September 2, 2020
Smooth sailing into Jefferson City
Boathenge: trailside Americana kitsch
First order of business to share: The was no rain today. It was the perfect morning to ride. I left the University Hampton Inn and headed onto the Hickerson Creek Trail. It was a beautiful trail that wound through the edges of the university along Hickerson Creek. In only a few miles, I was back on the MKT Connector Trail headed to the Katy Trail.
The trail today was fast. The sandy fine ground limestone had drained overnight into a smooth surface for cycling. There were mostly views of the river and open farmland as we headed to Hartsburg. This section of the trail is remote. The group's SAG driver picked up our Subway lunch on the way to the Hartsburg trailhead.
The highlight of this section of the Katy was Boathenge just past Coopers Landing Campround near Easley. Six boats stuck into the ground in a Missouri interpretation of England's Druid circle at Stonehenge. It is pure American roadside kitsch.
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Jefferson City and the Missouri capital building came into view across the river. It was a fun climb up the switchbacks on the bridge over the Missouri River into Jefferson City. I rolled downhill and downtown into the Capitol Plaza Hotel. Note that downhill will be uphill tomorrow morning on the return to the Katy.
I explored the capital city in the afternoon. The city is not that large for a state capital. The capital building was quite impressive, much larger and grand than the Ohio capital. I enjoyed a beer in one of the numerous eateries along the main drag. The group headed over to the Prison Brews brewpub for dinner.
This is the flattest and widest section of the trail I have experienced this week. Tomorrow’s ride takes me to Hermann. The area was established by German immigrants and is home to numerous wineries. It’s looking to be a sunny perfect day to cycle.
Today' Route
Follow the tour
No telegraphs need as we trace Lewis and Clark’s journey into the unexplored. You can just check us out on social media: Cycle Blaze and Instagram with hashtags @tombilcze #showmeMO #katytrail.
Today's Trivia
There is a life-size statue of Beetle Bailey as a college student on the University of Missouri campus. Mort Walker, the writer of the Beetle Bailey comic strip, was a student at the University and started the comic strip there with Beetle as a college student.
Today's ride: 40 miles (64 km)
Total: 148 miles (238 km)
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