Mood:  not sure

I needed an early start today if I was going to make up for the lesser miles ridden yesterday.  So after arising at 5 AM, and doing devotions, I packed up and had the hotel courtesy van take me back to the North Jefferson trailhead.  I sent a couple of emails, ate a PB&J tortilla, and started riding at 6:20 AM.  The skies were covered with clouds, but the TV weatherman, a trustworthy looking individual, said there was zero probablity of rain this day.  As a vote of confidence, I splashed on my last sunscreen.

The Trail seemed to have rebounded from the heavy rains of yesterday and I seemed to be able to sustain a 10-11 mph pace.  At this rate I should arrive at my intended destination, Augusta, in the late afternoon.

Something was missing.  What is it?  I know.  The birds are not singing like they did the last two mornings, even in the rain.  Maybe they are waterlogged (I would understand).  Maybe they were on strike.  But it was unusual. 

A doe was grazing beside the trail as I approached.  It stared (it was probably thinking "What a cool looking bike!) before realizing that I was getting too close for comfort.  It said something because then two fawns lifted their heads, and all three disappeared into the brush.

Since leaving Boonville yesterday, the Trail followed the Missouri River, and would continue to do so until reaching the eastern terminus at St. Charles.  However, the big difference since Boonville yesterday, was that the trail was almost completely flat.  For the last 165 miles, there was maybe 10-15 miles with a slight grade.  The rest was level.  What this meant when the railroad was running is that the tracks were often flooded to one degree or another.  There was a large rock next to the trail where the high flood levels were marked on the rock.  At one point, during a major flood, almost all of the last 165 miles were under 6" to 6' of water.

After a couple of hours, I needed to find some more food, and Teppets fit the bill.  This little town had a small grocery in a single wide mobile home.  It actually was much nicer than it sounds.  I ate three sweet rolls, drank a bottle of milk, gulped down some coffee, then headed out again.

Lunch time came in the town of Rhineland.  It was a bar/grill.  Their special was fried chicken which I ordered.  The TV above the bar was on the Food Channel and a table of ladies were listening intently to the host.  Maybe the actual cook at this place should have spent some time watching the program because, hungry as I was, dried fried chicken is hard to eat.  The ladies left and a crew of men took their table.  They either liked Rachel Raye, or whatever she was cooking, or else she was more interesting than each other, because they paid closer attention to her than the women had.

Slowly but surely the miles passed by.  The River provided some stunning views.  During one break, I started calling to find lodging in Augusta.  In the Katy Trail Handbook that I had absconded from Brent Hunter, all the lodging seemed to be Bed and Breakfasts.

My first call was somewhat disturbing when the pricing was in the $120 and up range.  I said that I was not looking for an experience, I was looking for a place to sleep and shower.  She dropped the price to $100.  Still way too much.  I kept calling, and called every B&B.  One lady offered her $135 room for $85.  I accepted.  Having stayed at many places, I had never paid that much, but a deal is a deal.

The irony is that even though I was the only guest, and even though the owner would have received nothing had we not agreed on $85, she did not act as a gracious hostess.  Instead she acted begrudging about my presence.  For example, upon finding out that they were rising much later than I in the morning, I asked if they could get the coffee pot ready so that I could just hit the power button in the morning for some coffee.  She thought about it for a bit then said "Well, I guess I could" as if it were quite a concession.  I asked if I could do a little laundry.  Same response.  I gladly paid $5 for the service.  In the morning I was chatting with her husband until she came in the kitchen, then she asked me to go to the dining room table and wait for my food.  Oh well.

Tomorrow I will be riding into St. Louis.  First I had to ride to the Katy Trail trailhead in St. Charles, then meet up with Diana Oleskevich for lunch.   Then she would lead me back to she and her husband's house.  The weather today was great-not too hot-temperatures in the mid-80's.  Tomorrow was suposed to be cloudy.  It might rain on Friday when I was leaving St. Louis.

Will McMahan