Katy Trail Forum

i want to know why the state will not allow any kind of motorized bicycles on the katy trail, this is a very enjoyable hobby and they wont let us on the trail because we have an engine attached even if it is turned off , its just a gravel surface and these newer two strokes dont smoke hardly at all and some of them use a 4 stroke they will let me on if i have an electric wheelchair or an electric bicycle there are cougars and bears on this trail (conservation dept. doesnt want people to know) but some areas are very primative i myself want to be able to kick it and get away from any possible harm

Every time I'm on the trail and see the cougars and bears coming towards me I kick it and pedal like a MoFo it's a great physical workout it pumps alot of oxygen to the brain try it.

No Way.



Also, remember that Bigfoot is also quite common in Missouri but the conservation

department does not want you to know that either. They are secretely buying them from

the russians and turning them loose in Henry County where they head east down the trail.

They are known to sprinkle thorns down the trail that cause punctures. So next time your

standing along the side of the trail fixing your flat just remember that bigfoot is nearby.

Just dont call the MDC because those jerks will just lie about it.

"I want to know why the state will not allow any kind of motorized bicycles on the katy trail"



Good! That makes me very happy. You want to ride a motorized vehicle, go on the street. The trail is the one place I can go without worrying about being run down by a motorized vehicle. I'm more concerned about the motorized vehicles then I am about the bears.



I used to live in New Hampshire and there were families of bears behind my house. Your that concerned bring a little starters pistol(cap gun- not real gun) and when they hear it, they run.

You could also bring some mace. They supposedly make a special kind for dogs and bears, but I think it is all the same stuff. Sasquatches are very intelligient, they will not be frightened by a cap gun. You will need the mace for them.

Lions, tigers and bears, OH MY!



Everyone knows the conservation department is secretly developing mutant cougars and bears and releasing them along the trail. These mutants have a specialized keen sense of smell that allow them to seek out those two strokes engines that hardly produce any smoke at all. That must be why Doug has seen so many of them; whereas all the rest of us trail users have not seen them at all.



I can't tell you all what the aliens from the planet Zoloft are planning due to national security concerns, suffice it to say it would cause you to fill your shorts.

Filled shorts! OH MY!!!

We don't want no stink'n motor anything on the trail..

Actually Doug if you are a Missouri resident you can get a permit to carry a gun on your

person and then you can enjoy the trail in peace knowing that if the .

000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

000000000000000000000000008% chance that a bear attacks you could shoot it.



I think you could also ride a motorized bicycle and just shut the motor off when you are

approaching another cyclists. I just rode from Columbia to Clinton (105 miles) the other day

and did not see another cyclists so I doubt anyone would know or care.

Last time I rode the Katy I ran into the dreaded Man-Bear Cougar. He's half man, half bear and half cougar.

When we rode the annual DNS ride a few years ago, we discussed this topic, with one of the rangers, and here's what he told us.



Whenever they hear about a vehicle that's gone around the barriers, they try to get down there and find them, and get them off the trail. Motorized vehicles do more damage to the trail bed than non-motorized. The DNS already has to reapply gravel to the trail several times a year.



Another reason they don't want motorized vehicles is that there are portions of the trail that aren't as safe as others, especially after dark, where they've had to run off some troublemakers (drugs, public lewdness, and stuff like that). That's also why they have a curfew on the trail. If they allowed the motorized vehicles, then the troublemakers would ride them too, and they'd really be tearing up the trail, and could also get away easier if they were committing crimes along the trail.



The only motorized vehicles that are allowed are those owned by the DNS, which are used to maintain the trail, and enforce the laws.

We need to put a stop to these silly rumurs that there are cougars and bears on the Katy trail. It just isn't true. Please stop cluttering these forums up with your silliness and keep thing legit. Let me say it again. THERE ARE NO BEARS OR COUGARS ON THE KATY TRAIL! Everyone knows that all the bears and cougars were run off by bigfoot a long time ago.

A thread from 2007? Cougars do exist on the trail. Be nice to them one just might bring you home.

I have ridden the Katy Trail two years in a row and really enjoyed it but want to experience a new trail. I am heading north to the Black Hills in South Dakota over the Labor Day weekend and wanted to know if anyone had ridden the Mickelson Trail? Planning on riding the 109 mile trail from north to south over 2 days. Any advice or tips ahead of time would be greatly apprectiated. Thanks!!!

