Reply to Mokane Lion's Club Park

Brett Dufer's Katy Trail Guide Book states that one can camp for free at the Lion's Club Park in Mokane (after contacting Marshall Skelton at 573-676-5127). True, but don't consider this for any reason. This town does not go to sleep. During our stay September 30 - October 1, I was awake from 11:10 PM to 5:15 AM, trying to stay hidden in the shadows and fearing for our personal safety. We were kept awake by motorcycle racing on the town streets, yelling and loud talking, and squeeling tires. At 1:30 AM, someone decided to build a bonfire on a property adjacent to the park, and this fire was kept going until 4:30 AM by periodically throwing gasoline (or some other flamable liquid) on the fire. These people obviously don't have a lot to entertain themselves with, and I was afraid that if they saw 2 tents in the park, it would give them something to do: investigate and harass the campers (us). Fortunately, nobody saw us. When the crack of dawn came, we got the hell out of Dodge. My riding partner told me that one of the locals told him the night before that Mokane has no local law enforcement - they only have the county sheriff. Very obvious. Also, (not that this matters much) but the toilet buildings at the park looked about as good as a Chicago or New York City tenement.