Reply to Article from Boonville Daily News 2/8/07 "making Boonville bike friendly"

I believe Mr Cannon posted here a year or two ago seeking ideas.
http://www.boonvilledailynews.com/articles/2007/02/08/news/news2.txt

That is an interesting article, but I don’t necessarily agree with their perception of themselves. We have found the folks in Booneville to be very accommodating.

The Comfort Inn has let us take our bikes to our room. And I’ve left my car in their parking lot while we were out on the trail for a few days.

The Riverside Diner people are very friendly. I’ve been there with a group of riders, as a group of two, and by myself. Each time it was very obvious that we were biking. We were treated kind….just like everyone else.

On a solo ride last May I rode beside an elderly gentleman and then a 40’ish woman as they were on a morning walk. I quizzed them about their town and infamous Lard Hill. They each were very friendly and openly shared their knowledge of Booneville. In turn they each quizzed me about my trip wondering about the gear I was hauling and how long I’d been on the trail.

On our first trip to Booneville we found it very confusing getting from the Comfort Inn/Holiday Inn Express area to the Katy. I’m not sure that we would have found the motel had we been arriving from the Katy. It is not clearly marked going either direction. Directional signs may help, but I’d really hate to see billboards along the Katy.

Having crossed the river bridge several times, it seems that often times the bike lane has plenty of broken. Glass is a concern on most roads though. It would be nice to be able to ride the bridge without broken glass, but I don’t expect anyone to be out there every morning sweeping off the bike path.

We seem to migrate to points between Rocheport and Hermann. But we like Booneville and have included them many times on our trips and will continue to do so because we’ve found them to be biker friendly.

It’s nice to know that the town folks are concerned, but don’t be too hard on yourself Booneville.

I certainly did not see Boonville as being unfriendly or abnormally confusing. However having said that IMO all of the trail towns could possably enhance business from the trail if they posted a useable map at the trail head. We often did not depart from the trail because of not knowing the direction or distance of a particular store, resturant, etc.

Because of the excellent instructions posted here by Trek Biker we had no problem finding the Comfort Inn, however without those instructions we would have never found it. Our experience there was not the high point of the trip. This was the only lodging that penalized us for not taking up space in their parking lot. I had to pay $5 (don't remember if that was per bike or just a flat fee) to store the bikes in our already small room. Several other hotels went out of their way to accomodate our bikes including the Comfort Inn in Sedalia, The pool was cold, the hot tub jets didn't work and the AC was marginal. On the up side the hosts were polite and did offer us a ride into town.

These are just my observations. If I were to (when I do) plan another trip on the KATY I would probably stay in Boonville again, though I would most likely find a different place to lodge.

I figure it's the Daily News' attempt at 'provocative journalism', a more accurate headline would have read "...making Boonville more bike friendly". Anyway, I think Mr Cannon has some good ideas.

I like the idea of a kiosk at the end of the bridge, and more signage. That being said, I have found Boonville to be just fine in terms of being "trail-friendly."
As is my usual suggestion, I would love to see water available somewhere between the end of the bridge and where it turns back onto the original railbed. There is a little turnoff that would be a nice spot for a faucet

"I would love to see water available somewhere between the end of the bridge and where it turns back onto the original railbed." ???

If you are traveling east to west on the trail and cross the MO river.....there is water at the trailhead (and a gas station/C Store) just about 1/2 mile on down the trail.

If you are traveling west to east on the trail and are fixin to cross the MO river....you would have just past water at the trailhead (and a gas station/C Store) just about 1/2 mile back.

That's true, Trek. My bad.

Since I am a walker, I was recalling a hike from Rocheport to Boonville in August. I had left New Franklin/Franklin and trudged the three miles or so in 100-degree weather in full sunlight.I got to the turnoff that heads for the Boonslick Bridge and had just chugged another 1.5 liters of water and was hoping for a place to refill, to no avail. It was a hot, dry walk into Boonville.

Days like those sure make me envy you riders.