Don't have any tips or advice, but we plan to do the Mickelson Trail next year. I don't think it is as flat or smooth as the Katy, so we will prolly plan for 3 days North to South. Haven't figured out likely stopping/lodging spots yet. I do believe there are a couple of shuttle services operating though.

The trail surface is similar to the Katy, but there are long grades of several miles....not unbearable, but not like the Katy either. The landscape is very beautiful, especially Hill City and north with several tunnels to cool down in. The Alpine Inn is a good place to eat in Hill City....very affordable filet mignon.

I'm considering setting a goal of riding 400 hundred miles in the month of September on the Katy Trail. I LOVE my bike and I LOVE the trail.

Wish me luck.

Way to go! Get out there and do it! If you ride in the Bluffton area and want someone to talk to give me a shout. I'll ride along. Maybe some other folks might want to join you at different areas to make the ride more fun too.

Good Luck!! You are so lucky to live so close to the trail. I rode from St. Charles to Augusta and back and plan to ride from Augusta to Herman on my next trip to the Katy!! I have set a personal goal of 2000 miles for the year I am almost there less than 500 miles to go!! Good Luck!

Wow 2000 EXCELLENT! I live 5 miles North of Marthasville and ride the Katy almost every day. Doug gave me an idea that I could do the 400 miles on different parts of the trail NOT just the parts I'm use to...I'm thinking that would be really exciting and fun!



I'm glad the weather has gotten cooler for the next couple of days :-)

So I've been on the Katy on a race frame road bike and on a trail

bike. Recently I've begun riding a Trek Soho S with a flip-flop hub

(44-17). It's single speed on one side and a fixed gear on the other.

It has 700x28 tires. Has anyone had experience riding fixie on the

trail? Any reason to think twice about tackling that? My experience on

the Katy is limited to the Columbia-Boonville section, but I am

thinking about stretching my route out a bit, starting from St. Louis,

going to Columbia one day and then on to Boonville the next. I ride

hills and distance a fair bit fixed here in Kentucky and Southern

Indiana.

There is no problem riding the Katy with flip-flop hubs. I've done the entire trail end-to-end several times with both fixed gear and single speed. Also, I ride 700x25 tires. Since I live at the end of the trail I've done over several thousand miles with this bike on the trail, and love it!

I ride single speed alot on the trail and fixed from time to time. I think it is a great way to go especially since most people don't shift alot on the katy any how. It is low maintenance and quiet too.

That being said I thought I would try something for fun. I recently had a bike built for me that uses a internally geared hub. This means that that all the gears are inside the hub. They made 3 speed sturmey archer hubs for many years and they are bulletproof. Mine is one of the newer "red band" 9 speed hubs. This gives me the quiet dependable single speed type ride with a few extra gears if I go off trail for some hills. The bike is a surley crosscheck with fenders and mustache bars. I have not ridden it enough to know if I like it but felt it might be nice for some longer touring/camping type rides as this frame is rigged for loaded touring.Time will tell.

Enjoy your fixed gear on the trail , you can't go wrong!

Stopped here for lunch on July 21 on day two of a four day ride. Great service and food, even was able to plug in my smartphone for a quick carge while eating. They even offered to fill my water bottles with ice water.

Stopped here for lunch on July 21 on day two of a four day ride. Great service and food, even was able to plug in my smartphone for a quick carge while eating. They even offered to fill my water bottles with ice water.

where was it?

where was it?

http://mindfulcycling.com/post/891156665/safety
Helpful hints for a safe and fun time on the trail.

Excellent article - not just for the Katy trail but for the trails here in Overland Park. I can't begin to count the number of times that I've had to slam on my brakes because people just stop in the middle of the trail. On comment that I could add is that sometimes it's better not to call out "your left"...especially with kids. When you do, they tend to look, and then turn that direction, which causes more problems than just riding by them (assuming they are on the right side of the trail where they belong).

Thanks for the return comments. Let's just hope everyone has a safe and happy riding season.

When passing smaller kids, I usually call out that I'm coming around you on my bike. Saying on your left confuses them, especially if they don't know left from right.

Wife and I stopped here for some refreshments - wonderfully place. The restrooms were very clean and had AC which was welcomed on a hot day.

I have just had my second bad experience at the Trailside Cafe. I have not posted any comments prior to this one. I will say that it was with the same employee who is very rude and obviously is not concerned about return business. This person shouldn't be dealing with the public.



