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| Entrance to KT in Clinton |
We began at the beginning – the Clinton trailhead and ended in St. Charles: 240 miles in total – 227 miles on the Katy, 13 miscellaneous miles, and 6 days of riding. Glorious riding.
Red line is our route.
We decided to ride the Katy from west to east because logistically it made the most sense. Plus, typically the wind blows from west to east this time of year and we looked forward to riding all week with either no headwind or if we were really lucky – a tailwind. Every cyclist’s dream.
We arrived in Clinton the evening of Thursday, May 6th. It was an easy drive taking us just over 5 hours. The bikes were safely tucked inside and had pizza and drinks in tow so no need to stop.
Pre-ride lodging was at the Hampton Inn in Clinton. We couldn’t stand it so we rode around a bit in the parking lot just to test things out. We cleared it with the hotel and then took the bikes up to the room via the elevator. I really wanted to ride mine through the lobby.
We left Clinton early in the morning and headed out into the wind and cold. It was cloudy but rain was not in the forecast. We decided to ride through downtown Clinton before catching the beginning of the trail. This was the way we rode the entire trail – taking our time and enjoying the sites.
Stopping when the mood struck us.
There were many moments that stood out.
Riding alongside Mark, buzzing down the trail side by side. Countless birds flying in and out. No other sounds but our bikes and the birds.
Miles and miles of trail with heavily treed canopy.
Sunlight filtering in, birds leading the way.
Informative depots at every trailhead on the Katy Trail covering the next town/trailhead.
Endless miles of spring flowers along the Trail.
Silence.
Iridescent blue of the Indigo Buntings and the more common, but still beautiful blue of the Eastern Bluebird.
The ring of Condor’s bell – which I rang to say hello to others on the trail and also to celebrate seeing an indigo bunting.
Miles of trail alongside the wider-than-I-expected Missouri River.
Hotel Bothwell and the endless noises throughout the night. Finding out the next morning that some believe it is haunted. Add me to that list.
Recognizing on day one that we had significantly overpacked and actually sending as much stuff as we could cram into a large duffel home via UPS. Nice, helpful people at UPS store in Sedalia.
Surprisingly few people on the Trail.
How clean and well maintained the Trail was. A donation from us coming their way.
Wishing Oklahoma had something like this. Being glad the Katy is so close.
Headwind for the majority of days. Rain only one. Cool temps most days. All in all very good weather.
The sun and tailwind on day 2 our longest day – 53 miles.
Beautiful skies.
The two of us practically inhaling a large pizza for lunch in what was probably less than 5 minutes after not getting dinner the night before. Things close up early on the trail, a good thing to keep in mind.
Crossing the Missouri River at Boonville, the butterflies/vertigo over how high we were.
Bob Irish and the pictures he took and sent to us.
Arriving in Rocheport late in the afternoon to the celebration of the 20th Anniversary of the Katy.
Our longest day and no dinner. Thankful for the large pizza at lunch. Our ongoing laughter at how fast we ate it!
Remembering how friendly people that ride bikes are.
Beautiful fields and farms.
Taking note and pictures of all the truss bridges for our son-in-law, Tyler.
Feeling like most of the time we were going slightly uphill.
Riding along the churning Missouri River.
All the friendly, kind and iust wonderful people we met along the way.
Randy and Jeanette at the
Briar Rose Inn in Jefferson City – their warmth and hospitality. The huge suite and beautiful antiques. Dinner at Arris’s. Our very early start to avoid the thunderstorms. The lunch they packed that saved us.
Bone chilling rain all day. Grateful that it was just rain and wind. Started out with temp in high 40’s.
Tree downed from storm over the trail but park service already clearing.
Appreciating the lifestyle of small towns. The kindness and friendliness of the people.
The simpleness and straightforwardness of riding a bike.
Countless pictures of Condor and Traveler.
Tim Johnson aka fellow Brooks sufferer. Riding cross country from Jacksonville, Florida to Oregon.
Feeling like a couple of punks when on the way home I read on Crazy Guy on a Bike website that the day we rode 43 miles in the soaking rain Tim rode 140.
