Written by: Patrick Roberts
The highlight of today was, of course, the Katy Trail! This was some of the most beautiful scenery I have ever seen. The birds singing, the smell of the forest and river, the canopy of trees, an old railroad tunnel…we had plenty of opportunity to admire all these wonders – as we were changing flat tires by the side of the trail!
We all received a nice refreshing rain shower soon after the first rest stop. The old depot stops provided plenty of opportunities to learn the history of the Katy Trail, such as the original name was the MKT (Missouri Kansas Texas) railroad, shortened to KT or Katy, and that the last passenger train ran in 1987.
A refreshing break came when we turned left onto the 8.8 mile MKT connector to Columbia in the form of a nice tail wind! The flat tires seemed to be over by then, but a new challenge came in the form of thick gravel which threatened to take us down!
The beautiful scenery did not let up all the way into Columbia, although I was having a trouble appreciating it being so tired of sitting on the bike by that time. I plan to come back and ride this again one day.
My week with the Fuller Center Bike Adventure was, as always, time well spent with a wonderful and fun group of cyclists in support of a great cause. Be safe and enjoy the rest of your journey – I will miss you all!