This past Friday evening my family went to Rocheport for a bike ride on the trail. We got there around 6:15. My wife is in the market for a new bike and I like the bike shop there so we stopped in to ask about new bikes and rent one for a test ride. The employee in question would not rent us a bike because there was not a full hour left in the day even though we said we would pay for the full hour. He also would not show us the new bikes. He was very rude about it and we felt somehow we were imposing on him by wanting to spend our money there. We were the only ones in the shop.



We had planned a nice evening of riding on the trial with our three kids and then having something to eat at Trailside.



My first bad experience with Trailside was on an extremely hot evening when I stopped in after my ride. My blood sugar got very low and I really needed a candy bar. As I walked up the board walk from the parking lot a man came out carrying a bucket. I said Hello. No responce but he was busy. As he walked back by and into the cafe I said, "Excuse me" and he turned and very rudely yelled, "WE'RE CLOSED!" and slammed the door.



I have had many, many good experiences at The Trailside Cafe and Bike Shop. They used to serve an excellent blackberry cobbler. This was years ago when the original couple owned it. They were always very nice and went our of their way to make people feel at ease.

I will probably still go to Trailside but not if I see this employee. The bike shop and employees there are very nice, knowledgeable and friendly.

Note that the shop closes at 7 though the website has the hours until 8. Which really means the bike rental closes at 6, which would helpful information to have posted on the website.



I am struck by the poor customer service we recieved. We are supposed to be in a bad economy with businesses shutting down all over the country. I wonder if what has happened to a lot of businesses is that people have gotten tighter with their money and are no longer willing to spend it anywhere that the service is poor. We are regulars to the Katy Trail but this employee didn't know where we were from or if we had any other experience at the Trailside Cafe. If it had been a first time experience...I would never return.

If you are open mined enough to return to the business after a couple of bad experiences, why would you never go back had the bad experience been a first time experience?



I would think after a bad first experience, you would also give a business the benefit of the doubt.

Daily Katy Trail User and Wife



Why don't you just stop going there - it sounds like it would be mutually beneficial.

Trek - You are apparently bound to dispute any negative comments.I would ask you to read the comments, location and how often we use the trail. My husband has been to Trailside MULTIPLE times and had the bad experience that he described. Did you read his last paragraph

"I have had many, many good experiences at The Trailside Cafe and Bike Shop. They used to serve an excellent blackberry cobbler. This was years ago when the original couple owned it. They were always very nice and went our of their way to make people feel at ease.

I will probably still go to Trailside but not if I see this employee. The bike shop and employees there are very nice, knowledgeable and friendly." How is that not a positive comment? We are describing an employee that was RUDE. Plain and simple. We are intelligent enough to not judge a business by one employee...but since it was the same person both times, felt the OWNERS should know. If I owned the business, I would want to know how my customers were being treated. So if your not the employee we are talking about, I don't see the relevance of your comment.

From Gary near Tebbetts MO:

Daily Katy Trail User and Wife



Why don't you just stop going there - it sounds like it would be mutually beneficial.



To Gary:

I believe our posts clearly stated that we have been customers on MULTIPLE occassions...my husband had one bad experience...then we had another last Friday. Both with the same employee. Felt if the Owners read the feedback we would want to know as owners. We are locals..supporters of the Katy Trail and our comment about a "first experience" was based on the many people that may stop there for the first time and if they experienced what we have on 2 of MULTIPLE occassions by the same employee - they would not return. Not sure why you felt giving us advise to not go there anymore would be "mutually beneficial". Our comments were honest feedback...just feel OWNERS should know how customers feel. Maybe we will see you on the Katy Trail or participating in the MS150 since you are passionate enough to comment on feedback that was honest, with no alternative motive, we then assume you are also out there giving back to the community...

From Gary near Tebbetts MO:

Daily Katy Trail User and Wife



Why don't you just stop going there - it sounds like it would be mutually beneficial.



To Gary:

I believe our posts clearly stated that we have been customers on MULTIPLE occassions...my husband had one bad experience...then we had another last Friday. Both with the same employee. Felt if the Owners read the feedback we would want to know as owners. We are locals..supporters of the Katy Trail and our comment about a "first experience" was based on the many people that may stop there for the first time and if they experienced what we have on 2 of MULTIPLE occassions by the same employee - they would not return. Not sure why you felt giving us advise to not go there anymore would be "mutually beneficial". Our comments were honest feedback...just feel OWNERS should know how customers feel. Maybe we will see you on the Katy Trail or participating in the MS150 since you are passionate enough to comment on feedback that was honest, with no alternative motive, we then assume you are also out there giving back to the community...

