Katy Trail Forum

A biker commented recently that he was going to store items along the trail as most places are closed in the winter. Towns along the trail are working on Heritage Tourism and are wanting to band together on a Manitou Bluffs Organizationn that would include winerys, delis, bike shops, goat cheese farms, melons, grapes etc. Perhaps an organization such as this could also provide items needed for bikers as they play a large part of tourism for the little towns along the trail. What items are you talking about. Hartsburg is interested in year round visitors. Lets talk.

Don't bike shops, grocery stores, etc. now provide items for bikers? I've not needed goat cheese or melons on any trips on the Katy, but I guess I'm not really sure what you are talking about michael. Although at times a well stocked bike shop every ten miles would be handy, I don't see the feasibility.

In Sedalia there is lots of things open for Trail Riders. Restaurants, grocery stores, bike

shops and Katy Trail souviners. Call for any directions to these places, most are within 6

blocks or less of the trailheads.

Linda

While the average marathon biker wouldn't like an organization consisting of B & B's, cafes, delis, goat cheese farms, pumpkin farms etc we think many people would see us as a destination. Somewhere to go and stay a week and to sample 100 to 200 business in our organization. It has worked well in the area south of St Louis and we are now trying to organize here. Some or all of these business might be willing to have on hand items needed for bikers or hikers or joggers if we knew of the need. The Manitou Bluffs group met yesterday for the first time and are in the preliminary stages of getting organized. Anyone along the KATY Trail or MISSOURI River should be interested as this could increase usage and facilities.

My appologies for my confusion....but I still am trying to understand what it is that you are talking about. What do you mean that the average marathon biker wouldn't like an organization consisting of B & B's, etc.? Why or how so? All bike riders sleep and eat at some point in time. And how are people to arrive at an organization as a trip destination? Is this so called organization a place? What is actually happening south of St. Louis that we should be interested in?

The Missouri Regional Cuisines Project began in Missouri, south of St Louis, as the Mississippi River Hills project in 2003. Future projects will be the Manitou Bluffs (Boonville to Hermann), The Old Trails Region (Boonville to KC), and Missouri River Valley, (Hermann to St Louis). It helps promote and market Missouri wine and food products based on ecological regions in the state. The target audience is regional food producers, wineries, tourism destinations. locally owned B & Bs, resturants and arts and crafts shops featuring Missouri products, and economic and tourism development. By banding together it is our hope that all of the above can pool their resources to help each other in advertising the KATY Trail and the Missouri River and its attractions. By helping each other, through advertising, money and meetings we hope to increase usage of the trail and river which should help riders on the trail. More business could mean more places to get supplies or get a tire fixed or a place to stay that is historically interesting enough to get you to stay there and to find out more about the entire area. For more info you should contact Dr Elizabeth Barham. Leader, Missouri Regional Cuisines Project of the University of Missouri. her EMAIL is http://extension.missouri.edu/cuisines. I think a plan to organize and share will help us all as we try to increase tourism and usage of these two great resources.

I have had the pleasure of riding the KATY on many occassions over the past 4 years including a 3 day through ride from Clinton to St. Charles 2 years ago this week and a 32 mile section of it as recently as a week ago.



One thing I would find helpful is some consistency in when shops and restuarants are opened. I realize it is hard for shop keepers, etc. to be open all of the time as they are most often "mom and pop" businesses, but I have often been surprised that something is closed during what I would consider to be fairly standard/normal times.



I now never leave for a ride on the KATY without calling the places I depend on for resupply to make sure they are going to be opened. That is kind of a hassle, but maybe it is the only option/solution.



My wife is not interested in riding as I am, but is often ready to come along with me to search some of the small speciality stores, antique shops or other shopping adventures along the KATY. She will always be interested in more options in that regard.



The KATY is a phenominal resource in my opinion. Every time I ride it I applaud the visionary leadership that went into it's creation and the work that goes into to keeping it in such good condition.



I wish my state of residence (neighboring Kansas) had leadership that was willing to think in such visionary ways and on such a grand scale. Despite good faith efforts on the part of a few, there does not seem to be the political will to take such bold steps.



Best wishes in your promotion of the trail.

I agree with ElToro on open hours. For the working folk that wants to hit the trail for a few days, a very viable option is to use a couple of vacation days in conjunction with the weekend.



If we burn a Thursday and a Friday we are generally ok finding places open along the trail because we are heading home on the Sunday closed shop day. But if we go Monday and Tuesday, then with Sunday and Monday closings we are bound to find ourselves looking at closed doors for two days in the middle of the trip.



Because we're from Missouri and ride often, we know the Monday closed gig and carry an adequate supply of food and water. And we use this site to find out who is open and when and carry that information with us when we ride. For those that are less familiar with the trail closings it is probably a bigger issue when they get stranded out....and then they post here wondering what on earth the deal is beings they got shanked into being stuck out on the trail without the basics.

There can never be too many stops along the trail. There are stretches that are quite long,

and if one store is closed for the day/season--it can be a long stretch for water or a snack.

