Day 26 - May 29 - Jefferson City, MO to Rocheport, MO - Two Old Guys Take On A Continent

May 29, 2023

Day 26 - May 29 - Jefferson City, MO to Rocheport, MO

Dust in the Wind

John’s Story

First off I must admit to having been remiss in failing to grant Charlie and Chris Road Angel Awards. Not only did they drive to the trailhead when we arrived two days ago to pick us up and haul us to their house, they hauled us back to the trailhead this morning. In the meantime they fed and watered us in grand style and were tremendous company during our stay. They are hereby granted Road Angel status with Special Friend Clusters!

Thanks again for everything, Charlie! Chris is over there to the right somewhere. As you can see, I downsized Ed and put him in one of my jersey pockets for the photo.

The days are getting warmer again, and it will be getting warmer until sometime late in the week as we move farther west and a little bit north. We started with just shorts and short sleeve jerseys.

Before we even left the North Jefferson trailhead we ran into a couple bikepacking the trail from west to east. They’re from the Fort Collins Colorado area, and offered to let us stay with them when we get to that point. That’s one of our planned layover days, and my son and his family are coming up from Colorado Springs to see us so we had to decline.

Not only did it get warmer today, the Katy Trail got dustier, if that’s even possible. There were places where the foliage on both sides of the trail was covered with gray dust. A contributing factor was the presence of kids running up and down a gravel road immediately next to the trail on four wheelers.

Dust factory. You can see in the distance a cloud of dust hovering over the trail.

This is a good photo to help explain why we are sticking to the trail despite the dust. Most of the time the Missouri River is immediately to the left of the trail, and if it isn’t, it’s just fields. Immediately to the right of the trail there is always a hill. Those railroad builders back in the day knew what they were doing. Build the railroad bed at the edge of the floodplain, maybe just a few feet up onto the bluff. Take advantage of the flat floodplain but keep your feet dry.

Here’s a close-up picture of the flowers and leaves of the plant that Bill Shaneyfelt has identified as possibly poison hemlock. What do you think, Bill?

We met Laura and Kimball shortly before we reached Rocheport. Their daughter is in grad school at Brigham Young University studying geology. What a clever girl! She saw the light after earning a degree in chemistry and turned away from the dark side to the Earth.

As we got closer to Rocheport not only did the trail get dustier but the bluffs and cliffs to the right of the trail got higher.

When the side of the trail starts looking like this, there is usually a sign advising against stopping for the next quarter mile to avoid falling rocks. I’m not sure what the advantage would be to being hit by a rock while moving rather than while staying still.

Higher and higher still. I’m thinking the best time to ride this trail would be when there are no leaves on the trees so that you can appreciate the terrain immediately nearby.

We missed some sites that we’re not readily apparent on the trail, and I blame all of the leaves in the trees.

We missed BoatHenge

We missed The Natural Arch. Note there are no leaves on the trees in the online picture.

We missed The Pictographs

We did however find The Bat Cave. It’s on private property, and we were not tempted to go up to it as it is defended by a thicket of poison ivy down by the trail.

Not sure if it’s Adam West’s bat cave, or Michael Keaton’s, or Christian Bale’s, or Ben Affleck’s, or Val Kilmer’s or…..

In looking for pictographs I came across very interesting structures in the rock. The layer with these features ran the full length of the outcrop and was generally less than one foot thick. I think they may be stylolites weathering out of the rock, but I’ve never seen anything like this. Perhaps a geological mind out there with more local experience with these carbonate rocks can offer a suggestion. I’ve sent pictures to a friend of mine in Houston who is a structural geology expert for an opinion. Whatever they are they are very cool looking.

WANTED: Definitive determination of what these are. REWARD: Honorary Road Angel Award.

Right before we reached Rocheport the cliffs by the trail seemed ready to fold over and envelop us as we went by.

Last year Ed and I rode a weeklong bike ride in Missouri called BigBAM from Joplin to Eureka roughly paralleling old Route 66. One evening in a pizza pub we were seated at a table when a couple approached and asked if they could sit with us because the place was so crowded. Of course we said yes. It turned out the couple was the owner and organizer of the ride. They own and publish a magazine out of Rocheport, Missouri called Missouri Life. We told them about our upcoming cross country tour, and they told us we should drop by when we get to Missouri.

A few months ago I contacted them and reminded them that they had met us in August of last year and told him that our plan was still to ride the Katy Trail through part of Missouri and past Rocheport. They invited us to stay with them on our way through. No, they live 9 miles out of town, and I’m pretty sure that would mean some serious hill climbing and almost 20 extra miles to get to their house and back to the trail. They offered to let us stay in their magazine’s office in Rocheport.

Missouri Life magazine is operated out of a house in Rocheport built in 1840 and listed in the National Register of Historic Places. It’s not just a run of the mill office. The house has a kitchen and three bathrooms in addition to a number of offices, a big meeting space, a small store and other rooms.

We arrived here shortly after noon today, opened the door and hollered hello. Danita came around the corner and welcomed us. The next thing we knew she was offering us a cold beer and showing us around the place. We had a long conversation and told her about our trip so far, and she was taking notes because she plans to put an item about us into Missouri Life magazine. Whoa! Another 15 minutes of fame!

