114 miles. 110 of it on an unpaved road.
Jefferson City was blanketed by thick fog when I rolled down the hill toward the river. All the same folks driving home from work in a hurry yesterday were back and going my way again. Yikes! Thankfully it was a short 4 miles to get to the bridge and the start of my day on the Katy Trail.
Good morning Jefferson City!
Until yesterday I'd never ridden the bike more than 10 miles on a gravel road...let alone 110 miles. Yesterday's 60 mile test run was positive so off I went. I quickly learned not to expect my normal pace of 15-16 mph (it wore me down a bit yesterday) and throttled back to 14 mph...a nice relaxing pace.
8 hours on the same road might sound mind numbing but it was an amazing and unique day. Nothing like I've had before. Constant beautiful scenery drifted past. Wildlife everywhere and most of the trail is far from any roads. About every 15 miles a little hamlet would appear. At first they were mostly abandoned but as I got nearer to St. Charles the small communities began to seem more lively and near the end they were downright charming. These communities were built around the railroad but when the R/R abandoned the line in the 1980s there was no more commerce. The small towns closer to the city figured out a new way to make money...cyclists.
The Katy Trail is a sort of crossroads for cross-country cyclists riding along established coast-to-coast bike routes (yes, that's a thing) and it was super fun to talk to other folks riding to/from L.A., Seattle, Chicago, D.C.... We shared fun adventure stories at many of the tiny towns' bike shelter/mini train depot that seems to be the default resting spot.
I'm bad at eating. (Those of you who know me will find that hard to believe). I don't want to stop and take the time to order food and eat it but on days like today it always bites me in the butt near the end. Today I made a point of grabbing a sandwich or an ice cream or a "pop" every hour. It worked! Imagine that. If you still have to pee at mile 105 you've done something right that day.
Staying in St Charles tonight, near St Louis. St Charles is really nice with the brick downtown and fancy restaurants. I would imagine an expensive place to live.
Tomorrow we say goodby to the Katy Trail...I think there's another 10 miles to go...and also to Missouri, to cross the Mississippi River and explore southern Illinois for the day.
Looks like a beautiful day on the bike and I'm glad you have some energy again. I always tell you to pack snacks! Love the pictures and stories, Helps me fee like I'm with you. Xoxo
ReplyDeleteYou're amazing! Can't imagine biking so far, let alone on gravel. Was the turtle really crossing the road when you biked by? :)
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