We try to pack along as much as we can, but like to stop and grab bottles of water and

snacks/light lunch (ice cream in the summer!) when available. Even installing a soda

machine out front is a godsend. I understand winter is not peak season, but there are still

some of us out there, happy to support the locals. (Our new retirement plan is a house

along the trail, where I can sell snacks from my rocker on the front porch! A box of

cookies and cooler of water on the honor system for days I sleep in!)

The Hartsburg Cycle Depot,now in Jefferson city, is looking into installing a dispensing machine, much like a coke machine, that would dispense tubes, stems etc in Hartsburg. Has anyone ever tried one of these? Would you use it? I guess it could also put out water or ????

If there was a machine like that, I think it would be beneficial to have a credit card slot on it as well. I'm sure a lot of people will have cash with them, but I'm sure most will have debit/credit cards along to save weight......and they are a bit more secure along the trail.

For anyone who likes outstanding root beer floats, this is the place!!!

For anyone who likes outstanding root beer floats, this is the place!!!

The young man and woman that were working in there last Friday didn't impress me one bit. I would be very surprised if they knew their own names.....

The young man and woman that were working in there last Friday didn't impress me one bit. I would be very surprised if they knew their own names.....

What would it take to make you happy, Jason?

What would it take to make you happy, Jason?

He probably needs a new mask.

He probably needs a new mask.

Jason....with several threads here about businesses along the trail learning to become biker friendly, it may be prudent to keep in mind that there exists a two way street between the biker and the business. Comments that imply that someone is so challenged that they don't even know their own name does little to build a good working relationship between the Katy rider and the business that we wish to serve us.



You can be part of the solution....or you can be part of the problem.



You had a bad experience at the Trailside.....so be it. It is not always someone elses fault when that happens. You can continue to bash them here at will....but in this case, they are not the one looking immature.

Jason....with several threads here about businesses along the trail learning to become biker friendly, it may be prudent to keep in mind that there exists a two way street between the biker and the business. Comments that imply that someone is so challenged that they don't even know their own name does little to build a good working relationship between the Katy rider and the business that we wish to serve us.



You can be part of the solution....or you can be part of the problem.



You had a bad experience at the Trailside.....so be it. It is not always someone elses fault when that happens. You can continue to bash them here at will....but in this case, they are not the one looking immature.

I'm actually just having fun with EB. Chill....

I'm actually just having fun with EB. Chill....

The problem with such comments is that folks cannot "read between the lines" and know this was done in fun, and thus assume it is a negative comment on the business, person, service, or whatever.



Let's keep life positive!

The problem with such comments is that folks cannot "read between the lines" and know this was done in fun, and thus assume it is a negative comment on the business, person, service, or whatever.



Let's keep life positive!

Oh, it was originally a negative comment on the everything you listed. I was not impressed at all, but it has seemed to have turned into a bit of a fun crow-fest with EB, which is sorta fun too. lol

Oh, it was originally a negative comment on the everything you listed. I was not impressed at all, but it has seemed to have turned into a bit of a fun crow-fest with EB, which is sorta fun too. lol

Is there some reason why the small towns that support the Katy Trail and their visitors/riders don't have a list and phone numbers of nearby B&B's, hotels, etc...? I only bring this up because I was stuck out on the trail, behind schedule (because of the weather) and I could not get to where I was planning on going before nightfall. The bike rental guy in Rocheport and his two co-workers in the restaurant next to the bike rental were quite possibly the most unhelpful people I have ever met in my life. They weren't unfriendly, but they didn't go out of their way to be nice either. The kid working at Catfish Katy's was very nice but he had no clue about anything on the Katy other than the mileage chart he had posted on the wall, which was the same map I had in my pack.....no help there either. I asked both of these places if they had phone numbers of any hotels or someone that I could pay to give me a ride and they all looked at me like a deer in headlights. I'm only bringing this up because I had to ride for over 2hrs in the pitch black (no moon because of cloud cover) along the Katy until I got to Hartsburg because nobody would help out whatsoever. I'll leave my good feedback about the wonderful town of Hartsburg on another topic......

I sympathize with your plight. It could not be fun riding the trail in the dark. But I might add that it's the rider's job to be prepared for instances like this, not every business along the trail. They are concentrating on running their own business, not everyone elses. Having the Bret Darfur (sp?) Katy Trail book would have been a great help to you. That's an easy thing to carry in a pack. It would at least give you your options at each trailhead.

I was actually well prepared except I opted to not bring my tent this year, which was a minor mistake. Here's my take on this......if the business owners along the Katy want to get their Katy business back to the way it was before the '93 floods, then they should consider being a bit more accommodating to the people that support their businesses. Offering to pick up a phone book or even offering to call one of the other small towns along the trail would have been a very nice gesture. The townspeople of Hartsburg and the Mayor and her husband were extremely nice and helpful and I will gladly spend my money in their town in hopes that they will rub off on some of the other surrounding towns.

