Good For You
Mood:  happy
So I guess your knee is better.  Last I remember you were going to bike to Oregon with your grandson but had to cancel due to an injury.  This trip is lots further than Oregon.  Continued good luck and happy traveling, Connie

Day 63-Sunday, July 27
Mood:  accident prone
Now Playing: Wow! This is great! Crash (#3)

What a great night's sleep!  As I got up, the left leg felt fine.  A little tender with lateral movement, but there is no lateral movement on a bicycle.  Jack was already up, so we ventured down to Rudy's Cafe for a large breakfast.

Since all church services were late in the morning, we decided to leave early.  I would attend a service in the evening after Jack left.  The lodging facilities in this neck of the woods is scant.  No motels, but one can camp in the Sebree city park (no bathrooms), or stay in the Baptist Church (kind of a hostel-type of situation), which would work well for me if they were still allowing bicyclers to stay.

After packing stuff up, and re-depositing it in Jack's car, I took off down the road.  Jack had a little shopping to do. 

Up ahead loomed the high but narrow bridge over the Ohio River.  As I approached it, it still looked narrow, but, for some reason, not as steep as it appeared yesterday from the car.  I started over it.  I don't know why, but it seemed easy.  I was in my low range chain ring fully expecting to have difficulty climbing, and never went below 7th gear (on the mountain passes I would be in 2nd or 3rd gear).  It must have been the lack of weight.  There was no traffic on the bridge except Jack and one other car. 

I'm in Kentucky!  Only two more states to go! 

Most people don't know this, because most bibles have deleted this scripture, but in the book of Genesis (I think in the second chapter) God made a pact with Adam.  He said "Adam, I am going to make a beautiful area which I will call Kentucky.  It will be an exceedingly beautiful area.  However, I will also make it hilly with lousy cell phone coverage.  Don't worry about what this means, Adam, future generations will understand."

Suddenly, just like yesterday, I was flying.  In Morgantown, before 9 AM, we had breakfast #2.  Still rolling well, we had a nice break under a shady tree in a cemetery.  The double cheeseburger was still warm.  I was feeling strong.  The leg was responding as if nothing had happened yesterday.  It looked like we were going to get into Sebree way before noon.

So we took out the maps, and reset our goal for a town called Owensboro, KY.  It had a population of 54,000.  There should be motels all over the place.  It had a bike shop so I could have it checked out.  It would likely also have other amenities so that I could have a rest day.  It had been Manhattan since I had rested, a long 9 days earlier.  I had been averaging close to 70 miles/day in all sorts of hot/rainy/humid weather.  A day of rest sounded good, I would have a chance to catch up on this journal.

Jack went ahead into town to scout out motels.  I was pleased with the rapidity of the day because Jack had a long drive back to Bloomington, Minnesota, and if he could get partway back today, then he should have no trouble getting home Monday evening as he wished. 

He returned to report that he only saw a Holiday Inn Express.  They were a little pricier than I liked but it might be worth it.  It cost $76 last time.  I rode in, and entered the lobby.  Yes they had a room available.  Only $130.  Why so much, I asked?  "There is a national tournament of 144 teams for Girls 16 and under Fastpitch Softball this week."  Oh Lord!

I did some digging and found a cheaper room but timing is everything, and my timing was stinking in Owensboro.  Jack went ahead to meet me at the Ramada.  A quarter of a mile from the Ramada, I crashed again!  This one wasn't near as bad as yesterday, but the cause was similar.  Instead of a gap between the shoulder and the highway, this one's highway was raised about 1 1/2 inches higher than the shoulder.  Again, I didn't take enough of an angle in the transition, and I flipped over.  Three falls in four days!  I hope this is the last one!  It wasn't bad:  a few cuts and scrapes.  I rebumped the bruise on my left shin.

I didn't say a word about it to Jack, but I am sure he was wondering where the fresh blood on my arms and legs came from.  Jack doesn't miss much.

I hated to see him go.  He had been so instrumental in making the last two days so pleasant.  Not just the riding:  he is smart, fun and funny.  A good traveling companion--but now he needed to get home.