Elden and Maggie at Meyer’s Hilltop Farm – Mark’s dream place. The perfect breakfast for cyclists. Beautiful farm, Oscar and Leon, Katy, the warm and inviting site of Elden on the porch and the glow of the candles in the windows. Showing up and looking like a couple of drowned rats. Good as new the next morning.
Dinner at the Stonehill Winery and looking out on the vineyards at dusk covered in mist.
Gene and Jacqui at Swan Haven Inn. Great conversation, felt like friends. Incredible home, built in 1860, updated throughout, simple on the outside, elegant on the inside, crumpets in the morning, delicious omelet. More great conversation and a late start to the day.
Spending the evening walking around Augusta in place of eating. Hoping we would find something open. Of course we didn’t.
Condor and Traveler’s home for the night.
Mix of feelings about starting out on our last day.
The couple from Michigan riding a tandem recumbent. Just starting their ride. Exuberant.
My butt’s growing fondness for the Brooks saddle.
Father and son walking the Katy Trail.
Those beautiful indigo buntings.
And flowers…
The HUGE tree just before St. Charles.
George and his buddy at Katy Trail bike rentals in Defiance and their help with Mark’s cleat and pedal. Great ice cream. Good prices. Nice people.
Defiance. Sounds like a place Mark and I would fit in.
Spending so much time at George’s that a storm was moving in when we were ready to leave again. Riding as fast as we could to beat the storm. We did.
Slowing down and enjoying our last miles.
Feeling stronger on the last day than the first.
The week exceeded any expectations either of us had.
Next time I will post on our ride with my netbook as we go.
We would do it again tomorrow.
We are doing it again in October.
Finally…
Nothing
Compares
to
Traveling
by
BIKE!
Related
I loved your blog and pictures!! I haven't had the opportunity to tour by bike yet, but I'm planning a trip to the Pacific Coast Highway soon. Thanks for sharing your memories…makes me want to check out the Katy trail for sure.
Julie
What a great post Susan! Love the pictures, the layout and how you described it. Can't wait to here more during our visit later this summer. 🙂
ummm, i meant "hear" more…
WOW!!! I mean: WOW!!!!
I absolutely LOVED your write-up!! I love the pictures, the story, the brief snapshots of what stood out in your mind, the pictures and the pictures!! I can't wait to do the Katy trail, that's for sure. I'm going to do some research now to learn some more.
I'm so excited for you and for your adventure. I hope to take one like that sometime soon, myself! Congrats on your ride. Sounds like October won't come soon enough!! 🙂
Oh yeah, and what company did you use to shuttle, and how did you like them? Also- did you find that riding the packed trail was far more difficult than the road? I've always wondered about that since we have no rails to trails around here.
Thanks!
great- thanks! 😉
Hi Susan, Tim Johnson here. Wow, your Katy trip was way nicer than mine! Your web page is beautifully done. It makes me want to go back and do it in B&B style. First I have to finish the ride to Portland. I agree that traveling by bike is a great way to see the world. Last night Elizabeth and I were dreaming of a trip biking around Spain. I could see you two riding across Europe…take care. Tim
Excellent photos.
Lots of photos and just enough talk, my favorite format.
Thanks Zen, mine too.
Tim, I read some of your journal while driving back from MO. Read aloud to Mark your post about the *make-up lady*. Hysterical. What a prize she was! Also felt so bad about not thinking to ask if you needed anything when we met on the trail. We had plenty and could have easily shared some with you. Forgot my cyclist manners. 😉 Happy travels – maybe we'll see you and your wife cycling down the roads of Spain some day.
Wonderful post. I hope to ride the Katy Trail someday, and I think it would be wonderful to do with my wife (who has never yet done a tour.) Could you post some data about your bikes for us techno-geeks? I'd love to know what equipment you have and how you like it. Thanks!
Thanks Ray, I appreciate you adding a link to my post to the ride reports part of the bikekatytrail website. We found the website very helpful in planning our trip.
Enjoyed your journal and pictures….you just can't beat riding the Katy! I've ridden it multiple times, but everytime I read a journal or see pics, I enjoy it just as much as the first time.