When you travel by car and wheel into a town....do you expect any given business to have "a list and phone numbers of nearby B&B's, hotels, etc?" Do you expect them to pay for a long distance call to the next three towns down the road? The Plan a Ride feature of this website is a great way to generate a list of businesses in towns that you are traveling through. And then when carrying your own cell phone and customized list.....the burden to find information about upcoming towns falls where it should be.

I agree with trek. It doesn't sound like you were as well prepared as you should have been.

I was under the impression that part of the allure of the Katy Trail was the rustic solitude? In my mind rustic solitude includes having to rough it a bit and calls for appropriate planning. I know it's a long way from Johnson County, KS where there is a helpful, smiling, soul on every corner but being a long way from Johnson County is one of the most appealing aspects of the Katy.

So bring a flashlight, some rain gear, and an intrepid attitude next time you visit the trail!

Well, in case you weren't aware, the park (and trail) are closed after nightfall. Being from Johnson County has nothing to do with it as I see it, but whatever. That's a pretty typical response from people that don't live where I live though. Also, go ahead and ride 100mi of the Katy in one day and still have 30mi to go at dusk and then tell me how thrilled you are that nobody will raise a finger to help you. The simple point is that I asked if someone could help me with a phone number (didn't ask anyone to call Jeff City for me) and everyone stood there looking dumb and unwilling to even attempt to help. I guess since the perception of JoCo is that there is a "smiling soul on every corner", then I should just get a limo and drive the Katy next year and hand out caviar to the people we pass along the trail. We might even turn on the headlights and drive down the trail in the dark too.

I have had a couple of good experiences with people going out of their way to help me while I was having trouble on the trail. Once while riding the trail, my friend lost his car key and cell phone somewhere between Dutzow and Treloar. Basically, the last place we saw the key and phone was Dutzow, and we didn't realize that they were missing until Treloar. A post office employee in Marthasville let us into the post office after hours so we could phone someone about meeting us somewhere with a spare key. Also, while searching for the lost items, we ran into a couple of guys out of Graham Cave Park working on a trail bridge who not only let us use their phone to make multiple calls, but they also chased us down after we had rode off because someone that we had called had called their phone back. The reason I am posting this story is because I feel that Jason's experience is an exception not the norm for the trail.

I agree with Matt. I don't think anyone should expect people to go out of there way for you just because you have had a long day. As part of the planning process I would suggest planning a trip you can handle. Maybe even try training a little before you go. We leave Wednesday and I'll let you know if anyone helps us out when it's cold, wet, and lonely. Keep you chin up, Jason! You can always swing by Dean and Deluca and share your story of woe over a strong mocha latte!

Dang EB, it almost sounds like you don't like people from Johnson County? Not sure what all of the angst is about, but at least Matt and the others had reasonable things to say that were somewhat constructive. I don't disagree with Matt that this might have been an isolated incident, but aside from phone books of all of the surrounding towns, I was well prepared for my ride and I don't think that people that rely on Katy Trail riders and tourists should shun people looking for help. Looks as if I'm the only person this has happened to. Good luck...

Just having some fun while defending the fine people of central Missouri. You'll be happy to hear it's supposed to rain the entire trip.

Never happy to hear that, that trail gets nasty when it's raining. Every time I'm on that trail and it rains, my butler ends up spending countless hours cleaning my bike on our tour bus that night.

Jason

It is a bummer that you felt shunned. Sounds to me if you had your tent with you, you would have roughed it. Gotta blame yourself for that one. I can seriously sympathize with you on riding in pitch black. The first time my brother and I rode the Katy, we started in Clinton and set out for Hartsburg, where our elderly mother lives. We wanted to freak her out by knocking on her door....on our bikes!

Didnt work that way. I blame bad planning. We got started a 2pm that Saturday. Well, needless to say, we didnt make it to Moms by sundown! We rode in pitch black for 30 minutes until we hit Sedalia. We hit a motel that night and got started at 9am Sunday. We pulled into Boonville at 5pm. That was when we called Mom and had her come rescue us. No need to mention the level of embarrasment we experinced. My prostate was mashed so flat from the ride that I couldnt make water for 2 days!! When we put time to miles, we had gone 72 miles in 28 hours. That was on a Memorial day weekend. We decided to come back Labor day and try it again. We did, but with a SOLID plan.

My hat is off to you for taking a 100 mile ride in October, especially in inclinate weather. Email me backchannel fitzwell66@yahoo.com if you want to tackle the ol' MKT again. My brother is in Maddagascar, and I cant find anyone to ride with.

I sure wish you didnt come away with a bad taste over your incedent. There's always next time.

Jason

I forgot in my last post-you bring the caviar, and i'll bring the gizzards!



Pat the Maniak

I do sympathize. This is a customer service industry and referrals should come back to the

business owner tenfold. HOWEVER, as I recall, this is a rather desolate part of the trail.

They can't recommend a B&B if there isn't one! That's why you need to plan ahead for

certain areas of the trail (with contingency plans for your plans and a list of phone numbers

from this website). Lesson learned--move on.