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
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