Start out this morning, I had to double check my route because it took me right through the airport terminal as if I was getting on a plane. It was crazy, but there was absolutely no traffic on a Sunday morning as I rolled through. I got some pretty funny looks from the travelers exiting the airport waiting for a ride to pick them up and take them home. Next I traveled along a service road right next to a runway watching multiple planes take off in secession. Again traveling down wide roads, big shoulders, and through an industrial park, I eventually came to a trail which led me across the Missouri River to the Katy trail.
A few miles down the trail I needed to stop and get some food. I found a great bike shop and restaurant just off the trail. Sitting outside enjoying breakfast and watching people go back and forth.
As I was about to leave Natalie was coming up to the restaurant and stopped and asked me where I was headed. Turns out she was from Rochester MI and just finished riding the Katy trail west to east. She gave me some good intel and I went on my way. Little while longer I connected up with a biker Heidi as she was out for her morning ride. She too told me about different things to see along the trail and said tomorrow would be one of my prettiest days. The trail is covered with trees very much resembling the paint creek trail. For most of the day there was a steady flow of people in both directions.
I came to a perfect lunch spot right off the trail Good news brewing and that wasn’t coffee. Sitting in an open-air pavilion getting some cold water and some food The place quickly filled up with people. This business was in a perfect location there was a campground 100 yd, a trailhead which overflowed into their parking lot and the trail 10 ft from their back door.
Farther down the trail I came upon a clearing. Stopping to take a picture there were four people in two canoes. They were both doing some practice paddling for an upcoming race along the Missouri River. The MR340.
Two of the gentlemen put back in the water to paddle another 10 mi. Annime and Brooke we’re done for the day and getting ready to load the canoe on top of a vehicle. They told me about the race and said we could track them and their boat 256. I’ll add the link in a couple of days when I find it.
The trail meandered in and out of the woods, a long fields, and in the wide open expanse, reminding me of US1 through the keys of Florida except the cornfields represented the water. I came to a caboose restaurant just off the trail where I stopped to have a smoothie. The owner John, was an avid backpacker and through hiker. He shared about his journeys along several trails and wished me well.
Taking a recommendation from Natalie earlier in the day, I made a connection to a bunkhouse called The Happy Apple. There was already a large group there but they didn’t mind an extra cyclist.
