Katy Trail Forum

Mokane bar and grill will fill all your water bottle for free and with ice if needed. We stopped and had lunch great food good prices and very friendly. To all you are missing if you don't stop

There are some really good folks here in Mokane,
We are just cautious to some of the big city slickers. We will get to you, just takes a little more time here.

Billy, Billy, Billy.......you're going to have to get over this "big city slicker" thing. :-)

Jim, Billy probably thinks Union and Hermann are big cities! People are people. I worked in the big cities for over 40 years, but I have always lived in the country. And most people will usually treat you as they want to be treated. If you act like a d&$#ba$#, that is probably how you will be treated. Just my observations over 60 years.

Jerry, I agree.....an a$$hole is an a$$hole no matter where they live.

The truth is the truth Jim. People must have very low self esteem when they have to say things about other people. If you meet people from the city, country, other states, or other countries...you just might learn something from them...and they are just like you. I never could figure out what a "city slicker" is anyway. Do they slick back their hair? Are they smarter than country bumpkins? Are they coated with oil? Do they have teflon skin? I think it might be a conspiracy!

Sorry Jerry, Jim,
Just some of the big city folks make us feel like you said "country bumpkins". Can't help it, just a character flaw. Will say that most of the folks from Kansas City way and the boys that come up from Texas are real nice.

Just giving you some crap Billy......I'm just not a big fan of lumping folks into categories based on where they live.

Same here Jim. People are people. When I was teaching I woild here my students say something like "I can't stand that person...they are from so&so." I told them instead of hating that person to talk to them and they would probably become friends. And it would work most of the time. I have made and met friends from all walks of life from all over the world.

Sorry about the woild, it should be would.

I haven't seen much of the world, don't mind if you call me a hayseed,country bumpkin,heck I might be a city slicker myself some day, just give me a half a smile when we talk and I am your friend for life. PS, I love Mokane and the Katy trail.

This motel is just what I expected for the cheap price for the weekend as far as being run down and having poor amenities, however, come on owners,,,,,,,please, please consider cleanliness and sanitation for the sake of the public. The only good thing I can say is that after I called to say I had left my 2 rings in the room the day I checked out,,,you were honest enough to contact me a week later to say you found them and I want to thank you for your honesty and in returning them to me.

So let me recap......it was what you expected for the price you paid but,after they were honest enought to return property you carelessly left,you decided to slam them on a public forum. At least you were thoughtful enough not to mention their name.

They met your expectations? Where is your beef? They were honest and you got what you knew you were going to get. You do get what you pay for.

October 2012: We biked from Mokane to Sedalia and back. We had 6 flat tires caused by thorns on the trail (8 total flats). It was our third time biking the Katy trail, but it may be our last time.

Too bad about your flats Iowa. But instead of not coming back to the Katy, consider Kevlar tires. Maybe get a bike that will handle wider tires too, or maybe one of these great new gravel grinder bikes. My Salsa Vaya uses 29er wheels with 42c Kevlar touring tires, and I have had 0 flats in about 500 Katy miles this year. The new bike also makes what was already a wonderful thing even better. AND, I cruise fully loaded at 13-14 mph.

Your decision to not come back is no skin off my nose either way, but I've done RAGBRAI (and I'll do it again--I even got my Karras Loop patch this year from Karras himself), but if I had to choose, I'd take a week on the Katy every time over a week in Iowa. Iowa is fun, but the Katy is the Katy!!!!!! AND, I can spend time on the Katy way more often than just the last full week of July.

Sorry you had a miserable day. Flats are NO fun. As noted above (and I mention every time it comes up) FLAT PROTECTION is the #1 thing to think about when riding the KATY. Forget all the conversation about how wide the tire ought to be...you can run anything from 25s to 44s as far as I am concerned...but NONE OF THAT MATTERS if they aren't a good flat protection tire. Again - sorry. Best wishes.

