Reply to Warning! If you want food, plan ahead!

I rode from Defiance to Rocheport on August 18 and 19. I looked at the trail map and there seemed to be places to eat in almost every town. I had a supply of energy bars and I thought I could stop at the local places along the way when I was hungry.
Warning! Warning! Many of those places were out of business and all had limited hours. I went 100 miles the first day with one meal, a piece of room temperature lasagne in Tebbetts. The second day I found only one place, Lucy's at McBane, where I had chicken strips and French fries.
I finished in Rocheport which has five places listed. The Trailside Cafe and Bike Shop was closed on Wednesdays, Abigal's is closed during the afternoon and the General Store Cafe does not keep regular business hours. I had to settle for a Coke from a vending machine.
Many thanks and blessings to the lady at Richard Saunders Inc. who was kind enough to offer me a glass of water at their lovely antique and craft shop.
There are many other comments about places being closed or out of business so I would suggest calling ahead and paying special attention to the listed business hours. Another solution would be to plan time to go off trail to some of the larger cities. Hermann and Jefferson City looked the most promising.

Yeap, plan ahead. I ride on the eastern end of the trail a lot, and I could be wrong, but I am not aware of any business that is listed on this website that is currently completely out of business. However, there are certainly a lot of businesses that have been open at some point in the last five years, that are now shut down.

Yeah, this is rural America, for the most part, off the interstate. A place might even be closed due to sickness or lack of buisness. We always bring tuna packs, crakers, Pop-tarts, sardines, Gaderaide powder, even beer... I'm not against stopping for food and beverage at Augusta or Treloar; I just don't want want to starve because everyone in town went to Aunt Polly's funeral.

You are a little off on your claims of nowhere you eat along the trail. I have done the entire trail, and know there is food in the cites you passed. Augusta has the Brewery, there are two or three restaurants near Treloar. When planning a trip, look at the towns population. That will tell you the likelihood of finding food. It is not as bad as you are making it seem.

Planning ahead is good. Use the plan a ride option above and print out the list of food places along you way. Use the phone numbers to call ahead to make sure they are open, how to get to their business if you are not familiar with the area and what they serve. Keep the list with you along the ride in case you have a change in plans.

Also there is a a trail called the MKT Trail right before McBaine at Hindman Junction. If you
take the MKT into Columbia (approximately 8 miles) it is a college town with a population of
over 100,000 and has many places to eat in downtown Columbia. I agree that many places
have odd hours and best to be prepared ahead of time! I also believe the Thai Kitchen lady
still operates her magic at Harpers Landing..but again different hours.

The MKT Nature and Fitness Trail connects the Katy Trail to Columbia. The name Katy was originated from the initials of the rail line. The MKT. You may find Thai food at Cooper's Landing.

Its Cooper's Landing but yes the Thai Lady is there most days. AND soon you will have The Big Muddy in Hartsburg open (7) seven days a week for food and fun.

When traveling shouldn't you always plan ahead unless you just want to create some personal drama? Have you not ever had to drive to the next town to find a place to eat or sleep? Traveling by bike is a bit different when you are tired and have to ride to the next town for food or lodging, but didn't you know that you were traveling by bike?

Warning! Warning! people with very, very short memories on the trail!!

Because some of the bar-grills and other food outlets keep comparitively odd hours, trail riders might want to carry emergency munch supplies in a small cooler bag.

We might also want to lean on the markets and convenience stores in addition to the cafes. They seem to keep steady hours during the week. But they are not always next to the trail.

Today, I had a nice lunch at the market in Mokane: a ham-salad sandwich, cruncy chips, and a diet cola. Cost: $3.87. I could have added a giant candy bar for desert, too. It's only 1.5 blocks north of the trail. :)