Day 1 - May 23, 2002. St. Charles to Defiance (Milepost 59)
"Set out from St. Charles after getting every matter arranged."
Wm Clark, May 21, 1804.
Preparing for our trip up the Missouri River was much simpler than it was for Lewis and Clark, who would not see as much as a Wal-Mart for at least two years. We started by assembling our bicycles at the bike shop and having a leisurely breakfast. While Mike and Peter made a last run to the grocery store for sport drink powder and snacks, Maren and I visited the Lewis and Clark Museum.
1)
2)
3)
1) The Touring Cyclist, where we sent our bicycles
2) Breakfast in St. Charles
3) Lewis and Clark Museum
St. Charles was established in 1769 as a fur trading outpost, and by the time of Lewis and Clark's departure, had a population of approximately 450, mainly French Canadian. In 1826 St. Charles served as Missouri's first state capital until the new capital in Jefferson City was ready. Almost all of the early brick buildings along the cobblestone Main Street are now converted to gift and antique shops. When we finally got every matter arranged, we too set out from St. Charles.
1)
2)
3)
1) Missouri's first state capital building
2) The restored St. Charles train depot, beginning of the trail
3) Setting out from St. Charles
One of the best aspects of the Katy Trail we noticed immediately is that there is no stressful traffic. Another treat is that there are no hills. We could pedal for miles without shifting, only needing to exclaim "Achtung!" occasionally for the few washouts on the hardpack crushed rock surface.
The recent flooding had left brackish sloughs and standing water in any low depression along the trail. Blue spiderwort bloomed everywhere along the route, and indigo buntings and red cardinals flew across our path as we rode through agricultural clearings and dense tunnels of woodland.
Since we had had a late
start and the weather was threatening rain, we decided to spend the night in Defiance (population 208) at the Parson House B&B. Slaves on the 1,000 acre plantation had built the house in 1842 from brick manufactured on the premises. The town earned its name by its persistence in obtaining the railroad station when the Katy came through.
Our hostess made us lemonade and fresh brownies, which we enjoyed over another of many discussions with Peter and Maren on American culture and politics. After we had cleaned up and made room for our bicycle things among the crowded antiques in our rooms, we headed down to the only cafe open in town. The cook had not shown up for work so our waitress, who was doubling as the cook, said she would make us anything on the menu as long as it was a BLT or burger, the only safe choices in small town cafes anyway.
That evening, Mike and I sat outside in the hot tub and listened to a chorus of coyotes, frogs, and mosquitoes until thoroughly relaxed.
Day 2 - May 24, 2002. Defiance to Marthasville (Milepost 78)
Our elegant breakfast made up for the dinner
we had the previous evening. Our hosts, Al and Carol Keyes, explained that Daniel Boone had been an early settler in the area, and that Meriweather Lewis had fallen off a cliff across the river a few days after the historic expedition left St. Charles. Fortunately, he was not badly hurt. Our hosts are history buffs and intend to spend 6 weeks following the Lewis and Clark Trail this summer.
It was raining by the time we were ready to leave the B&B, but we set out with undaunted courage. Once on the trail, the conditions were not as wet as we had expected. We sought shelter from the rain once, in Augusta, and had sandwiches in Dutzow. Outside the Dutzow Deli, a man was trying to sell a basket of Rotweiler puppies at their peak of cuteness. The puppies' huge and menacing parents hulked in the backseat of the car providing a reality check.
Gray and rainy weather along the Trail
In Marthasville we chatted with a couple who represented the many cyclists from St. Louis who frequent sections of the Katy Trail when they want to escape the city. We were asked, as we had been several times before on this trip, if we had read the book about Lewis and Clark, Undaunted Courage, by Steven Ambrose. (We had been inundated with Lewis and Clark detail since the beginning of this trip).
"No", we said, "but we are familiar with Lewis and Clark's journey. In fact, why don't you hit us with a Lewis and Clark trivia question? We live out West on their route too, ya know!"
"OK", they responded. "How many men died during the expedition?"
All of us, including the Germans, chimed in unison, "One! Of appendicitis!" And with that, we put the Lewis and Clark trivia to rest for the remainder of the trip.
1)
2)
1) Marthasville bike shop, Scenic Cycles
2) Concord Hill B&B, near Marthasville
It was still rainy by Marthasville so after a stop at the bike shop, Scenic Cycles, we decided to stay at Concord Hill B&B, a restored 1870 German farmhouse. Our hostess, Vicki Cunningham, met Maren and me at the bottom of a hill climb and gave us a ride to the B&B in her pickup. The hunters, Mike and Peter, went out to try to find some dinner. They ended up at Lorraine's cafe, where they asked for BLTs, and were told, "We don't do no breakfast meat in the evening." When they decided they would try the chef's salad instead, they were shown a salad bar without lettuce or vegetables, which seemed congruent with this particular chef. They came back to the B&B with burgers for dinner again.
Another couple from Colorado was also staying at the B&B. They were walking the length of the Katy Trail, 20 miles/day. We stayed up talking with them before deciding to soak in the hot tub another night.