Tomorrow will be a day of rest, sightseeing, and hopefully, bicycle rehabilitation.  In a couple of days I hope to hook up with another fraternity brother of mine, W.T. Wrege.  W.T. is the only person I know that is smart enough to be a professor of accounting in college, yet has trouble punching in a code to get a security gate to open.  He really is delightful and funny.  I look forward to seeing him again.  We will be touring Mammoth Caves together.

Will McMahan

Day 62-Saturday, July 26th
Mood:  a-ok
Now Playing: I'M FREE! I

Today began a little differently than normal because Karen's cousin, Jack Ingersol, was here. He would be accompanying me in a support vehicle for two days before starting his return to Minnesota.  I had a mixture of feelings:  I really like Jack and looked forward to seeing him, but it was slightly disconcerting, after having been totally independant, to have someone else there, another dynamic.  I felt funny waking him a little after 6 AM, not sure if he would feel it too early or too late.   In light of his yeoman's drive yesterday, I hoped that he would not be disappointed in his time here.

We started off with a large breakfast at The Cracker Barrel across the street.  It took awhile to get packed.  I also thought it an opportune time oil the bicycle chain.  Recumbents have a very long chain, over 10', and with all the water that I endured over the last several days, it seemed a wise thing to oil it.  Jack had suggested that he carry all of my gear, and that seemed like a good idea although I didn't think it would make that big of a difference.  We left around 8:30 A.M. 

Our destination was Shawneetown, a small town close to the Ohio River, and a short hop from Kentucky.  The distance was going to be around 66-68 miles, something I should be able to accomplish without too much trouble, even with the late start.

Jack adapted quickly to the routine.  He would go out about 5 miles and wait for me to approach.   If everything was okay, I would give him a "thumbs up", and continue on.  He would then pass me and go further up the road.  It helped that he had a neat GPS which he used to calculate distances to future stops, etc., but especially for finding a town in which to eat.

It quickly became apparent that, even though I was carrying a small pannier, the bike was going several miles per hour faster since Jack had the rest of the gear.  In fact I hadn't averaged these speeds the whole trip.   It made me wonder why, when Karen supported me for two days, we left most of the gear on the bike.  It took someone intelligent, like Jack, to point it out, I guess.

Later in the morning, we ate at the Dairy Queen.  Earlier it looked like it might rain, but now the sun was breaking out, so I had to replenish my sun screen (50 block).

This ride became very liberating!  Going easily up the inclines, and faster on the level, I felt a new freedom that I hadn't had before.  A person could cover territory a lot quicker without carrying an additional 50 pounds of weight.

Jack had a cooler filled with ice, in which he stored bottled water.  Ahhh.  What a relief as the temperatures creeped upward.  He also picked up a roast beef sandwich for me, and gave it to me in a nice shady spot up the road.

It became clear that we were going to arrive in Shawneetown early, so Jack went ahead to secure some motel rooms for us.  He met me 8 miles out of town, informing me that he had them ready, and then he returned to Shawneetown to wait for me.  It wouldn't take long.  Or so I thought.

I was riding on a two lane highway, on the shoulder.  It was a crappy shoulder, pitted and gravelly, so I moved over to ride on the smooth pavement.  Unfortunately, there was a gap between the shoulder and highway.  My front tire dropped into the gap, and before I know what was happening I was body slammed into the concrete.  (So much for not having any more crashes.)  This was a hard crash, full of potential for injury, and I was immediately sore.  Moving slowly, as traffic eased by, I lifted my head, then shoulders and arms.  I was successful in extricating my left leg from under the bike, and it was able to bear some weight, a good sign.  Lifting the bike upright, I looked behind me, and a pickup truck with an older couple inside was stopped 30 feet behind me, blocking all traffic from getting too close.  I limped back to them.  They were obviously concerned if I was okay, and offered to carry me and the bicycle into town. 

