Day 8--Clinton to Sedalia, MO

Monday, April 23, 2012

Frost and cold were predicted for this morning, so I was in no hurry to leave the Parkfield. Finally got myself packed and out the door at 10:15 a.m. It was chilly but sunny. Took me no time to ride the 2 miles north to the Clinton trailhead. The Katy Trail runs 264 miles from Clinton, MO, at its southwest terminus to St Charles, MO, on the far eastern side of the state. While I was pedaling through prairie today, most of the trail is along the Missouri River. After talking to Frank Briscoe a couple of days ago, I think the trail may have been expanded since I last rode it (1999) to extend also to St Louis.

I rode the first 9 miles of the day to the right of the trail on MO-52E. For most of that nine miles, the limestone trail was visible to my left. I entered the trail in Calhoun, MO, sadly forgetting to ride into town to see the guy with "hundreds of bicycles."


Old RR bldg where I entered the KatyTrail in Calhoun



Sign on MO-52E as one enters Calhoun

Stopped in Windsor to eat an early lunch of tuna & crackers, cran juice, and 2 oatmeal raisin cookies.



Sign at side of trail in Windsor; I sat on the bench in front of it and ate my lunch

I met the only other cyclist on the trail shortly after leaving Windsor. He was pedaling a mountain bike from Sedalia to Clinton, the opposite of my day. Said he wanted to test his stamina before attempting the entire trail. I stopped a bit later at the point of the highest elevation of the trail, a whole 995 feet. Since the trail is an old railroad bed, it has no grades over 3%. This may sound ducky to some, but with no hills, one must pedal all the time . . . no coasting. Plus the trail surface provides a lot more resistance than a smoothly paved road The photo left is the modern day granary in Windsor.

The trail was 95 percent tree tunnel and 5 percent open, sunny prairie



The gates where the trail intersects a road

This brought to mind a time on my first long-distance ride when Liz, my cycling companion, and I entered a convenience store in Mississippi for a cold drink. Two teens in the store were impressed with our biking duds and helmets, and with these "elderly" women who were cycling. (I was in my mid-fifties and I don't think Liz had even reached 50.) When asked, we told them that we were on our way from Minneapolis to New Orleans. They were astonished. One of them replied in a thick southern accent, "Well, coast when ya kin, coast when ya kin." I've always thought Coast When Ya Kin a good title for a book of my cycling adventures. Wish some publisher thought the same.

2018 UPDATE: I never found a publisher but in 2016 I created a book through CreateSpace about all of my cycling adventures and titled it: Coast When Ya Kin: 30 Years "Behind Bars." It is available on amazon.com. Click here to find the title on amazon or . . . you can go to my author site:  https://www.writersusanschuylerwalker.com/ to read about all of the books I have created through Create Space, now Kindle Direct Publishing.

Somewhere after my stop at the highest elevation, a hunting-type hound picked me up and ran frantically alongside and back and forth across the trail sniffing, sniffing. Its gait was odd as it bounced off its two hind feet simultaneously. I think it had injured one of its hind legs. It seemed frantic to find its owner. I got concerned after it panted alongside me zig-zagging nonstop for 3 miles. I thought it might drop with nervous exhaustion.

My daughter Lucy called. I stopped, we chatted for a bit, and I told her about the dog. We decided that at the next town, I would call the SPCA. When I started out again, the dog was gone and it never showed up again.

I got to Sedalia at 2:30 a.m averaging only 10.4 mph, according to my computer. My highest speed for the day was 21.3 mph. The highest speed had to be earned while I was on paved  MO-52E. Actually 10 mph and my arrival time are not bad, really, because I stopped for lunch and stopped to take pix, etc.

I am in a complimentary room in a Super 8 this evening. Thank you Super 8 manager Joanna Waggoner!