Rock Island Trail Forum

I can't believe what an amazing place Critter Cottage is. It is the ultimate romantic get away. The difference is the special touches provided by the owners, Bob and Judy. From the jacuzzi tub to the period decor, the inviting bedding, the cheese tray and very delicious breakfasts, i can't say enough about critter cottage. I am anxious to return.

I can't believe what an amazing place Critter Cottage is. It is the ultimate romantic get away. The difference is the special touches provided by the owners, Bob and Judy. From the jacuzzi tub to the period decor, the inviting bedding, the cheese tray and very delicious breakfasts, i can't say enough about critter cottage. I am anxious to return.

How was the ride from the trail to the cottage? Did you pay extra for dinner? Was the food good?

How was the ride from the trail to the cottage? Did you pay extra for dinner? Was the food good?

Don't let the name fool you. The proprietor knows bicycles. In fact when I bought a tube, I somehow or another got a free tune up.

Don't let the name fool you. The proprietor knows bicycles. In fact when I bought a tube, I somehow or another got a free tune up.

Don't let the name fool you. The proprietor knows bicycles. In fact when I bought a tube, I somehow or another got a free tune up.

The proprieter of Clinton Mower & Saw is Sam Baugh, who is semi-famous for having ridden the entire Katy Trail in one day. He really helped me out once when I was in a bind - here's the story.

The proprieter of Clinton Mower & Saw is Sam Baugh, who is semi-famous for having ridden the entire Katy Trail in one day. He really helped me out once when I was in a bind - here's the story.

The proprieter of Clinton Mower & Saw is Sam Baugh, who is semi-famous for having ridden the entire Katy Trail in one day. He really helped me out once when I was in a bind - here's the story.

Ray, I enjoyed your story and I'm relieved to know I'm not the only one who has done this. I roasted my front tire between KC and Hermann a few years ago. I have met Sam and his mom (I should know her name, but I'm not going to 'guess' and get it wrong) through the Warrensburg Cycling Club - they're good people!

Ray, I enjoyed your story and I'm relieved to know I'm not the only one who has done this. I roasted my front tire between KC and Hermann a few years ago. I have met Sam and his mom (I should know her name, but I'm not going to 'guess' and get it wrong) through the Warrensburg Cycling Club - they're good people!

Ray, I enjoyed your story and I'm relieved to know I'm not the only one who has done this. I roasted my front tire between KC and Hermann a few years ago. I have met Sam and his mom (I should know her name, but I'm not going to 'guess' and get it wrong) through the Warrensburg Cycling Club - they're good people!

I too roasted a front tire the same way I hate to say. Mine didn't completely melt or even blow out the tire but it did damage the tire cord to the point that the tire wasn't rideable any more. I too met Sam in 2003. MoDNR had him meet with the riders of the 2003 DNR ride in June 2003 at the pre ride meeting.

I too roasted a front tire the same way I hate to say. Mine didn't completely melt or even blow out the tire but it did damage the tire cord to the point that the tire wasn't rideable any more. I too met Sam in 2003. MoDNR had him meet with the riders of the 2003 DNR ride in June 2003 at the pre ride meeting.

I too roasted a front tire the same way I hate to say. Mine didn't completely melt or even blow out the tire but it did damage the tire cord to the point that the tire wasn't rideable any more. I too met Sam in 2003. MoDNR had him meet with the riders of the 2003 DNR ride in June 2003 at the pre ride meeting.

I biked the Katy Trail 6 years ago and really enjoyed it. This year I am planning to take the train to Warrensburg (thank you forums for the great idea), and bike the trail back to St. Charles. Then, my plan is to hook up to the new Route 66 Bike Route and ride it to Chicago, then on to Michigan. Thanks to the posters for the routes, and variations to get to downtown St. Louis from St. Charles. I will be doing the trip in September so I will continue to follow the posts here to stay up on news of the trail. Great website. Tons of good info.

What's your source for the Route 66 bike route? Sounds like a possible trip in my future. I'm mostly interested in the Illinois sections.



Thanks.

Google is a wonderful thing.

http://bikelib.org/route66/index.htm

Providing an answer is a wonderful thing.



Thanks for providing an answer.

Google often....like it's your job. Google IS the answer.

Strange - I googled last night with the right words, but only found some old articles about a possible route 66 bike trail. So, for whatever reason, my googling yielded nothing helpful in the first few pages of results. Maybe I misspelled bike :->



Assuming that a person asking a question hasn't done any work isn't a wonderful thing.

google (as if it was some kind of verb) "route 66 bike route" and hit "I'm feeling lucky".