A trip of this type creates a certain amount of self sufficiency, but hopefully not stupidity.  I wasn't about to take a lift if the bike was okay, and if I was capable of riding.  On the other hand, if either of those two items were not okay, then, in a heartbeat, I would take them up on their offer.  I asked for them to please wait to see if I could ride.  If I could, then I would wave, indicating that I was okay, and they could dive on into town.  I was able to ride fine.

I arrived at the motel with Jack not the wiser until I told him about the mishap.  My left leg was gimpy, and a knot was starting to form at the top of the shin.  Jack pulled out his ice chest, we wrapped ice in a towel, then let it rest on the knot.  When Jack went to his room, I took the time to call Karen and give her a "heads up" (I don't ever want for her to learn about this sort of thing from my journal) then I showered and reapplied the ice pack.  I was feeling better already.

Jack suggested that we drive into Old Shawneetown, the original settlement.  He also wanted to show me the bridge that I would have to traverse in the morning.  It looked very daunting and very narrow.  Hopefully traffic on Sunday morning would be light.

My intended destination tomorrow was to be Dixon, KY, and I had calculated 60+ miles, but, for the first time, I had overestimated the mileage.  It was going to be less than fifty.  Having the time, we drove there.  Once there, we realized that it was shorter still, so we went to the next town, Sebree.  It was still only 37 miles.  Very hilly miles, but only 37.  I have to admit:  seeing all of the hills, after riding on the level, was a bit disappointing.

After dinner at Rudy's Cafe, we returned to our rooms, having discussed plans for tomorrow.  Jack had been transformed, in my mind, from a helper, to an extremely valuable aide.  His help was incalcuable.

The knot had disappeared under the ice pack.  In my only other bad crash, a few years back, I was hurt pretty good and could hardly walk, but ironically, once on the bike, I could pedal fine.  Maybe tomorrow would be like that.  I wasn't hurting near as bad this time.

I fell into a deep sleep at 8:30 PM, wondering what the morning would bring.  Would the leg hold up?  Just how dangerous was the bridge?  Would I be able to sustain the hills?  Would I even be able to ride at all? 

Will McMahan

 

 

Day 61-Friday, July 25th
Mood:  a-ok
Now Playing: I can't believe that I am in Illinois

As predicted, we all arose early. We had breakfast, loaded the bikes and were on the street by 7:30 AM.

I don't know what I expected at this point, but it sure wasn't what I saw.  Downtown St. Louis was wonderful!  The architecture was neat!  As I stopped at a stop light in front of Busch Stadium I listened to a tape of Hank Aaron getting a hit.  Seeing St. Louis made me want to come back again for a longer visit. 

There is a bike/pedestrian walkway on one side of the bridge.  It was a little narrow, and when I yelled "Wide Load coming" at two walkers, they had to sqeeze themselves to the wall to give me room.  Jim and Diana led me to almost the halfway point over the Mississippi River, then we took commemorative photos, said our farewells and parted.  They were a wonderful host and hostess.

It was going to be a long day today if I rode all the way to Mt. Vernon, Illinois.  It was about 85 miles, not a distance that I was excited about, but I was excited about meeting up with Karen's cousin, Jack Ingersol. 

Jack, a retired commercial airplane pilot, had been following my trip through my journal, and he decided that he would like to be a small part of it.  So, leaving his home in Bloomington, MN, he drove all the way to Mt. Vernon, IL.  He will drive along my route as a support vehicle, carrying my gear, scouting out good eats, providing cold water and treats for breaks, and just being good company.  He will start his return to Minnesota late Sunday afternoon.  You just can't imagine how grateful I am for his driving all of the way down here.

There is one highway that starts just after the Eads Bridge, and goes all the way to Mt. Vernon.  As long as I watched the highway signs, it would be hard to get lost (though past experience has determined that a certain amount of awareness is helpful).  Around 9 AM I found a Denny's, and had breakfast #2.  Lunch, around 2:15 PM, was in Nashville.  Yes, weight is slowly starting to come back on.

