Chilly Drizzle - But with a Tailwind! - March Across Missouri

March 16, 2018

Chilly Drizzle - But with a Tailwind!

Day Three: Hartsburg, MO to Windsor, MO

I slept later, and more soundly, than I have in weeks; I didn't wake up once in the night, which is nearly unprecedented.

Breakfast with the other guests at the B&B this morning was nice. Everyone except me was in the area for a conference about Elderberries, of all things. I always like hearing about the unusual things people are interested in.

I walked out into a chilly light rain, but this morning I had a tailwind, so I didn't mind at all. The trail was completely empty this morning; I didn't see anyone until I got to Cooper's Landing, about ten miles away.

Cooper's Landing is a somewhat eccentric campground/boat dock/store - and also, improbably enough, a Thai restaurant. The place is right on the Missouri River, and is only accessible via the Katy Trail or a gravel road. It's both offbeat and off the beaten path.

I stopped there to get a Diet Pepsi, which I drank while sitting on the porch and watching the river for a while.

It was much nicer today with a tailwind. The rain stopped (for a while) after I left Cooper's Landing. There was a spare beauty along the completely empty trail this morning.

Rocheport (population 239), 15 miles from Cooper's Landing, was a pretty little town. It's also the site of the only tunnel on the Katy Trail:

The rain continued to be limited to an intermittent misting. The tailwind (or at least the lack of a headwind), was making the riding much more enjoyable today, even with the slightly soggier trail surface.

I crossed the Missouri River around noon at Boonville (population 8,319), and decided to have lunch at the busy Main Street Diner. It seemed prudent to take the time to eat an actual meal after yesterday's fiasco.

The next several hours of riding, from Boonville to Sedalia, were my favorite of the entire trail - more rugged, with some climbing and descending.

It started raining again as I left the Pilot Grove depot, and I put on my rain jacket's hood for the first time. It worked well.

After seven miles the rain stopped, and the sun came out for the first time all day as I crossed Shaver Creek.

Happy that the sun finally came out. For a while, anyway.

There was an annoying detour near Sedalia, which required me to ride on roads and city streets, but there was minimal traffic, so it wasn't a big deal.

When I got to the Sedalia depot, though, I started feeling queasy. This also coincided with the strongest rain of the day: A shower that lasted about half an hour. I waited it out under the roof the trail depot, and ate some snacks.

After the sun came out again, I got back on the trail, slowed by numerous street crossings. At one point I rode past a house, the porch of which contained some teenage boys who yelled out "Dude, you're yellow!" I decide to ignore this mild insult, since I was in fact wearing a very bright yellow rain jacket.

The rest of the late afternoon and early evening was pleasant. I felt re-energized after resting in Sedalia, and made pretty good time to Windsor. I did make a wrong turn in town, and had to to backtrack to find the modest motel ($55 including tax) where I had a reservation, but I got there before it was completely dark.

I had no cell signal, so I used the motel's office phone to call Joy and tell her I was finished for the day. She was an hour and a half drive away in Kansas City, but said she wanted to come out and see me, and that she would bring food.

The delay in dinner (which would probably have been some squashed snacks from my handlebar bag, since it was a long walk from the motel to the nearest restaurant or store) was worth it, since Joy arrived with the food that I most often fantasize about while bike touring: An enormous burrito from Chipotle.

Strava

Today's ride: 99 miles (159 km)
Total: 269 miles (433 km)

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