Sorry for the flat, Raggers. Kudos to 40 yrs. KT is not like those clean Iowa roads except the rumbles. As the others said you may need a KT bike with kevlar and a separate Ragbrai bike. Keep the KT faith and come back.

Agree. Flats are no fun on trail rides, esp if one must repair the tube itself whose leak might be hard to find. Carrying more than one good tube helps save some time here. But that’s not preventative.

In my own war with flats, I’ve added two liners to my flat-resistant tubes and tires. One of these liners is fairly wide to protect the sides of the tires. Before adding air to them, they look like snakes that have swallowed something. :) But I don’t get untimely trail flats anymore.

I was riding the trail with some friends this weekend and we stoppedI in to moKane bar. I must say I'm impressed with the new owners. The place had a friendly manner to it, was busy and ppl were having a great time. The food was delicious I recommend the cheeseburger it was the best and the biggest I have ever had. The owners Mel and Kelly hats off to you we enjoyed coming there and we will return again

Is it legal to camp along the trailside?

No.

JP, the trail is a combination deliverance and unforgiven so I would not even think about it. Know what I mean? I believe there are many people who can provide detailed CAL spots.

JP, it depends on what you have in mind for camping. I ride the trail several time each year and have been or many years. YES there are places you can pitch a tent without harm or disturbance. The parks department does not allow camping in unauthorized places along the trail. However, there are many places and people along the trail who will have a safe place to pitch a tent for a night or two. Give me a shout if you would like details.

I see from the info that there is a hostel at Tebbetts for $5, are there any other places like this between Tebbetts and Machens?

I would be very careful tent pitching right off the trail. It is a state public park that has open and close, sunrise to sunset hours.

Between Tebetts and Machens you can pitch a tent in Marthasville in the ball fields. The caretaker charges $5 but it's well worth it. Check to see if the showers are still open. Closer to Machens look for Klondike Park.
Jharte

BOO!!!

Who rode in the Monster Bike Bash? I did! I was the Pumpkinhead pulling the Phred R.I P. trailer! Anyone else?

We wanted to alert everyone that the trailheads on the Katy Trail that have running water and flush restrooms have been winterized in preparation for freezing temperatures. This means that drinking fountains have been turned off and restrooms have been closed, from Nov. 1 to March 31. Trailheads at which restrooms remain open over the winter include the following:

Machens
St. Charles (the restrooms in Frontier Park, managed by St. Charles Parks & Recreation Department)
Weldon Spring
Matson
Augusta
Treloar
McKittrick
Portland
Mokane
Tebbetts
McBaine
Rocheport (the restrooms remain open, but the drinking fountain is turned off)
Clifton City

Thank you for the "Heads up"....or should I say "Heads winterized", as it may be more appropriate.

For all you folks out there, just because the trailheads have been winterized, it doesn't mean that the trail is closed: It just means that you might have to get off the trail and go to a C-store, restaurant, etc. to get drinks and use the bathroom. Too bad we have to have winter, but I suppose it is a necessary evil ;)

When we went through last week, one of the patrons said the place was closing. This would be a real shame, since its one of the few places along that stretch and they served the best loaded baked potato ever!

Murph's is in Treloar, hopefully not closing.

Was by there today and unfortunately it is closed. For those that used the vending machine to get cold drinks or water, it has been removed, so there is no longer a handy water supply there.

Murph's Place has closed but....have no fear!!! A new bar has opened just down the block!! The new bar is "Treloar Bar & Grill" and it is run by John and Lisa Ketterer. Very friendly atmosphere and good food!!! I recommend stop by and giving it a try!! Oh yeah, the beer is good and cold too!!

Riding this weekend between Jefferson City and Defiance. I noticed that someone indicated they found a number of a bike shop in Hermann that was posted in Mokane. I don't see that bike shop listed in the businesses at Hermann and wondered if anyone knew the number so I could have it for emergency purposes.