I was expecting very hilly country in southern Illinois, and was pleased to find it relatively level.  Southern Indiana has much hillier terrain than this, but I am grateful for the difference.  The hills will come soon, certainly in Kentucky.  This terrain reminds me of northern Indiana, where I was born and raised.  Lush fertile soil.  Corn well over 8' high.  It is a gorgeous sight.

Finally, I entered the Mt. Vernon city limits.  I got here before Jack.  My odometer confirmed that I had traveled 85 miles.  Since several interstate highways bisect this town, there were lots of housing options.  We got adjoining rooms at the Quality Inn.  My motel choices seemed to have gotten a little classier (This is a relative term.  Those that have been following my journal know that I know motels in low places) but I'm sure that will change once I am in rural Kentucky. 

Tomorrow, we will set off early for Shawneetown.  It is a small town close to the Kentucky state line (I guess it's also the Illinois state line).  Isn't it interesting that I can traverse Illinois in two days.  Kentucky will take well over a week.

Will McMahan

Day 60-Thursday, July 24th
Mood:  a-ok
Now Playing: What a nice safe bike trail....Crash!

I had made arrangements with the owners of this Bed and Breakfast to have breakfast at 8 AM, quite late for me, but typical for B&Bs.  This gave me a chance to sleep in, which I took advantage of, arising at 5:45 AM.

By the time other bodies were stirring, I had two cups of coffee, and was packed and ready to go.  I tried to figure if I was just imagining the disdainful attitude of the owners.  The breakfast was good and sufficient for my needs.  I loaded the panniers on the bike.  Since the sky was overcast, the weatherman notwithstanding, I put rain covers over the panniers. 

I called Diana Oleskevich.  She was going to ride her bike out to St. Charles from St. Louis.  Since the distance for her was about the same as mine, we would try to synchronize our departure times.  So far everything seemed to be working as if we knew what we were doing.

The ride started smoothly.  The temperature was mild because of the overcast. Then it started to rain.  Lightly at first, then harder--sort of a decent Puget Sound rain.  My rain jacket still hasn't figured out that it is supposed to repel the water, and soon I was soaked to the skin.  The miles started going by as the legs kept churning.

Trouble started about 12 miles out from St. Charles.  Somehow, I got some sunscreen into my left eye.  Since I hadn't put any on today, it must have been some on my forehead that I had not washed off.  It stung like the dickens, and I resigned myself to having my left eye closed until St. Charles.  Then my right eye started having the same problem, but not as bad.  Finally, when I could not keep my right eye open either, I stopped, found a cloth and wiped my eyes.  It worked for about 5 seconds on my left eye but the right seemed okay, so off I went.  Every mile or so, I had to repeat this.  When it happened a fourth time, I discovered that the cloth had fallen out of my pocket, so I used my wet shirt under the rain jacket.  I swear that this 12 mile stretch was one of the most miserable times during my whole trip so far.  When I got to the restaurant, I could hardly see the sign for the restrooms.  Once there, I washed and rinsed my face and head thoroughly.   Air conditioning isn't nearly so pleasant when your soaked, I discovered.

Diana arrived.  We had a nice lunch then took off for St. Louis.  The route was a conglomeration of bike trails, and roads through subdivisions and industrial parks, and city streets.  At one point I was thinking "What a nice, pleasant bike trail!  Paved.  Scenic...".  About that time I cut a corner too closely and my front tire slid off the trail, tipping my bike over and I with it.  Note to self:  "If you are going to fall, try to do it gracefully next time".  No damage, except for a couple of road rashes and, of course, my pride.  It was the first fall I have had this entire trip.  Hopefully my last.

When we got to the Oleskevich's house, I had clocked in 55 miles.  Still wet.  Both Jim and Diana had commitments, so I took the opportunity to eat, shower and do laundry.  When they came home we had a delightful evening talking about our ride.  I wonder if Diana pushed me off the trail, out of jealousy of my bike?  Hmm.  Not.

Tomorrow both Jim and Diana will escort me to the downtown bridge that will take me across the Mississippi River into Illinois.  We will be getting up early, have an early breakfast, then head out.

