Day 19 Shuttle day

September 26, 2019

Today was another shuttle day. I had the shuttle pick me up in Jefferson City and run me back to Boonville. I had been talking to eastbounders I met between Hermann and Jefferson City who had ridden thru the area with the heavy sand deposit and was told the rains during the last week have helped "pack" it down. But when I asked them if they thought I could get thru on my bike, all of them hesitated. Enough said.

Once I got check in to my room in Boonville, I put all my stuff in the room and took a side trip to Rocheport via the highway. The trail bridges are washed out and the only way to get there from here (Boonville) is to ride on the highway. However, most of that stretch has less than moderate traffic, which is a good thing. The shoulder is taken up with the zipper rumble strip most of the way, so, you have to ride inside the fog line.

It was 12 miles from Boonville to Rocheport. The railroad tunnel is blocked off. It can be seen, but that is about all. The sandbags put in place to protect the town are still in place, except at a couple of intersections. The bluffs to the east of Rocheport are scenic, because you have bluffs on one side of the trail and the Missouri River on the other. The trail at that point is in very good shape considering it was underwater for who knows how long.

The Park Department is a big fat no help in getting thru bike travelers past these obstacles. Probably the legal department put a gag on them to limit their liability. So, we bikers have to ask the locals, who are not always familiar with the trail. Makes it frustrating for travelers.

Thanks for coming to ride the trail, but good luck finding your way past this mess.

Sandbags still in place since the spring floods.

This may have been a train crew storm shelter at one time.

A couple of little flowers, upon one which a little bug landed just before I snapped this image.

I rode down to the old MKT lift bridge and took a look this afternoon.

You can walk down to the end of this section and watch muddy water flow past.

Today's ride: 36 miles (58 km)
Total: 839 miles (1,350 km)

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