The Katy Trail

When Amy and I started our cycling hobby last spring we both really wanted to take a couple of days and do a short tour of the Katy Trail. Well a year and a half later we finally had that chance. To celebrate our 13th Wedding Anniversary we booked a bed & breakfast in Rocheport Missouri for Friday evening and planned to get up Saturday morning and ride 50 miles to Sedalia Missouri, stay the night and ride back to Rocheport on Sunday.

We left town after getting off work on Friday and headed for Rocheport Missouri, a sleepy little town of bed & breakfasts and a trail head to the Katy Trail. This part of the trail is right alongside the Missouri river. As you ride the trail you have huge walls of rock on one side and the river flowing on the other. As we rode this section of the trail we learned about how Lewis and Clark explored the area and we even saw a sign that marked a spot where they camped. When we arrived in Rocheport Friday evening we pulled up to our b&b which was dark aside from one porch light. We were emailed a door lock code to let ourselves into the house but didn't realize we were the only ones in the house. It felt a little strange using this home as our own without ever seeing anybody else. It did however make it feel more like home, and it was quite.

Saturday we awoke, set up the bikes, packed all of our luggage on the bike and got ready to roll. We decided before we headed to the west toward Sedalia that we would ride a few miles to the east to check out the bluffs and river. It was absolutely beautiful. The trees formed a canopy over the trail which provided shade and the views were amazing. We rode 3-4 miles and decided we better turn around and get headed toward Sedalia. There was one thing each of us really looked forward to along the trail. I wanted to visit a little shop that was a mix of a bike store and a cafe. It sounded fun and received many great comments on the Katy Trail website. Well...it was a joke. I think we spent maybe five minutes there as it really wasn't anything spectacular. Amy wanted to stop at a bistro and vineyard that was in Rocheport. We didn't realize we would have to ride up the steepest damn hill in America to get to it but we huffed and puffed and climbed our way there. The road that led in had vineyards on both sides which built the anticipation as we rode closer to the building. We finally got to it but as we were approaching the sidewalk that led down a winding sidewalk to the restaurant we read their sign...They didn't open until 11:00. Strike #2.
With both of our hopes crushed we now focused on getting ourselves headed toward Sedalia. We were really excited for the ride especially if it was like what we had experienced earlier in the morning. Well unfortunately it wasn't. It was nothing but Sun, straight trails, heat, and crops. It is not very motivating to be able to see 10 miles in front of you and see the same thing your are looking at right now. We talked about turning around but decided to push on to Booneville and see if anybody could give some insight as to what lie ahead.

We stopped at a little diner in Boonville and fueled up on some greasy, high caloric foods. We met another couple that was riding together and asked them what to expect ahead. "More of the same" was their answer. They encouraged us to ride up to the Boonville Depot and check it out, so we did and it was pretty cool. We met a Man and his daughter that were coming from the direction we were headed and they told us that it was beautiful ahead and that we should continue on. So, we did. We rode to Pilot Grove Missouri where we stopped at the trail head and took a little break and tried to figure out what to do. We were only halfway to Sedalia, we were both bored with the scenery and were not sure we wanted to press on. We decided to turn around and ride back to Rocheport. The plan was to stay the night and get up the next morning and ride to the East again along the river as far as we could and still be back to our b&b in time to shower before checking out. We were lucky enough to get the same room we had stayed in the night before and got back in time to clean up and go to diner at the bistro Amy wanted to visit. It was a beautiful place overlooking the river and the meal was just what we needed after riding 62 miles in the awful heat loaded will all of our luggage.
We got up Sunday morning headed to the east and got to enjoy the beautiful views of the bluffs and river once again. We were able to ride about 10 miles before we had to turn around and head back to Rocheport. We got there with plenty of time to clean up, pack, and make it to Mass in Columbia.
As beautiful as it is, we have decided we are not trail riders. We love the open road of a highway where you see some civilization and your on pavement. The trail was serene and calm, far from the chaos of trying to negotiate stop lights and automobiles but there is something about the chaos that keeps the ride fresh.
We are glad that we tried it and look forward to our next cycling vacation...wherever it may be.


Our "self-serve" bed and breakfast

The tunnel at Rocheport

The trail to the East of Rocheport. Very beautiful.


Loving life...for now.
The self proclaimed cafe / bike store.

The vineyards lined the entrance to the Bistro.


Corn, Corn, Corn, BEANS, Corn, Corn, Corn. The only thing exciting along this part of the trail were these beautiful vibrant blue birds that would take off out off the grass as you rode by. We believe they are called "blue buntings". Could be wrong on that.
The only thing other than crops to look at for 13 miles. A silo built with clay tiles. Looked pretty creepy inside.
We don't look or feel quite as fresh as we did that morning.


One of my two crashes for the day, this was just as we were getting onto the bridge that took us into Booneville.


Bridge into Boonville

Diner in Boonville that we ate lunch at.

Booneville train depot. They had a nice water cooler for refilling our water bottles.

Look at that caboose....no not the black one, the green one.

I don't recall what town this was in but it once was a major hub in the Katy line. This is an old turn-stile that was once used by the Katy Railroad.



This was the turning around point for us. From here we rode 26 miles back to Rocheport. Our only motivation was to take a shower and eat dinner at the Bistro.
The Bistro.
The view from the Bistro

Goofing off at a truck stop at 11pm. Hey it's ok, Grandma's watching the kids!