They have their own listing under the Google map on the Hermann page. 573-486-9170

My husband & I rode from Pleansant Hill Katy Trail from one car park area to the next. End of June 2012 Both parking lots are good. Bill boards up, waiting for maps. Picnic table. Some of trail is a little rough but we made it through. Am seeing the vision of connecting to Windsor someday. And the vision of it connecting to KC Sports Stadium area and then on into Union Station by WWI Memorial site. The vision is coming together step by step. So exciting to see. Thank you everyone before us that is getting this all going so we can fight for healthier lives. God bless you all. Especially the ones doing the work. That is very hard labor of love passion to bring this into reality.

That sounds good D&L! Looking forward to when that section is finished, hopefully in my life time. :) It has been slow, but any progress on completing that section is exciting. Thanks for the report.

How many miles of the part of the trail is completed mow?

Mow? I meant now.

IS the trail south of pleasant hill? How many miles it this trail and where does it hit the kady trail?

The connector between Pleasant Hill and Windsor is the Rock Island Trail State Park. There is a map at mostateparks dot com.

I believe this connector -- the Rock Island State Park is "under development" and won't available to ride for a while yet. It will be great when it is completed.

FYI, there is going to be a run on Oct. 27 in Pleasant Hill, MO, 1/2 marathon and 5K, called the Rock Island Run I, which is supposed to utilize sections of the trail already completed. I am trying to get more info on it but they are accepting registrations right now.

We rode the connector this past weekend. The trail is NOT open but you would never know if you park in the Purvis Rd lot. The trail goes for 3 miles and ends at another parking lot. Every cross road on the return trip were clearly marked with closed signs. The trail is hard to ride as the gravel is way too large and there were trees down in the trail. There has been NO work done on the trail for quite some time. My wife was not happy with me for taking her there and suggested that I move back to my mom's basement. On a note of redemption they are building a nice bike/walking trail north of town and I am not sure where it will go and only 1.75 miles is completed. I feel all work has been stopped on the Katy Connector to Windsor. If someone knows different I would love to know.

KB, I know how your wife feels. My husband did the same thing to me!

If you had 1000 cycling enthusiasts in front of you, what would you tell them about the Katy Trail Pleasant Hill Extension if you wanted to get something done and garner support for the project?

More info.can be found on Rock Island Run 1 at sdmg.co/rockislandrun or facebook.com/rockislandrun or call (816)353-3149 ask for BJ,contact info.bjthedj.com(organizer of event)

Rock Island Corridor Update: I received this via email from the the lady at Mid-Admerica Regional Council:
Thank you for contacting me about the Rock Island corridor. We are currently undertaking some planning around possible future transit station/trail head locations. We had two public meetings this week (Monday and Tuesday). We will be conducting a second round of meetings in late January/early February.

Jackson County is working on the acquisition of the line from the Sports Complex to Hamlen Road in southern Lee's Summit. Pleasant Hill is working on construction of a trail from their fairgrounds (where the Missouri KATY Trail connection will come into their city) through their downtown to the city lake. They expect to begin construction on the last portion of that trail before the end of the year. There is actually a 5K run in the Pleasant Hill area this Saturday to benefit the Missouri Bicycle Pedestrian Federation (I'll forward the email separately).

The state Division of Parks is working on the KATY Trail connection from Windsor to Pleasant Hill. They have constructed a segment east of Pleasant Hill and expect the rail banking of the segment from Pleasant Hill to P Highway to be completed in the next several weeks. They will then continue their construction of the trail close to Pleasant Hill. They are also beginning work with Ameren UE on the railbanking of the portion from P Highway to Windsor and expect that to be completed by the end of 2013. The construction of that portion will then begin in 2014. They will have to replace 3 bridges but feel they have the funds for the completion of the project.

There are several things that you might do to support the effort:
1) communicate to your local and state officials about support for both the KATY Trail connection's completion from Windsor to Pleasant Hill
2) communicate to these same officials about your support for a trail along the corridor from Pleasant H