Katy Trail

We left my house early Saturday morning (November 5th) for the long drive up to St. Charles, MO to start spend the weekend on the Katy Trail.  We parked at the boat house and had lunch at the Bike Shop Cafe.  It was still pretty chilly out if you weren't standing in the sun so we had to have a lot of layers for the ride.  We headed out and the trail was beautiful. The leaves are at the perfect point of fall colors and the Missouri River was flowing on our left.  You really couldn't ask for a better day.  Our camp was about 28 miles down the trail so we were able to ride at a comfortable pace and enjoy.

Our campsite was AMAZING!  It seemed very secluded because of the bluffs.  There was a family with a dog to one side, on the way to the bathroom, that we couldn't see, but occasionally heard. The nearer campsite was a boys group that was also riding their bikes on the trail.  They were supported and didn't have to carry their gear, but that meant that they had a lot of camping equipment.  They had some extra wood and gave us some so we were able to have a beautiful campfire to warm up before calling it a night.  We really appreciated the firewood because had tried to find some at dinner and were unsuccessful.

We woke up around dawn but were slow to get out of our tents because we could hear water dripping on them.  I really didn't want to get my warm clothes damp, but I finally realized it was moisture dripping off the trees, not rain, and it wasn't going to get any better, so I may as well get up.  A cup of coffee made with the jet boil and a bowl of hot oatmeal warmed me up inside and we eventually got our tents packed up and we were ready to go.   Last stop at the bathroom before starting on day two.  Although the day was a little chilly, the sun was shining and the trail was beautiful!  Just look at the photo below. 

We passed a beautiful winery on top of a hill and Julie wanted to stop, but Donna thought it wasn't open yet.  Julie really wanted to check it out so she road close enough to see the sign with a phone number and called to find out they were indeed open, so we got to take a rest stop at Wine Country Garden in Defiance, Missouri. I had my coffee for my Coffeeneuring Challenge Ride #5 with some fish tacos and some tempura chicken fingers.  The food and the atmosphere was fabulous and we even enjoyed the company of a cute little cat.