Katy Trail ! ! ! ! !

13 July 2011

We woke up refreshed from our stay in a hotel, and happy for our decision not to camp the night before. The clouds that we had been watching in the distance the entire day before finally closed in and erupted in a massive, drenching thunderstorm the night before. We were happy to have avoided being in a tent for this! Though we were excited to get to the Katy trail, we did not hurry off to leave but rather had a slow morning and took advantage of the continental breakfast at the hotel. We were only a mile from the trailhead in Clinton, MO.

Setting off for the trail we were both excited about getting a break from biking on roads. Though we were only a mile from the trailhead, Google Maps had not correctly shown where it started and we ended up in the back of a trailer park. Luckilly someone was able to direct us in the proper direction, and then off of the roads.

We were excited to arrive at the Western terminus of the trail and took pictures by the sign and the restored train from the MKT (Missouri - Kansas - Texas, abbreviated "Katy") railroad. Construction for the MKT begain in 1865 (ended in 1915) and the full length of the railroad ran until 1986. The trail was opened in 1990.










We were off! The trail started off by going through farmland with little shade, but this would soon change. For the first couple of miles the trail followed the road, we were pleased to watch the cars struggle up and down the "rolling" hills of Missouri while we enjoyed the steady, gradual up-and-down grade of the trail that once supported trains from the Union Pacific Railroad.

Soon we were welcomed by shade from the lush forest that surrounds the Katy Trail. It was wonderful to be able to bike in the shade without traffic. Such a change from the majority of our trip! It was like taking a day off, but still getting to bike in the "right" (mostly) direction. We were in no hurry, just relaxing and enjoying the scenery.









The Katy trail is still setup much like the original railroad. There are stops in all of the citys where trains would have originally stopped. Each of these trailheads have information on the history of the town, and what services you can find at that stop (camping, food, water, restrooms, cafes, etc.).







The trail is not paved, but is supported by crushed limestone. It is far nicer than any of the dirt roads that we have ridden on so far. It slows us down a bit compared with biking on pavement, but we aren't the least bit concerned about this.




We watched strange UFOs in the distance, flying in and out of the clouds. Finally they came close enough for us to identify. A Stealth Bomber and its fighter jet escort. I've never seen a stealth bomber in flight - very impressive. They seem to disappear when they aren't turning or right above you because they are so thin.



Despite the headwinds, unpaved road, and "strenuous" climb that we had up to the highest point on the Katy Trail (955 ft, "oooh!"), we were having a wonderful time.

The climb to the top really "knocked us out!"
(This brought back memories of the Rocky Mountains. It was not that long ago that we were at 11,312 feet, the highest point of our trip).




It was nice to ride along flora anf fauna that did not consist of only grain, corn, soybeans, and cows:









The trail reminds us of the Gainesville-Hawthorne trail that we have enjoyed so often back home. The subtle grade of the road, the dense wildlife, and enjoyable, quiet biking could almost trick us into thinking that we were in Florida!

We were planning on biking to the city of Sedalia, MO to camp for the night as we saw on the map that there was a campground there. A few miles short of this destination we ran into two other cross-country cyclists, Stephen and Eric, and spent some time talking with them. The two of them met up on the Katy Trail, one was bringing next to nothing with him on his trip while the other had brought just about everything imagineable for a two year journey ( http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/search/?query=Nordlund&type=all ). Stephen was the first person we have talked to going cross-country riding on a recumbant (sp) bike. He had a pretty neat setup and the bike combined the advantages of having both a trailer and panniers.

After chatting the sun was gettting pretty low in the sky and we ran across the Clover Dell Park. There was a lake and a picinic table just off the trail and secluded by some trees. We decided that this would be a perfect place to camp for the night. We enjoyed a Mountain House meal of Lasagna and called it a night. We had not traveled very far on the Katy trail, only 37 miles, but we were off to a great start!

In addition to the trail itself, the increasing humidity has also reminded us of Florida (and made camping a bit more difficult). Gone are the days when everything dries instantly. It was quite nice in California, Arizona, and Colorado when by the time you finished dinner all of the sweat on your skin would be gone. Now we sit and get continuously drenched by the thick, humid air. It is just another change that we have experienced while going cross country. Every place that we visit, and surely every state, is very different and keeps things from getting boring.




As we watched the sun set we reflected on our trip. As of tonight we have gone over 2,000 miles! 2,006 to be exact! Wow! We have been through a lot since those first days in California, and that first ride through San Diego. We have already been gone for 50 days! Excluding our days off, we have averaged a little over 50 miles a day. Since Pueblo, CO we have averaged around 71 miles per biking day.

We thought we would make a list of encouraging things people have done for us along the way:

Energetic waving
Honking horns
Thumbs up
The famous Kansas one-fingered wave (pointer finger, not middle)
"Your Crazy" shouted out of car windows (with thumbs up!)
"Your Crazy" shouted out of car windows (without the thumbs, not sure if that was supposed to be encouraging or not)
Cow-bells (rung out of a sunroof while riding through Arizona)
Semi-Trucks that give us lots of room (and make sure that other cars do too!)
Escorted through a work zone by our own personal pilot car
Cheers with a cup of coffee by a driver
Saluted
Phone numbers were given in case we encountered trouble in the area
Free hotel room in McPhearson, KS
Camping in parks and the free pool in KS
Fireworks and free ice cream in Tribune, KS for the 4th of July
Hospitality in Cortez, CO from Keith
S'mores from families that we met in the Grand Canyon
Burgers and beers from Upegui family at Lake Powell
Lots of good lucks
Many nice people to talk with along the way :)

Location:Clinton, MO to Sedala, MO