Katy trail ride: Day 1
Elin invited me to ride the Katy Trail in Missouri with a group of friends. I knew some of the group members in passing prior to the trip but none of them well. All of them are at least twenty years my senior, most with children my age or a bit older.
We stayed at B&Bs for the most part on the trip, beginning at Lococo House in St. Charles, which is a town I truly wish I had been able to explore more fully. It would be worth it to visit St. Charles for a long weekend by itself, and if I ever do, I will stay at Lococo House again. Rhona and Dolores run a quality place; specifically, Rhona's goose feathers (a pastry) are heavenly. The shuttle picked us up at Lococo Thursday morning and set out for Clinton, the western end of the trail. Ron, our driver, made several unwelcome comments about women being back seat drivers, incompetent drivers, etc., which did not sit well with the group. He proved himself utterly incompetent when the rear tire on the van blew, having no idea where the jack or spare tire were. He also tried to take the fake nuts off the hubcap, at which point Roger, Gene, and Joe stepped in. They ended up changing the tire, using a bicycle pump to inflate the spare tire, while Ron called his boss and remained flustered. The rest of the shuttle ride was a bit harrowing, as the other 3 tires were as bald as the one that blew. Despite all this, I would actually recommend the company, Katy Bike Rental and Shuttle, because the owner was very responsive to our complaint when Judy called to complain.
The tire incident put us quite a bit behind schedule to start our ride. We, of course, took the obligatory photos at the first trail head. Here's me with the trail that shares my name.
The actual riding that day was uneventful, in a good way. The scenery was lovely as was the road surface. We saw a caboose that had been painted to celebrate the bicentennial.
We stopped in this little town for ice cream - a very important staple on cycling trips - and were privileged to see this beauty, a 1957 Studebaker. The man who was driving it told us that he had bought it new and had courted his wife in it. He lavished love on the car because of the importance it played in that courtship. It was in beautiful shape and had been repainted and reupholstered.
We ended our day in Sedalia, having put in about 39 miles, at the Hotel Bothwell, a small upscale historic hotel which I would highly recommend. The beds were incredibly comfortable and the tile work in the bathroom was original.
We stayed at B&Bs for the most part on the trip, beginning at Lococo House in St. Charles, which is a town I truly wish I had been able to explore more fully. It would be worth it to visit St. Charles for a long weekend by itself, and if I ever do, I will stay at Lococo House again. Rhona and Dolores run a quality place; specifically, Rhona's goose feathers (a pastry) are heavenly. The shuttle picked us up at Lococo Thursday morning and set out for Clinton, the western end of the trail. Ron, our driver, made several unwelcome comments about women being back seat drivers, incompetent drivers, etc., which did not sit well with the group. He proved himself utterly incompetent when the rear tire on the van blew, having no idea where the jack or spare tire were. He also tried to take the fake nuts off the hubcap, at which point Roger, Gene, and Joe stepped in. They ended up changing the tire, using a bicycle pump to inflate the spare tire, while Ron called his boss and remained flustered. The rest of the shuttle ride was a bit harrowing, as the other 3 tires were as bald as the one that blew. Despite all this, I would actually recommend the company, Katy Bike Rental and Shuttle, because the owner was very responsive to our complaint when Judy called to complain.
The tire incident put us quite a bit behind schedule to start our ride. We, of course, took the obligatory photos at the first trail head. Here's me with the trail that shares my name.
The actual riding that day was uneventful, in a good way. The scenery was lovely as was the road surface. We saw a caboose that had been painted to celebrate the bicentennial.
We stopped in this little town for ice cream - a very important staple on cycling trips - and were privileged to see this beauty, a 1957 Studebaker. The man who was driving it told us that he had bought it new and had courted his wife in it. He lavished love on the car because of the importance it played in that courtship. It was in beautiful shape and had been repainted and reupholstered.
We ended our day in Sedalia, having put in about 39 miles, at the Hotel Bothwell, a small upscale historic hotel which I would highly recommend. The beds were incredibly comfortable and the tile work in the bathroom was original.