Katy Trail 2007: Mokane to Augusta

2007 Katy Trail Ride, Day #4: Mokane to Augusta

The day once again started off cool, with dew heavy on the tents, but this time the sky was clear, and the day warmed quickly.

The ride from the school was a nice, long, mostly downhill run, then it was back to the trail. The first stop of the day was at Standing Rock, a large piece of sandstone around 20 feet high. It is marked with high water levels from Missouri River floods going back over a century.

The first SAG was at Portland, and the next at McKittrick, the next at Gore, and the next at Treloar. By this time we’d covered around 40 miles, and it was nearing noon. We attempted to get lunch at the bar and grill in Treloar, but after waiting for a half-hour or so, and still not getting served, we decided to take our chances down the road.

That turned out to be a good decision, as we found a country store in just a few miles, at Peers. I had the daily special, a pork sandwich, while Rob bought himself a pizza. This was a good-sized pie, and he simply inhaled it, finishing all but one or two small slices.

The noon-time fuel of pizza seemed to agree with the boy, as he avoided his normal after-lunch blahs, and we made good time to Augusta, after hitting SAGs at Marthasville and Dutzow.

Like Mokane, the campground was up on the bluffs. This time the distance was shorter (about half a mile), but steeper. I rode it, but was regretting that decision by the time I made the top of the double hills. Rob walked the first, steep hill, then biked the next one. He, too, was beat by the time he reached the campground. He watched the bikes while I rounded up the bags and found a campsite.

Flat ground was in short supply, so I settled on a slightly-inclined spot just barely in the shade. I set up my tent and got set to hit the shower. Rob was too tired to even set up his tent, and just unrolled it, plopped down, and went to sleep.

Totals: 61.12 miles, 5:15:56 ride time, 11.61 MPH average

On The Trail in Early Morning