The travels of the Rambling Roses: May 2...bicycling from Sedalia, MO to Tebbetts, MO via the Katy Trail

102.48 miles in 9:29...ascent...889 ft....descent 1148 ft.....average speed...10.8 mph...max speed 19.8...total trip miles...1496.1....total ascent...32,002 ft....average trip mileage...74.8 miles per ride.

It took me three miles of backtracking to get back on the trail, but once I got going, I rode through the outskirts of Sedalia, a town of 21,000 or so whose claim to fame is that it's the home of the Missouri State Fair, and it's the home of ragtime pianist Scott Joplin. The best stop I made all day was at the bike shop which is in the MKT (Missouri, Kansas, Texas) train depot. Both my tires were low on pressure, and I could really tell the difference once they were filled, especially packing baggage. I rode about thirty miles until I came to my first town, where I was glad to get off the trail and refill ice, and grab a ham and cheese sandwich for lunch. Then it was off to Boonville, where the trail goes up a hill to US 40, and crosses the huge, Missouri River. When I saw US40 and Interstate 70 in Booneville, it hit home that this will basically be the roads that I am taking the rest of the way home, so it seemed to be a milestone in the trip. I didn't stay on 40 long however, and I didn't stay right next to the river like I expected. There is a long stretch of farmland before I see the river again twenty miles downstream in Rocheport. Even though use of the trail picked up after Booneville, things really started hopping in Rocheport, and the scenery got much more interesting. This is where I picked up the huge 300 ft bluffs that the trail would hug for the rest of today's journey. There were trail side parks filled with people, since it's Saturday, and the reason was a Trail Ride for the Cure that I missed out out on, because everyone was in the tents, with food, drink, and live bands. I'm glad I missed the traffic jam of the ride portion. There was constant activity for the next thirty miles, as the trail passes within 9 miles of Columbia, the home of the University of Missouri. There were several campgrounds on the river, and there were many restaurant/ bar type places for trail users to use. The river appeared and disappeared several times, but the bluffs on my left never did. It's a misnomer to say that the trail follows the river, because it doesn't always. The trail hugs the bluffs.

There was lots of wildlife to see, including at least five turtles crossing the trail, frogs, salamanders, millions of squirrels and rabbits, blue jays, cardinals, goldfinches, and one Missouri coed who had Mountaineers shorts on, so I rode with her for a while, and taught her the Lets Go......Mountaineers cheer. If she's gonna rock the colors, she should know something about what they mean.

The next highlight of the trip was looking across the river and seeing the Missouri state capital building in Jefferson City, even though the trail didn't go through the city at all. Thirteen miles downstream, just before dark, I finally came to the hostel where I spent the night. I had the place to myself, even though it bunked about 30 people on two floors. There was a full kitchen with a stocked refrigerator, shower with towels, and all the comforts of home. The funny thing was that the key to the place was hanging on the telephone pole outside the door. There was a little bar and restaurant right next door that stayed open late, so I had pizza and a beer or two to reload my carbohydrates before falling into bed, exhausted from a long days ride.