Come back to MO and ride again sometime 🙂
Thanks for sharing your trip! Our family is riding part of the trail this summer so it was fun to look at your TERRIFIC pictures! I am so excited!!!
Margie & Anony~ Thanks for visiting and your comments. We will definitely be riding again, and Anony, the Katy is the perfect place for a family ride. We hope to take our grandchildren Ethan & Isabel for a ride on the KT in the future.
Susan, Loved your blog! We live in Utah and would like to do the Trail. How do we plan ahead to make reservations for lodging? Is there a list of B&B's with phone numbers? If so where can we get it? How did you get back to Clinton? Did you ride your bikes back or is there public transporation that can get us back to our car? Excited from South Jordan, Utah Utah Fred and Susan
We are going to try the Katy trail this sept. We are using a small company which covers everything. Any suggestions?
PS we live in Payson
Have snacks with you and keep water bottles topped off, some trail heads don’t have running water. Many stores and restaurants close until weekend, depending on when you go that could be an issue. September should be a great time on the trail – Have Fun!
Thanks for visiting, Utah Fred & Susan. There are links embedded in my post that you can click on for additional information. The one I would recommend you start with (which includes information about getting back to your car, lodging, etc.) is the Bike Katy Trail website: http://bikekatytrail.com/
Hi — I really enjoyed reading your posts about your trip on the Katy Trail. It sounds like it was a blast and I plan on doing it pretty soon. I was wondering though – what did you do with your car the whole time you were biking? Did you leave it in Clinton somewhere? Thanks and really enjoyed your stuff. — Phil
Susan, I love this journal. I have taken notes from your ride, but didn't catch the place you stayed while in Rocheport overnight. I am a school teacher, which makes my most available bike riding days to be around July each year. That makes for hot rides, but the scenery of the KATY fascinates me. What a blessing, plus the town where I teach school in Pleasant Hill, MO plans to construct 43 miles of "dead" rail lines to attach to the current KATY. This is all depending upon Missouri's Governor staying with the plan to finance this.
Hey
What a great story so happy for you all.I plan to
ride the KATY in june or july Lord willing. Just
cant waite never dreamed i would be addicted to biking
at my age 50 something .Also glad someone else agrees
about the Brooks seat
Happy Biking
Thanks again
Dennis
Dennis,
Glad you discovered biking! It is addictive but at least it’s good for you. You will love the Katy Trail, even with a Brooks!
Thanks for your visit and comment.
Susan
We’re thinking of doing the trail in mid May on our Tandem road bike and 11 month old son. Would you say May is a good month or should we wait until June?
Hi Meg,
May would be my preference for riding the Katy, although either month would be good. The bike/people traffic on the trail is lighter in May, once school is out, things get busier.
The trail surface is fairly well packed (limestone) but it can get deep in places. I hope you have at least 28c tires on your tandem for stability. You’ll love the trail, it’s beautiful, peaceful and well-maintained. Have a great ride!
Susan
Hi Susan
I plan on riding the trail in late July. My wife is a teacher and with our summer schedule, this is the only time we could do it. I know it will be hot and humid – oh well. My wife, who is not a cyclist, will drive a sag wagon (a small rented RV) and we hope to find small campgrounds, parking lots, etc. where ever we can. We, too, plan to go from west to east for tailwinds and sun at my back . We want fluidity and flexibility and not to worry so much about our lodging, and to put our $ to nice restaurants, souevnirs, etc. I appreciated your blog and photos and am excited to begin.
Clay Campbell
Albuquerque, New Mexico
We want to do this exact trip next year. May I ask, how much did you bring? Did you wash clothes along the way? Bring any food, or strictly eating out along the way? Did you have to travel far off the Katy to lodge?
We brought a couple pairs of bike shorts, couple of jerseys and for off the bike capris and 2 t-shirts. I did wash my bike stuff so I didn’t have to take as much and that worked fine. We ate out but carried energy bars, nuts, etc for snacks. All of our lodging was fairly close to the trail. Check the links and also bikekatytrail.com for distance on lodging options. Katy Trail is an easy trip, our first self-supported tour and can’t imagine a better place to try it. You’ll love the KT.