Reply to Lemonade out of lemons

So, I've been planning my second trip on the Katy for almost a year. My intention was to ride from Pilot Grove to Jefferson City, taking my time to photograph and video many of the most scenic areas and historic spots, ie; Rocheport tunnel, explosive bunker used by the RR etc.

Obviously the rains came and that is now history. However, I couldn't change my dates of riding, so I received the daily updates from the forum, thanks to all of you, and decided I was going to do my part of spending some money along the trail.

So, on 6-15, I want to give a shout out to Jerry at the Katy Junction B & B in Pilot Grove. A friendly host who make a "mean omelette" to send you off in the morning. Rode as far as Boonville where the trail was under water and the bridge being blocked made it a tourist attraction to walk over and view the flooded land. I might add that I rode over the bridge and returned on the highway portion of the bridge, where I did not encounter one car. Won't be able to do that ever again. Even rode in the middle of the highway.

Ate lunch at the Breaddough Pizza Parlor in Boonville. Very good pizza, enjoyed with Gelato for dessert .

The Boonville train depot has a great little bike shop that I bought a Katy Trail t-shirt that was somewhat different than others I have seen. I believe the bike shop owner designed it. Very nice and reasonable price.

The trail between these two towns was excellent and even though it was a short ride, it was enjoyable due to the condition and weather. I rode back to Pilot Grove for the night.

The next day, 6-16 I loaded up my bike and drove over to Rocheport by coming in from the East off I-70 as this road wasn't blocked. The trail to the Rocheport Tunnel is open from the Rocheport side, but blocked after exiting the tunnel. This was one of my "must see" places. After several photo shoots at the tunnel I then headed East on the trail toward Hartsburg. Hoping to get through on the trail. Didn't make it due to the flooding.

So, I rode as far as possible East bound and then turned around and rode back to Rocheport.
The Trailside Cafe was a great place for a meal. It wasn't crowded. but was doing a good deal of cooking. Had a wonderful meal and called it a day, staying at the Katy Trail B&B. Due to cancellations, I had the whole house with the Jefferson Room to myself. Very nice accommodations. The next morning, Sunday, I headed over to the Trails side Cafe and discovered the place was so busy you had to give your name and wait. But, it was worth it.

That day I rode over to Columbia and scouted that cute city.

So, all in all the trip wasn't what I had planned, however with a little help from the forum and earlier riders I adjusted and still had a great time, riding short distances, meeting the local people and slowing down long enough to even shop a little and smell the roses, instead of flying by as I had done in the past.

Water is receding every day and work on the trail has probably started in sections. The small towns are really hurting from cancellations but they're remaining open in hopes we riders will stop by.

Enjoy the ride, there are a lot of open sections of the trail and with a little planning on your part you can also ride some of the flooded areas to see the beautiful bluffs and meet some very nice townsfolk.

Jim,
Arvada, CO

Very nice note, thanks for sharing.

Even at "flood stage" most of the Katy remains above water. Flood stage has many levels, minor, moderate and major.
ALL THE PREDICTIONS COMING FROM THE ADVANCED HYDRAULIC PREDICTION SERVICE are showing only MINOR FLOODING at all gauges. Most of the trail should be back up and running in a couple weeks.
https://water.weather.gov/ahps2/hydrograph.php?wfo=lsx&gage=gscm7

Most of the trail should be back up and running in a couple weeks.

Is that information from the DNR Tony?

The water might recede and the trail might dry out in a few weeks. HOWEVER, it is probably going to be months before the trail is repaired end-to-end. There are lots of washouts (some more than 50 feet wide) and there will be sand/mud covering the trail as well.

My point exactly.

Unless the DNR has released that statement, it’s an unfair and unrealistic statement to make and may lead people on to believing something that is not true.

Who knows, maybe Tony will confirm his source is reliable.

While there is considerable damage for DNR to deal with, that does not make Tony's statement untrue. There are far more miles of undamaged trail than damaged. Yes there will be some problems getting past some areas, but parts of the trail here that were underwater yesterday I was able to ride today. No I did not have to slog through mud. It was damp but not slinging up onto my back. I have been here from before the trail started and have been through every flood on it. It is NOT misleading to say MOST of the trail will be up and running in a few weeks because MOST of it already is. Overstating the negatives also leads people to believe something that is not true; that the trail is unusable. End to end riders will have problems for awhile, however there are still many ways to experience the Katy Trail. As nice as it is to have the trail to myself I would like others to enjoy it also.

Optimum optimism is nice to hear for a change.
Thanx

I agree, Doug, that we can make the best of what we have. I am an avid end-to-end rider, but this year I am going to have to settle with sections at a time. But for my mental health, I have to ride!!