

Tammy's Group of Riders on the Savannah Century

Tammy at the finish line