Will McMahan

Day 59-Wednesday, July 23rd
Mood:  not sure
Now Playing: You want how much?

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

Day 58-Tuesday, July 22nd
Mood:  a-ok
Now Playing: Rain, rain and more rain.

The weather forecast was absolutely incorrect!  It called for scattered thunderstorms, and they were not scattered.  Instead they were all directly over me all morning and part of the afternoon.  Believe it or not, it rained four inches.   That's right, four inches.

I awoke early and prepared to get an early start.  There were few accommodations in the distance that I wanted to accomplish, 80 miles more or less.  So I needed to get going.  By 6:30 AM, I was on the Trail.  There was evidence that it had rained during the night, but it had mostly dried up.  Nonetheless, I had put rain covers over the panniers before leaving.  In addition, I put my rain jacket and rain pants in an easily accessible pocket for quick use.  The skies were dark, but one never knows if it will rain or not, so I kept rolling. 

About 15 minutes after leaving a light rain started to fall.  The drops increased in size.  At one point they even started to sting when they hit me, but this only lasted 15-30 seconds, then the drops decreased in size while increasing in intensity.  I donned my jacket.

I'm not sure why they call it a rain jacket.  I thought that it meant that it was supposed to keep the rain out.  But I suspect that this jacket thinks it means that it is supposed to let the rain in.  Within forty five minutes of starting, I was completely and irrevocably soaked for the day, even though the rain was not a terribly hard one.

Although I had a good breakfast before leaving, it soon came time for breakfast #2.  I kept watch for a restaurant (there just aren't that many around) and, lo and behold, I came across Lucy's Beverage and Burgers.  Lots of cars in front, a good sign at that time of the morning that they are serving food.  I put in an order for a big breakfast.  I would need it today.

As I was eating, the television above the bar had a special weather alert.  It showed this incredibly violent rain and wind storm in Columbia, Missouri.  I thought to myself "I just passed the trailhead to Columbia about two miles back."  Which made me look outside.  It looked distubingly similar to the television.  I could barely see the other side of the road through the rain.  Hmm.  Maybe I'll have another cup of coffee.  Other customers would wander up front to look out the windows, shake their heads, then head back to their tables.

This was looking bad in terms of me being able to get in my 80 miles.  The trail wetness slowed the bike a bit as well as created the occasional fishtail. 

Finally, the rain had reduced itself to a level I was familiar with, a Puget Sound rain (the kind where you need an umbrella or rain coat.), not too hard but steady, and definitely rideable.  Even though the temperature was in the 70's, I was cold at first, shivering pretty good for the five minutes.  The second five minutes were better, and from that point forth, I was warm but wet.

Even though I felt more like I was slogging along instead of pedalling, I was making progress.  Things would have to improve, however, if I was going to make 80 miles.  That is when I reached the part of the Trail which was under water for as far as I could see.  Now what the heck do I do?  I wasn't going to wade through it for a number of reasons, not the least of which is it would soak much of my gear.

So I turned around and rode back the way I came about one half mile until I came to a little used farm implement road that crossed the Trail and connected to a gravel farm road about 150' to the south.  The road, used by farmers to get into their fields looked to parallel the Katy Trail for some distance.  If this kept up, perhaps there would be another farm implement road that would cross back.  Between the Trail and this road was deep water.  Sure enough, about a mile down this road was a very little used road that could get me and the bike back onto the Trail without too much trouble.

The Trail was starting to be a little worse for wear because of the rain storm.  Tree branches and an occasional tree had fallen onto the Trail, blocking it in several circumstances.  I got off the bike and cleared one obstacle.  As I looked up, there, down the Trail a quarter mile, were headlights.  Not sure what this was about, I headed that direction.   The headlights belonged to the Missouri State Park Department, and they were clearing the Trail of felled trees.  Not sure why they sat there and watched me instead of helping, but it was nice to see that they were responding to the rain.

