Friday, June 20 – Pleasant Hill to Sedalia
Started the day with a hearty breakfast casserole and yogurt parfaits prepared by our host Nancy along with Rob’s coffee to get us going. Such accommodating folks! Rob was off to meet with an early risers men’s group, so we said good bye to him, finished packing and loaded our bikes and luggage for the short drive to the Rock Island Spur of the KATY Trail in Pleasant Hill. The use of “KATY” in the park’s name reflects the trail’s Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad history. The trail logo was developed using the 1889 MKT Railroad logo as inspiration.
The Rock Island Spur is a 46 mile trail that stretches through the heart of west-central Missouri, through woodlands, wetlands, and bucolic fields nestled in the foothills of the Ozarks. It connects Pleasant Hill and Windsor, and was developed and then joined with the KATY Trail in December, 2016. Back in 2017, I rode this portion (as part of the Bike for the Cure) with Charlotte, Marie, Giovanna, and Sandy Lozier (RIP).
Let me briefly introduce Liz Steele, SAG driver par excellence. Liz is a friend of mine from Idaho, and she graciously volunteered her vehicle as the “SAG wagon.” SAG stands for supplies and gear, and Liz went above and beyond with her support.
When Mary Ann & I started riding the temperature was pleasant, the trail was peaceful and the pedaling was easy. As the temperature rose into the 90’s the trail became less pleasant and pedaling more difficult. We drank lots of water and sent Liz to find Gatorade, but nothing kept our legs from cramping.
Our route today was from Pleasant Hill Trail Head to Medford Trail Head, 17.5 miles; Medford TH to Chilhowee TH, 10 miles; Chilhowee TH to Leeton TH, 8.6 miles; Leeton TH to Windsor TH, 10.2 miles.. Liz graciously went to the store for supplies when needed and came to find us whenever we called, always with a cheerful disposition.
The Rock Island Spur of the KATY Trail State Park was a total of 46.1 miles. We finished at 4:30 pm. It was a challenging trek to say the least. We had planned to ride some of the KATY Trail after finishing the Rock Island Spur, but we hadn’t realized how much toll the last year had taken on us, not to mention the heat and humidity! We were just not capable of going further; I think the pathway turtles were out pacing me by the last part of the ride:) When we finished riding we started to go to where Liz was parked and almost immediately came upon a Sonic Drive-In, or was it a mirage? No, the real thing! We called Liz to meet us there for cold drinks and a burger. What a great reward after a long hot ride! The Sonic reminded me (Sherri) of our dear friend Sandy Lozier. When she rode with us, her favorite place was any Sonic. We lost Sandy to brain cancer about two years ago.
We called the Lutheran Church Pastor, Jeremy (in Sedalia), and told him we were on our way. He graciously greeted us at the church and got us situated. He was the pastor back in 2017 when we previously stayed there. Very nice, very welcoming individual!
Since we had eaten at Sonic, we just cleaned up the best we could in their bathroom (no showers) and then had time to catch up with folks at home and play a few games of cards. Then it was off to bed, or should I say couches and floors. It was cool and dark and quite comfortable.
With love from the trail, Sherri