With the help of posts from the Fans of the KATY Trail group on Facebook , a plan for cycling a sampling of this renowned trail seemed foolproof. That is before Mother Nature intervened. Twice.
For months, I followed the KATY as enthusiastically as star-struck teens follow “the other Katy.” With its proximity to the the Missouri River, segments of our KATY can fall victim to spring flooding and/or rock slides. With such limited time in the state, I wanted to make sure that we didn’t hit any roadblocks, literal or figurative, when on the trail, so I chose our rides carefully. (Ok, wineries and good eats may have factored into the choices, too.)
What I’ve surmised–not a scientific discovery by any stretch of my hard-headed, helmeted imagination–is that trails that run through state parks are usually maintained very well. The KATY is no exception.
The KATY runs 240 miles on the abandoned Missouri-Kansas-Texas RR line and hugs the Missouri River much of the way. I was very impressed, but not really surprised, when our railroad aficionado son knew what “KATY” on the two-page Excel spreadsheet with our itinerary for the month related to. He didn’t comment on the rest of my close-to-OCD-level of detail, however. I guess that’s what engineering school does to you.)
St. Charles Westward
The trail’s “Fans” advise through-cyclists to bike the KATY from west to east because of the winds, but coming from the East Coast, that wasn’t a viable option for us. After a morning of driving from Indiana, the first order on our agenda upon arrival in St. Charles, was to get some lunch. (Machens is actually the easternmost terminus of the trail, but with no amenities at that trailhead often skipped by many cyclists–including us.)
The Bike Stop Cafe is either a bike shop within a cafe, or a cafe within a bike shop, but either way, there is ample parking, great food, and friendly people. The shop/cafe rents all types of bikes and runs shuttles for cyclists on the KATY–something that is still on my bucket list, but not so much on Bill’s, so . . .
So, in spite of meticulous planning, Mother Nature showed up as we headed west. We bike in rain–when forced to do so–but, at this stage in our lives, if we don’t have to, we don’t. Even on a road trip. So the first rumble of thunder a few miles out into the wide open farming terrain had us turning tail and heading back to the parking lot, black clouds chasing us all the way. However, not a drop of rain fell by the time we rounded the depot and park across from the Bike Stop Cafe. So, on to Plan B–see the town.
A stroll through Historic St. Charles with its Federal architecture and brick roads is a walk through antiquity, with Missouri’s native son Mark Twain in our ears. The KATY Trail State Park celebrates not only the town’s railroad history, but that of two of its most famous trailblazers, Lewis and Clark. There is so much to like about St. Charles, I wish that it wasn’t just a last-minute edit to our itinerary as it deserves to be more than just lunch/biking stop.
McKittrick (Hermann) to Treloar
Ride two begins after a good night’s sleep in a B&B a mile outside of the town of Hermann, which is not right on the KATY, but easily accessible via a spur from the McKittrick Trailhead. Hermann lives and breathes its German heritage with wineries (grapes grown on vines that supplied those of Napa Valley) and breweries that serve up German and local favorites. The town even has an Octoberfest every year.
McKittrick is a tiny village with the windingest single-lane roads you can imagine that leads to the parking area. Since we’re not through-cyclists, we drive to the trailhead. However, when we return, we will be sure to use the spur and bike here, if for no other reason than to experience crossing the Missouri on the bridge built with cyclists’ and pedestrians’ safety in mind.
Armed with expert knowledge from the Fans of KATY, we began pedaling westward toward Rhineland as I read that the scenery and bluffs in that area are something special. About a mile, and one large black snake, into the ride, large grey rain clouds loomed ahead. So, we turned around and headed back over the bridge and through the tunnel below.
Having “rerouted” eastward toward sunnier skies we pedaled up gentle terrain with the Missouri to our right. A few miles east of the trailhead is Lost Creek. and more sun than grey clouds.
Just before the creek, a sign lures cyclists up to the Lost Creek Winery, and with reassurance that we could carry a bottle or two in our panniers, we detoured off the trail. Even with an ebike on turbo power, I only made it half way on the very steep rough road and regretted the attempt immediately as the descent was much the same as getting off a chairlift at a ski area and realizing that I’m on a black diamond, not the novice slope.
One more rat snake and three hours and 30 miles later, our reward was beers at the Tin Mill Brewery and a quick visit to the winery across the street. Having failed at getting our authentic German repast in our stop in Ohio, we were happy to have found pork schnitzel on the menu at the Tin Mill Brewery. As in St. Charles, I was regretted not planning for more time here before saying “auf wiedersehen.”
A Night in Old Country Charm
Unlike some towns along the KATY, Hermann has lots of hotel rooms, B&Bs, and AirBnBs. We stayed in a charming Federal-style inn about a mile up the hill out of town. The Alpenhorn Gasthaus, built in 1836, was once a winery and still has a small vineyard and wine cellar. Adrian, the innkeeper, and chef extraordinaire, is Swiss German and is very helpful with info about the area. Unfortunately, we missed his special German wine dinners offered on Tuesday, Friday, and Saturday.
Boonville
Our final day of cycling would be from Boonville to Rocheport. This was the on-trail segment I was looking forward to most. However, a less-than-enjoyable night might have dampened my enthusiasm even more than the weather did. With all fairness, the easing up on Covid regs was very recent so the management may have been caught off guard. The black booth outside the hotel is a door that leads to the hotel’s bike storage room, and the hotel does treat cyclists well.
Arrival at the Boonville trailhead came with–you guessed it–rain clouds. While we told ourselves from the onset of this journey that rain would not stop us from biking if we wanted to, our legs were still burning from the 30 miles on dirt the day before. With the prospect of a seven-hour drive ahead of us, we left the bikes on the car and headed for the highway. And what a prescient decision that was as the skies opened up with a vengeance for the rest of the day. So long, KATY–for now. We will just have to see the famed bluffs in this area another time.
Next stop: Sioux Falls, South Dakota
Granny in Gear 