Missouri’s capitol city, Jefferson City, is about 30 miles south of Columbia. I’d never been there, so I took that as my real first ride on the trail. The newness excited me. The sub-30 degree morning did not. But I’d read about a cool pedestrian bridge over the Missouri River, so I was excited to see that.
One reason to ride the Katy Trail as opposed to, say, the Pacific Northwest’s famous Seattle-to-Portland STP, is the flat terrain. Rails to trails projects are very flat — trains don’t like grades — and that helps cyclists. I’m not sure it makes up for the soft surface. Biking on crushed rock can sometimes feel like running in sand. But I think it probably does.
So I drive 1,000 miles to take my 100-mile bike ride on flat ground, and literally, the first thing I encounter is this.
That cool pedestrian bridge is way up in the sky — the auto part of the bridge is elevated to generously clear a flood plain and match the height of the bluffs on the other side. So the only way for a cyclist to get there is to get dizzy biking in circles up this ramp.
So, 6 miles in, my legs are aching. This doesn’t seem promising. Jeff City is adorable, however, and as I loosely head in search of a coffee shop I never find, I enjoy the town and its history. Missouri had two capitols during the Civil War; it’s always been a mix of all of America. Some political yards signs I see make me wonder if it might end up with two capitols again. (It is only weeks before the 2018 midterms).
I’ve biked 7 miles by the time I scurry back to my car, to the trailhead just north of Jefferson City, and head north this time. My plan is to ride 5 miles — I do 6 — but without any particular destination. This ride, for the first time, I see amazing long stretches of trail, with farms on one side and bluffs on the other. Finally, I feel like I’ve gotten to the real Katy. I hop into my car and drive back across the river for lunch, then go to Central Dairy, a famous ice cream spot. ($2 gigantic cones!). Then, I’m off to the second trailhead of the day.
On my ride down to Jeff City from Columbia, I spotted another trail head sign, which I decided would be a good next stop — Hartsburg. I’d kept pedaling north from Jefferson City, I would have made it there on two weeks (That’s for next time).
I set off north from Hartsburg and did another 6 miles. I was stunned to fine a fine dining restaurant and some nice hotels in town, so I’ve made a mental note about going back there. But today, I make it to 20 miles and it’s time for me to drive home and find some protein. My body is starting to bark at all this — my neck often hurts from the biking position, and my wrists are starting to hurt a little, too. Because the trail surface is a bit unpredictable, you really have to maintain grip and focus on your handlebars, and you do take the occasional shock from ‘potholes.’ Still, I’m in great spirits. Tomorrow, I visit my favorite little town…
Just a quick note about this picture above, and about how nice Missouri is. See that truck in the picture above? You know how very nice people will stop for a moment and not walk into your photograph is you are taking a picture at a park or somewhere? Well, this fellow saw me taking a picture of that tank — well, the ice blue sky, really — and hit the brakes to let me shoot my shot. Missouri.
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