Day 32, Katy Trail
St. Charles MO to Augusta MO, 33 miles
My three days of rest has come to an end, time to get out of town…
It’s been a great three days of rest. Got to Saint Charles for a late Brunch. This is where my Katy Trail Adventure will begin. In total between here and Clinton MO, I will cover a bit more than 225 miles of rail trail. The Katy is one of the premier rail trails in America, and the longest. It has been on my bucket list for some time and because I came north to St. Louis I’m able to check this box!
I started the day taking my bike into the Maplewood Bicycle shop for some TLC. Christopher the mechanic there did me a real solid. Not only did he remount both tires and add new slime, he also found the puncture in the rear tire, tightened the crank/spindle bolts and adjusted the rear derailleur. The shop had a high-pressure Silca Tattico mini-pump (these are hard to find) so I picked that up as well. It’s the next best thing to a real high-pressure frame pump (those are even harder to find). I can not recommend Maplewood Bicycles in Maplewood MO enough. Top notch people, top notch store!
I visited the History Museum and Art Museum in Forest Park yesterday. They are two of the best museums in the country. I had ribs a Pappy’s Smokehouse yesterday, voted best ribs in the country by Food Network and ate brunch this morning at Le Belle Vie in Saint Charles, voted the best breakfast/lunch spot in Saint Charles. The Cards won their game last night (even though the bullpen tried to give it away). Absolutely could not have asked for a better visit to St. Louis!
Before leaving Saint Charles I met a man that was curious about my trip. We chatted for several minutes and he recommended a book that I will have to read, ”The Oregon Trial” by Rinker Buck. It sounds like a fascinating read. At the end of the day I stopped into the Good News Tap House in Augusta for a beer. To my surprise I met a man there that grew up just a few miles from where I did. It is such a small world, truly!
It looks like rain is coming in. Tomorrow could be sloppy at times. Can’t worry about that, the trick is to take events one at a time as they present themselves…
Back on the road!