One surprise, besides the omnipresent bird calls (in the rain?), was the frequent interpretive boards discussing various aspects of the Lewis and Clark Expedition.  I had forgotten!  Lewis and Clark went up the Missouri (they were to try to find the source as well as many other things.)  It was fascinating to stand on the very spots where they had camped.  There was one of the caves that they discovered right there beside the Trail.  Signs asked that it not be entered because the species of bats inside were endangered.

Because of the delay during the previous deluge, the slow progress on the wet Trail, and the flooded portion that I had to bypass, I clearly was not going to put in the miles today that I had hoped for.  After 50 miles, I arrived at North Jefferson, which is on the north side of the Missouri River from Jefferson City, Missouri's capitol.  This may sound like I was in suburbia, but it was a very rural area.  Crossing the bridge into Jefferson City was not an exciting prospect.  I found a phone number for a hotel in town, and they had a shuttle van.  Within 20 minutes they had arrived, loaded up the bike, the gear and myself, and we headed to the hotel.  The only duties remaining were showering and eating.  I was starved.

Tomorrow, according to the weather forecasters, is supposed to be clear and warmer, but not in the 90's.  With an early start, I might be able to make it to Augusta, which had a bunch of B&Bs.  It was 78 miles away.  We'll see what tomorrow brings.

Will McMahan

Day 57-Monday, July 21st
Mood:  a-ok
Now Playing: So this is the Katy Trail!

I had never heard of the Katy Trail until two friends, Brent and Linda Hunter, spent a week last year riding it.  It has a certain mystique, but the biggest thing in its favor, in my mind, is the fact that it is 225 miles long.  Although drivers have been ultra-courteous, not having to deal with them for a few days is something to look forward to.  One other big advantage is that railroads try to not have their grade (angle of incline/decline) not exceed 2%.  Thus, for a short time anyway, I won't have those steep hills to climb.   Likewise I won't have steep hills to descend, but that is a tradoff that I can comfortably live with.

This was going to be another scorcher, so I listened to Karen's advice and started early.  By 7 AM, having re-conquered the Country Kitchen Restaurant, I went to the Trailhead.  Normally I have a good sense of direction but it was lacking this morning.  When I got to the trail, it went both directions.  I was sure that to the left was east, but the sun was rising from the other direction, so that the way I went.

Apparently, the Trail is mostly in use on weekends.  This day, it was quiet.  The railroad stopped running in 1986, and this gave trees plenty of time to grow alongside the railroad bed, forming a canopy.  Almost, at times, a tunnel.  For this day, at least, the countryside would be mostly obscured by the close vegetation.  But this is a birder's paradise.   Cardinals galore.  I heard them long before they became active.  There were some flycatchers on the powerline.  An unseen wren gurgled its bubbly call from a bush as I rode past.  A pileated woodpecker took flight.  A large brown bird took flight up the path.  The canopy kept it contained and it landed up a ways, then took off again as I neared.  At first I thought of a type of heron, but then thought it might be a great horned owl.  Still it was so big, it might have been some type of eagle.  I don't know.  But the birds were fun to watch the whole day.

By 9 AM, it was time to eat again.  I exited into a town called Windsor, and had my second breakfast of the day (got to get that weight back that I lost earlier).  It came to me that the real eye candy of this day was going to be the towns, not the Trail.  These towns were all small but in a good way.  they had character and were well maintained.  It was like a step back in time, and each town had its own history. 

In Sedalia I had lunch.  It seemed that I was drinking more than eating.  Probably a reaction to the heat, even though I didn't feel dehydrated.   Put a tall glass of iced tea in front of me, and it disappeared quickly.

If you have ever had the experience of driving a car, then hitting a some black ice, and have your car suddenly fishtail as you fight for control, you will identify with what happened today.  The trail itself is not paved.  It is finely crushed limestone, and is remarkably good to ride on.  Unfortunately, there was a short stretch, probably less than 100 feet, where some new limestone had been spread but not rolled.  When I rode into it, there was no traction and the bike suddenly started fishtailing as I fought for control.  I'm surprised that they didn't put up a warning sign.

