just finished entire trail

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Clay from Albuquerque NM on 8/1/2011 7:42:40 PM:

Just finished the entire trail. Started at 6 pm in Clinton on Wed July 27 and finished Mon morning 8/1 in Machens. First 16 miles from Clinton to Windsor was in the early evening. After that, I started by 6 am and covered 60 miles to New Franklin, 73 miles from NF to Portland, 20 miles to Hermann (very nice town), 63 miles to St Chas, then the final 10 mile in to Machens/10 mile back. Extremely hot. Manageable with early morning departures, my loving wife providing tremendous support in a rented RV, vast amounts of trail shade, available publiic water (more in the west), tons of carbs and calories, and occasional rest. Tremendous history lesson, too, with all the Lewis & Clark sites. This trail is remarkable in so many ways. If anyone is interested in more detail, contact me offline at spoon24@swcp.com. Clay

Wil on 8/2/2011 1:07:37 PM:

Was all of the trail open? When we rode over the 4th of July holiday, sections around Rocheport were closed due to flooding.

Pam from Independence on 8/2/2011 1:52:38 PM:

They are all open.

Darrell from Jefferson City, MO. on 8/2/2011 5:12:46 PM:

Congrats Clay, quite the feat, especially considering the heat.

Clay from Albuquerque NM on 8/2/2011 10:09:07 PM:

Flooding was evident in a few areas, and only a short distance of the trail (< 1/4 mile) was even damp with mud that stuck to my tires. It was near the Overton area in the bluffs (as told to me by a local, but i never saw a reference to that name) where the fed govt bought out private farm land after the 1993 flood. There was one small bridge in the Augusta area that was one way because one side of it was leaning. But safe overall. For 240 miles, I thought the trail was surprisingly smooth.

Billy from Mokane on 8/5/2011 7:29:11 PM:

Thanks for an informative report Clay.

gotpugs from Indian Rocks Beach, Florida on 8/17/2011 1:57:38 PM:

I will be riding between Machens and Clifton City with a tour group in October on a recumbent with narrow street tires and want to know if my bike will be able to handle the terrain of the trail. I appreciate your response.

Clay from Albuquerque on 8/19/2011 5:34:19 PM:

Narrow street tires could work, but truthfully I found my cyclocross knobbies to work very well by providing a level of cushion to the trail. I felt very little resistance where rubber met pug and was able to comfortably average 12-13 mph. The trail is remarkably smooth throughout, but I will say that the first 10 miles from Machens to St. Charles was lumpy in long stretches. It was recently constructed. I have a zoomed in pic of the surface, as well as some wider views. Contact me offline and I'll send them. Good luck. Clay

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