I left the Missouri River today and traveled from Boonville to Windsor. The wind had really kicked up today, and seemed like it was mostly out of the south. The way the trail changed direction, it was difficult to tell. Just south of Boonville, I crossed over Interstate 70. You hear the highways long before you get to them. I stopped and got a few images of the approach to the bridge, a sort of side view of the bridge and the view of the roadway itself. Also came across some intersting yard art outside a house right by the trail. There were several old bicycles and a couple of trikes out on the lawn painted up and that have streamers on the hand grips. Except today, these were decked out for Halloween. Last time I saw them, they were just bike yard decorations. When I had passed this place going eastbound, the sun angle was not good for getting any images, but it was excellent for that this morning.
There were several blown down trees on and across the trail today. Once I got past Sedalia, I started seeing more trees, branches and twigs on the road. The first tree blockage I came to was a dead and dried out tree that went completely across the trail. I stopped, got off and took a look. The tree was small enough that I started pulling on it and it moved. I ended up breaking several branches off and throwing them next to the trail. Another rider came up while I was doing that and helped me get the tree far enough over that I could ride past. Just based on the worn areas, quite a few bikers had lifted their bikes over and kept going. I did not feel like unloading my bike, so, I started moving it far enough out of the way that I could ride by. The tree was not that big, but it is possible it never occurred to some of the folks who had climbed over that a dead tree is not nearly as heavy or difficult to move as a green tree. Oh well.
Several miles down the road, I came to another spot where a dead tree had fallen all the way across the trail. This one was a sure-enough gonna have to unload the bike, carry the panniers over and lift the bike over situation. While I was unloading the bike and moving it across, about 8 or 9 day riders came up, said hello, lifted their bikes over and kept on going. About the time I got my bike moved across, another rider, a local, came up and started moving tree limbs, vines and whatever else from the fallen tree off the trail. The big tree trunk stayed where it was and would have to be dealt with by the Park folks. At least enough limbs had been removed to make it easier for any folks who came along later. Dead trees across the trail gives one a perspective of just how hard the wind was blowing today.
I did see a few squirrels, one turtle and a black snake. I was puttering along about 11 mph and at first thought I was rolling up on another of the many sticks in the road I had seen today. At the last second, I realized it was a blacksnake and swerved to miss it. I slammed on the brakes, grabbed my camera and eased back towards the snake to take a picture and to see if I had hit it. I had not hit the snake, and it had only pulled it's head back as the wheels of my bike rolled by. After I took a couple of photos, the snake must have decided I was no threat and crawled off the trail.
Once I got to Windsor, I went straight to Casey's to get a sandwich and a couple bottles of chocolate milk. While there, I spotted a couple of Amish wagons being parked across the road at the hardware store, so, I waited until the owners left to go in the hardware store and I got a couple images of one of the wagons tied up at the water trough.
After unloading the bike and cleaning the trail dust, I was feeling the effects of the day, so, I rode back down to Casey's and purchased a cup of coffee, which I drank in the parking lot Then I rode over to the grocery store and purchased a gallon of water, which I transferred to my two 1/2 gallon water bottles on the bike. Rode back over to the trail and started back north to the motel, and I spotted a couple of Trail bikers sitting at a picnic table at the trailhead. They were eastbound, so I gave them the rundown on the problem spots on the trail and how to get around them. That was about a 30 minute conversation. These two young fellows started out in Pleasant Hill on the Rock Island Trail and had ridden to Windsor, where they were gonna continue east on the Katy Trail.
There is rain in the forecast for tonight and tomorrow, so, I am gonna be here in Windsor for two nights.
Got my panniers across, then put the fork lock in place, lifted the front wheel as far across to the tree trunk(s) on the far side, then lifted the back end of the bike over. Loaded the panniers back on the bike, removed the fork lock, and then helped the other biker who had ridden up to remove the worst of the branches.
