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Reply to Trip Report - Sedalia to St. Charles
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Bruce from Gilbert AZ on 5/29/2014 11:06:30 PM:
My wife and I completed our first Katy Trail trip last week. We're recreational cyclists and made it a leisurely trip, with 38 miles as our longest day. This website was a tremendous help. Here are some of the highlights and recommendations:

1. Rendleman Home B&B in Blufton. Doug was a great host, a good cook, and just a blast to talk to.
2. Katy Junction B&B in Pilot Grove. Jerry is the new owner. He was very friendly and made us a cook-to-order breakfast. He has plans to improve the home and make it even better.
3. Katy Trail B&B in Rocheport. The Jefferson room was very comfortable. The do-it-yourself continental breakfast had a very big selection. This is a great location and Tawnee was very nice. We walked to the A-Frame at Les Bourgeois for a bottle of wine and a some food. This was a good option for a Monday when most restaurants are closed.
4. Mokane Bar and Grill. Terrific burgers for lunch.
5. Cooper's Landing. They put together a beef brisket sandwich for us that was huge and delicious. Friendly people there too.
6. Bike Stop Cafe in St. Charles. Tony hooked us up with rental bikes which were perfect for the trail. We had a couple of flats but had everything we needed to fix them.

A couple of tips to share with others planning their first trip:
--Don't run over large stick on the trail if possible. There are 3-foot snakes that look like sticks. One poor man dislocated his shoulder when he ran over a real stick, got it lodged between his spokes and his fender, and wiped out.
--The views are wonderful, but be careful not to drift off the side of the trail while looking around If you have panniers with 20 - 30 pounds of gear, it would be easy to lose control if you drift toward the bank at the edge of the trail.
--Stand up for a few seconds as you reach each mile marker. It feel good to stretch your legs and gives your butt a break. Doug Rendleman gets credit fo

 
Anon on 5/31/2014 8:33:24 AM:
Bruce, I could tell you are a newbie to this trail ride stuff. But enjoyed your travel log. No snakes in Gilbert my man? Got to keep your head down on the trail to avoid moving sticks. Your butt must be pretty soft to stand up at each mile marker. Thanks for your comments. Come back ya hear!

 
Darrell from Jeff City, Mo. on 5/31/2014 12:54:45 PM:
Way to go Bruce! Sounds like you and your wife enjoyed your trip on the Katy. And, thanks for your input, it's helpful to all of us.

But man, I gotta ask, what does Doug get credit fo ???

 
Marti from Boise, ID on 5/31/2014 11:15:46 PM:
I really appreciated the ccomments by Bruce from Gilbert. I'm headed that direction on a road trip back to Illinois. I rode the Katy Trail from Sedalia to St. Charles in late September 1997 with my daughter who was 11 months old at the time. She was in the Burley bike trailer. We stayed at the B & B's that would allow a kid. Doug Rendleman's was one of them back then, Also stayed at the Globe Hotel in Hartsburg which was still recuperating from the 500 year flood on the MIssouri River. Camped out one night in Frankline at the Katy Roadhouse campground. We didn't have a tent or even sleeping bags but they rounded up enough stuff for us. Hottest, muggiest night ever in late September with no breeze. Glad when the humidity subsided We had a good trip. This time I'll just be parking my SUV in one town, probably Franklin and camping and doing day rides for a couple days. This trail is a treasure. If I lived in the Midwest I'd be on this all the time. Hey, and I've eaten at the Mokane Market. There was a lady who was 92 when we went there and she made us the sandwiches on the day they were closed. She was a real sweetie, but obviously has passed away by now. My folks grew up in Missouri and I was born in Springfield, though our farm was in Republic. I appreciate the folks along the trail. And all this wining about water. OMG. Some of these riders need to be better prepared and get a life. You'd never survive a mountain bike ride in Idaho, that's for sure.