Katy Trail, Missouri - Sedalia-Columbia-Hermann-St. Charles July 5th-7th, 2010

weisan · #1 07-08-2010, 11:16 PM

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weisan · #2 07-08-2010, 11:17 PM

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weisan · #3 07-08-2010, 11:18 PM

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Louis · #4 07-08-2010, 11:46 PM

Neat route. Now if only they would pave it...

weisan · #5 07-09-2010, 06:19 AM

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97CSI · #6 07-09-2010, 06:46 AM

Nice ride! What tires did you use?

kgrooney · #7 07-09-2010, 06:58 AM

Nice pics. I went to school @ Mizzou.

weisan · #8 07-09-2010, 07:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 97CSI

Nice ride! What tires did you use?

Thanks 97-pal.

32mm Pasela - cheap and just the right size for the job. Started the ride at about 300 miles prior usage, then rode 235 miles on this ride encountering gravel, rocks, mud, asphalt, flooded tunnels, overflowing creeks, flash floods, weeds, fallen tree branches, twigs, frogs, squirrels, grasshoppers, bluebirds, rabbits...zero flats, performed flawlessly.

William · #9 07-09-2010, 07:04 AM

Great shots Weisan-pal!! Thank you for sharing with us.

William

Joellogicman · #10 07-09-2010, 07:31 AM

Really respect your doing the KATY in July. The heat and humidity up here in the Chicago area have really limited my riding.

I have to take the Amtrak down to St. Lou and find the trail some September. Looks like a lot of fun.

michael white · #11 07-09-2010, 08:59 AM

love the photos! I grew up in Columbia, went to MU and used to ride the Katy a lot. You really made me homesick, and I want to come back and do it on a bike like yours.

The grand vistas in the river bottoms haunt me to this day.

How did you get yourself and gear to Sedalia? Just wondering, what is protocol if somebody flies into St. Louis with a bike.

thanks,
mw

weisan · #12 07-09-2010, 09:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by William

Great shots Weisan-pal!! Thank you for sharing with us.

William

My pleasure, william-pal.

The first two days were epic. About 10 miles from Columbia on the spur, we were hit by torrential rain which quickly flooded all the underground tunnels and creeks, we have to make detours around highway and broken bridges etc...water was rushing past us on both sides, they were going at such rate and formiddable force, we thought surely we will be washed away. but we survived till we get into town of Columbia where the streets were flooded too.

And then on the second day, somewhere between Easley and Hartsburg, we got into a muddy section where so much crud accumulated on the wheels that they stopped turning.

Wish I had taken pictures of those epic moments, but I am not ready to risk damaging my camera for the rest of the trip. This is what I used on this trip and the Blue Ride Parkway, pretty solid performer packed into a small little package.

Hermann is a pretty town, we got in late (8:30pm), most businesses have already closed, had to buy dinner from a convenient store - pizzas, hot N spicy cheetos, frozen chicken salad sandwich, down with Nesquirk chocolate milk.

Meeting people along the way has got to be the highlight for us. Ken, the older cyclist on the Cannondale touring bike started from Oregon and has already covered 2,300 miles by the time we met him. The young hispanic kids, age 4-6, rode ten miles on the trail with their grandma that morning. Rave and Linda, the last couple we met before we got to St Charles, talked to us about his experience kayaking down the Missouri River. My partner Jimmy and I met up with our families at the finish and had ice-cream to celebrate the completion of our three-day trek. After what happened on the first two days, the last day is just a walk in the park, a bit of drizzle in the morning and then it's home stretch all the way. We covered about 70-80 miles every day at an average pace of 12-14 mph which is comfortable and sustainable, slow enough to carry a looooong conversation, which is just what we want in terms of fellowship time. Again, the Taylor performed flawlessly. It has opened its account with the mandatory bruises, scrapes, and deep gorges.

weisan · #13 07-09-2010, 09:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by michael white

lHow did you get yourself and gear to Sedalia? Just wondering, what is protocol if somebody flies into St. Louis with a bike.

thanks,
mw

mw-pal, I lived in St. Louis. I just rode from my apt to Kirkwood train station (6 miles) and took the train there. I won't advise riding from the airport to Kirkwood, but I am sure it's doable with some backroads which I am not aware of. On the train, there have limited stowaway spaces for bikes, you just pay an extra $10 on top of the regular passenger fare. (with AAA membership, I paid a total of $57)

dixiesdad · #14 07-09-2010, 09:56 AM

very nice pics. I rode the Katy trail maybe 10 years ago and thought several times a couple of elfs may appear due to the thick forest and especially near the tunnels. My only issue was the number of snakes along the way, not the wall street wholesaler type, but the reptile kind. Originally from KC, this brought back fond humid memories.... thanks for sharing.

ahumblecycler · #15 07-09-2010, 10:28 AM

It is easier to fly into KC and ride to the start of the Katy Trail.

@weisan

I am glad the weather held up for you ... Mother Nature was smiling at you and giving me the evil grin over those days. I have to say I will gladly take the rain to give someone a good ride across MO's beautiful countryside (and some cities too).