58.1 miles by bike (36 miles by truck), 2429.2 miles total
Refreshed, both ourselves and our bikes, we set off with Ken in command.
He drove us clear over a state line with narry a blink of recognition (Bob and Steve expect liquid recompense anyway).
Today we would start riding the Rock Island Spur of the Katy Trail. We were all excited about this because the Katy Trail is one of the nicest in the country. I rode 20 miles of it near Rocheport back in 1991. Bob has ridden most of it over the years. My friends (and fellow instructors) Nancy and Rebecca from Cascade Bicycle Club rode the trail last year and told me great things about it.
So, we packed the bikes at the Pleasant Hill Trail Head…
…bade our farewells to Ken (also official photographer) and set off with enthusiasm. We got around a corner and Bob said, ‘I have no shifting’.
So, there ensued 3 mins of angst and 12 mins of ‘find me a gear that works’. The trail is supposed to be flat so that seemed like it should be good.
So, we were off. The trail was beautiful (Bob agreed from his two-speed).
But then he decided he had the wrong two speeds. So, another quick adjustment was made and we were off again.
The trail was beautiful 🙂
We were getting pretty hot by the time we reached Leeton, and we found our way to the lovely Di Maggio’s dinner for lunch.
We met a preacher there who was walking from Indiana to LA so he’s officially crazier than we are (Steve just bought a local paper that has a story about him and his journey). Anyway, he engaged us in conversation and said ‘You look pretty fresh. Did you just meet up with these guys or are you a local tour guide? They look pretty beat’. 😂
We enjoyed the food and the barely functioning air conditioning (it’ll be fixed tomorrow) and shared a peach cobbler. We’d go back. But, we pressed on, and the trail/countryside was beautiful…
We arrived in Windsor…
… and stopped to rest at our first ‘proper’ Katy Trail trailhead.
Fortified by a custard donut (or two) Bob and I got his shifter working again(!!! 😁 😁)…
…while Steve surreptitiously waited to take a photo of an Amish horse and cart (several passed when he wasn’t looking).
With 48 miles under our (mostly new) tires, and with Bob saying ‘I love shifting’, every couple of pedal strokes, we set off again…. and the trail was beautiful.
Pretty soon we reached the high point of the Katy Trail.
We journeyed on until we reached Green Ridge, where Bob fell off his bike and embraced the grass.
We set up camp in the local park but were distressed to see that alcohol consumption in the park was prohibited. So we crossed the street and drank our beer and ate gas station pizza on the benches in front of the community center…
… in full view of the park; it was immensely satisfying.
Here’s a picture of a new flower seen on the trail today.
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