May 16-21, 2021
KATY Trail 6-day fully supported Tour
Clinton, Missouri to St. Charles, Missouri
235 miles
Happy 20th birthday to our bike! Before our bicycling vacation we took our bike in for a complete go over to make sure it was trail worthy. Several items needed to be fixed and we have gotten to the magic age that many parts are no longer available. Had to have some things custom built. It's sad to say but we may be looking at replacing our bike sooner rather than later.
Before leaving, the 6 day weather forecast was not looking good. High percentage of rain forecasted every day of the trip. Since I am a fair weather rider, this had me concerned.
We met our group at the KATY Trail parking lot in St. Charles, Missouri. Including the 2 tour guides we had 4 men and 4 women on this trip. Three of the women are named Kathy/Cathy. It makes it very easy for everyone to remember the womens' names but it is very confusing when someone asks a question to one of the Kathys.
The first day was the hardest because of the weather. And, as stated above, since I am a fair weather rider I can confidently say it was the worst weather day I have ever bicycled in! We got over 4 inches of rain and we were drenched and covered with mud by the time we arrived at the hotel for the evening. The hotel had a water hose on the side of the building to wash everything down. There was quite a line as we weren't the only tour group staying there that night. For the rest of the trip most days we had some sprinkles or light rain but it never lasted long. We were very fortunate for that!
By the way, when we arrived at the Clinton trailhead to start the trip, Clay found a painted rock. We picked it up and kept it. Look what it says...... So guess who we are blaming for the rain!
This is the fourth time for us to ride the complete trail and it was the first time that we are staying in Jefferson City and Hermann because both are on the South side of the Missouri River and we have never crossed on our bike. Both now have very nice protected bike lanes over the river. In Jefferson City three of our grandkids were waiting in the hotel parking lot for us to arrive. We had a great visit with them!
Crossroads Bike Tours did a fantastic job, we were very spoiled all trip long. All the lodgings were fantastic and the food was superb! Already want to ride the KATY Trail again!