Okay....nix my first question. It's too hot out for that one.



Here's a new one though beings you feel so strong about the experiences encountered with said employee. Did you tell the owner of the business?

We posted a comment assuming the owners read the feedback. Would have done so on the business' website but is is under construction. I believe our feedback is clear and no further replies to your comments will be placed.

Knowing their website was under construction, and it has been for some time now, I don't know that I'd assume that they are big web users. Without airing your complaints with Larry, all that has happened is that the users here know that someone has a beef with a mystery employee. Probably nothing has been done to solve the problem.

Trek,



Get a job other than disputing constructive critism about which you have no first hand knowledge.

I have an idea...what don't you tell your buddy Larry. I'm sure he knows who was working Friday evening. For all I know it was Larry.

I've no plans to be in Rocheport anytime soon....you all are local and could probably better handle it yourselves.

If you are in the market for a Raleigh bike go to the Hartsburg Cycle Depot in Jefferson City and let Pam and Mark Allchorn fit you for a bike, They are NEVER HATEFUL OR SURELY and they KNOW BIKES! They are across from West elementary School.

I dunno about all that. Most business owners understand that an unhappy customer is much more likely to complain to their own friends and neighbors than to take their complaint to the owner. So a business owner who really wants to be successful will do all they can to solicit and seek out any complaints. A business owner who really wants to be successful will keep an eye on their employees and seek out feedback on them, because every action an employee takes, is done as a representative of that business owner.



If you are treated rudely at a business, especially if it happens twice like in this case, then you have every right to warn others to avoid that business. And you really have no obligation to seek out the owner. It would be nice to do, but most peoples’ lives are far too busy to take on the responsibility of being some business owners’ eyes and ears.



If Larry can’t run his business well by hiring non-abusive employees, then it’s his own self-inflicted problem. That sounds harsh, but running a business puts you out there in a harsh world. Mistreated customers really have no obligation to track him down and let him know.

It's not difficult to seek out an owner or manager on the spot when you receive poor product or service. I'm more inclined to tell the owner/manager at the time of my dissappointment than to try to tell the world behind their back later on. Doing so after the fact requires much greater effort for me. Otherwise, I just figure someone had a bad day and if it wasn't a big enough deal for me to speak up at the time, then I should just give them the benefit of the doubt and move on.

Larry might have bigger problems than an abusive employee. http://www.columbiatribune.com/news/2010/aug/13/suspected-burglars-kick-in-door-at-deputys-house/

I guess things are just done differently here in Oklahoma. If a business stops renting at 6 then we assume that this is when they stop renting. If a store is closed I wouldn't dream of asking them to reopen for me. If you live in the town then why wait until 6:15 to go look at bikes? Wouldn't you want time to really look over the bikes, it doesn't seem that 45 minutes would be enough time for that. The towns small enough that you surely knew the closing times ahead of time. I wouldn't wish bad customer service on anyone but I also wouldn't wish bad customers on any clerk. I know that most stores have rules about reopening once they've closed for the day, even if it's just to sell a candy bar. I have worked in retail and customer service for 20+years and once the store is closed it's closed.

Anybody find a red digital camera?

We are new owners and are currently open with limited items. The Grand Opening is scheduled for September 11th and 12th, 2010. Happy Trails!

Wishing you much success in your new business.

So, are you in the train car just east of hwy 47 on the trail? Good luck with your business!!!!

Ray, Yes, K.T. Caboose is the same location/railcar as Choo Choo's was. I went by there last week. Hopefully, the new owners will email you their hours and contact info so you can update this site.

My wife and I stopped there the last two days. Noreen is very friendly and is excited to be open for business. She makes her own ice cream, which is very nice on a 100 degree day. She has big plans to add services and it sounds as if Marthasville is coming alive with new businesses. I sure hope so! You will want to stop by and check out her four person Surrey quadracycle that she rents out by the hour or the day.

My whole family just visited the Caboose tonight! Yummy treats on a hot night in August! Way to go Noreen! We'll be frequent customers!

A must stop on the Katy Trail excellent products and service. Thank you Noreen for the water and ice cream on a very hot August day.

They have yummy shaved ice and some healthy alternatives too. Come check them out!