When I was reading up on the Katy Trail, I gathered the impression that the railroad made these towns viable and that they died or were dying until the rail-trail was created.  This sort of thinking reminds me of the three blind men who each touched a different part of an elephant (the trunk, the tail and the side) and described the animal, all woefully wrong, based upon what they were touching.  My impression of these towns was equally wrong.  They were viable before the rail-trail was put in, and it is just a very minor part of the local economy.  As a side point, the Katy Trail is actually a Missouri Sate Park.  Probably one of its larger ones, even though it is narrow.

The question that needed answering is in what town would I stay tonight?  The Trail is 225 miles long, then I have another 25 miles with Diana Olesevich into St. Louis, and I have to complete it in four days.  Since I wanted to lessen the risk of being late to meet Diana on Thursday, it would need to be the shortest day.  Therefore today would need to be a longer day, depending on where the towns landed.  I decided to stay tonight in Boonville, a nice town 72 miles down the trail.  It is also where the Katy Trail meets, and will follow to its end, the Missouri River.  That leaves 153 miles to the eastern trailhead.  If I can 120-130 miles in the next two days, then that would leave only 23-33 miles left to the trailhead.

Of course, weather may have something to say about it.  The forecast for the next several days is scattered thunderstorms, so who knows what will happen.  All the more reason to do more miles earlier.  The cold front which is causing the weather changes will also drop the temperatures a bit.  Tomorrow's high will be 92 but the following two days will be in the low 80's.

Who knows what tomorrow will bring?  We will find out then, and respond accordingly. 

Will McMahan

Day 56-Sunday, July 20th
Mood:  hungry
Now Playing: Are we there yet?

Super 8 Motels have a breakfast of sorts, but is wasn't much:  cereal, juice and coffee. 

This being Sunday, I started down the road with the thought that the Lord would bring me to the church of His choice.  Today it was the Church of the Nazarene in Harrisonville.  I parked my bike out front and walked inside.  Two men were fiddling with a laptop computer, and I asked if it were okay to worship there today, dressed in my bright bicycle shirt and shorts?  Of course, they said.  The one young man was the pastor of the church.  As we compared notes, I mentioned that I was from Everett, Washington.  He was born and raised in Marysvile, Washington, a town a few miles north of Everett.  He had moved to Harrisonville five years ago.  Small world.

In every church I have visited, the congregation has been friendly and welcoming.  This group, however, raised the bar, and were the most engaging group that I have encountered during my travels.  The service was nice, and by 10:45 AM I was on the road.  I needed to eat.  A Burrito restaurant fit the bill.

For some reason, I just didn't have the energy today.  Maybe it was a carryover from the long day yesterday.  Maybe I hadn't eaten right.  Maybe it was the late start.  Probably it was all three.  But today's bicycling was work.  Of course, it was 96 degrees again, but I lacked stamina for some reason.  Nevertheless, I did arrive in Clinton.  I felt like there was a little child sitting on my shoulder saying over and over "Are we there yet?"

The road from Harrisonville to Clinton had an eight foot shoulder.  Some difference from Kansas.

It is funny how a shower makes all the difference in the world.  I was ready to conquer the world again.  I had to settle for conquering the Country Kitchen Restaurant.

Tomorrow would be the start of the Katy Trail.  On the fourth day, Thursday, I will meet Diana Oleskevich at the eastern trailhead, and follow her to their home in St. Louis.  Karen and I met Jim and Diana Oleskevich at a charity auction in Seattle two years ago.  They are avid bicyclers, so they were interested in my plans for this cross country trip.  They said that if I go through on the Katy Trail, they would like meet me on the Trial and escort me to their home.  So that is what will be happening.

Will McMahan

meet me in St. Louis?
  Hi Wil - hope to be able to connect with you in MO and ride a bit on your journey...your dates and ours don't look good to intersect if you plan to be in Clinton at start of KATY trail on the 22nd, that would put you in to STL on the 25th and that's the date we would be leaving...just have fun and relax and enjoy the trip - what happens will be just fine!  We biked this morning in light showers then plenty of humidity but not too much sunshine - whew!!  Diana and Jim