Here’s Danita. Her husband Greg whom we met with her last August is back at the farm making hay while the sun shines. Take a look behind her on that bookshelf. That’s one of the five Emmys that Missouri Life has won for their television programming.

After showing us around Danita shooed us out so that we could go eat lunch. She told us she probably wouldn’t be here when we got back, and she wasn’t, but she had given us the key code to get in the front door. She also left cots that we can set up, since there aren't any beds in the building. Now we have the run of the place until tomorrow morning. We have a long day tomorrow, 79 miles, so we’ll be leaving very early before any employees show up. We probably won’t see her again before we leave.

Of course Danita is granted a Road Angel Award and Greg is granted a Road Angel Award in absentia.

The front of the Missouri Life magazine office in Rocheport.

Personal Note

As we were riding today I realized that I very rarely think about what we’ve already done on this tour. Yes, I see our total mileage at the top of the journal each day and I know we’ve come a log way already, but I don’t dwell on that. I also don’t think about how far we have to go. I’m living in the present. I’m thinking about what’s happening right now, where we’re going today and perhaps tomorrow, what I’m seeing right now, who I’ve met today. I hope I can maintain this mindset for the rest of the trip.

Ed’s Story

We woke up in Jefferson City to a breakfast of coffee and waffles. Charlie and Chris continue to offer great hospitality and it was almost like being at home, except I didn’t have to clean or do the cooking.

Chris hitched the trailer to the car; we loaded our bags in the back; and we’re headed down to the Jefferson City Katy trailhead.

After final goodbyes and pictures, we were off. Today’s ride is only 35 miles to Rocheport.

Lewis and Clark continue their expedition across Missouri following the river. There are numerous historical markers showing where they were and what they were doing at the point and when they were there. John noted we were about 3-4 days behind them; I added, yeah, and 219 years.

This depicts the boat Lewis and Clark’s men had to pull up the river.

We continued riding seeing many large houses up on the hill tops. This one overlooks a large plain. As shown in John’s photo, this house also had a long steep hill.

Yes, in fact, there is a house at the top of that hill. It must be quite a sight looking down when the river floods and the entire area is covered by water.

We continued riding until we came across Myrtle…..the turtle. Myrtle was also doing the Katy Trail but going side to side and much slower. We tried to talk to Myrtle but she wasn’t interested. She went back into her home just peering out at us occasionally.

Have you completed your journey and made it across the trail yet Myrtle? We will never know.

We have talked about the dirt on the Katy Trail previously; however, this section takes the cake. There is a one lane dirt road that parallels the trail that four wheelers were running back-and-forth on. The dust is everywhere, even all over the plants.

We came across a group of teenagers in Easley, Missouri. They were sitting around their bikes and packed bags. They had been riding for three days and were waiting to go back home.

They were riding as part of the Pedaler’s Jamboree taking place out of Columbia. They were amazed that we were riding coast to coast and wished us well.

Hope they had a good time and continue the journey in the future.

We’ve been riding along the Katy Trail for three days now. At times the trail is completely covered by shade. Although there is a little more light here, I keep expecting to see Dorothy and Toto with Cowardly Lion, the Tin Man, and the Scarecrow; or some of the hobbits walking along the trail. As I look up into the hills maybe Bigfoot will appear.

Lions and tigers and bears oh my. We’re not in Kansas anymore Toto.

Always got to watch out for what may be coming out of the woods

We did see another black snake on the trail today. By the time we tried to stop and take a picture the snake was already gone. We were told that there are copperheads or rattlesnakes along the trail so we’re watching out for them. We only have about 10 to 15 more miles on the trail tomorrow and then travel on state and country roads.

We came across a Batcave in the rock wall, about 4 miles east of Rocheport. Caves like this were important for saltpeter and gunpowder manufacturing. The cave is no longer open to the public as it is the home to endangered bats.

Endangered bats; or Batman, in the cave, and if Batman is it, Adam West or Michael Keaton.

We finally arrived in Rocheport, and went to our lodging at the Missouri Life magazine headquarters.

After unloading our bags, we went to the Meriwether café and bike shop for lunch. I had the Logboat Brewing Company Bobber Missouri Lager; tomato bisque; and a Bahn Mi black bean burger.

The restaurant, however, was very slow in getting food out. We waited over half an hour after we ordered to get our food.

We got back to the Missouri Life building where I cleaned off my bike’s drivetrain by flushing with water. The chain and pivot points were lubed. Cleaned up, set up my cot for the night and then put out my dinner and breakfast foods.

I don’t really see much else happening tonight. Maybe watch some Netflix, eat some snacks, and drink beer but not necessarily in that order.

Tomorrow is a 79 mile day to Higginsville. We will be staying at a fairground park there. We do continue to look ahead past the next night. We’ve already made a reservation for 2 days hence at Watkins Mill State Park.

Until tomorrow happy biking,

Today's ride: 36 miles (58 km)
Total: 2,756 miles (4,435 km)

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