The secret to success in this country is to do nothing but ask questions as a means of delegating and calling it empowering. Then rely on people like me to do the genuine work. And boy, it is tough work banging away on this keyboard all day.

Does anyone know where my husband I might rent a tandem recumbent bike? He is a biker, but I never learned to ride a bike, so I need a recumbent tandem or a three wheel bike.

To my knowledge......not in Rocheport. Although you can rent a three wheeler, a tandem, or a recumbent at the Trailside.

Trailside Cafe & Bike Shop in Rocheport, do rent recumbents. The tandem recumbent they rented last year was not a true fore and aft tandem. It is two long wheelbase recumbent bikes attached side by side. I have seen them out on the trail numerous times, they seem quite popular. I think they open up for the season April 1st. Good luck!

I do not know about renting a recumbent tandem, but I am avid in the tandem community. I ride a 3 person tandem with my wife and 5 yo daughter. From others' experiences and my own, you do not need to be able to ride a bike to be able to ride an upright tandem. You might want to practice for a few minutes before hitting the trail, but as long as the captain can ride well, then he/she will likely hardly notice any balancing issues with the stoker. As long as you can sit on the bike seat and pedal, you would be fine.

Bobby,



Anyone you know of in KC riding a tandem Catrike? Looks like a good way to go perhaps, but haven't heard any tales from a rider.

Coming to Sedalia on May 25 or June 1. by train. Arriving Sedalia about 7pm. Need to be shuttled to Clinton when we arrive. There will be 3 riders with bikes. Need to know if this is possible, and also need to know the cost. Thanks

Coming to Sedalia on May 25 or June 1. by train. Arriving Sedalia about 7pm. Need to be shuttled to Clinton when we arrive. There will be 3 riders with bikes. Need to know if this is possible, and also need to know the cost. Thanks

Click on Sedalia above on the map......get the phone number for the shuttle services and give 'em a call. They can tell you if and when they can shuttle you and the cost.

Click on Sedalia above on the map......get the phone number for the shuttle services and give 'em a call. They can tell you if and when they can shuttle you and the cost.

I used Trailrider Sports (1-877-TRL-BIKE) out of Clinton for our trip last year. They were priced fairly, prompt, and accomodating.

I used Trailrider Sports (1-877-TRL-BIKE) out of Clinton for our trip last year. They were priced fairly, prompt, and accomodating.

Bad news - Trailrider Sports has gone out out business (both the bike shop in Clinton and the shuttle service). Try this link for a list of all shuttle services on the Katy Trail.

Bad news - Trailrider Sports has gone out out business (both the bike shop in Clinton and the shuttle service). Try this link for a list of all shuttle services on the Katy Trail.

What would the fare be for 3 riders with bikes to be shuttled from Sedalia to Clinton. Will either be in the last week of May or 1st. or 2nd week of june. Will arrived be tain about 7pm on Saturday night. Would like to go to Clinton that night if possilbe.

What would the fare be for 3 riders with bikes to be shuttled from Sedalia to Clinton. Will either be in the last week of May or 1st. or 2nd week of june. Will arrived be tain about 7pm on Saturday night. Would like to go to Clinton that night if possilbe.

Does anyone know if the trail is snow covered today? (2-19-07)

Mainly from Weldon Spring to Defiance.

Still snow covered in shaded areas, however, with a week of above freezing temps it should be just wet by the weekend, I'd guess. Saturday's rain could make for a lot of mud and wet spots.

It was slushy on Monday, pretty wet around Weldon Springs. Fairly dry but still soft near Green Bottom but the trail is mostly exposed to the sun in that area.

Our bike club, Mid Ohio Bikers,(MOB), is considering a bike trip from west to east doing the entire Katy Trail. We are planning to ride and camp the week of Oct. 21st. What type of weather might we be experiencing? We realize that anything can happen. We have the average temperature and precipitation information for Mo. in Oct. Just thought maybe someone might be able to enlighten us a bit. Here in Ohio we have about 12 inches of snow in the last 2 days so winter finally did arrive!! Lynn

October can be the perfect time to ride or it can be wet and cold and miserable. I get

together with friends for an October ride, usually the 2nd or 3rd weekend of October and the

past few years it has been very cold, very wet or all of the above. But, you never know...I love

the Trail in the fall, but sometimes you just need to be flexible. Winter finally came to

Missouri as well...here in KC at my house there is about 6 inches of new snow on the

ground...last week's snow had not melted yet and they are predicting more snow this week.

Sbikes pretty well covered it with "you never know". My first Katy ride was solo from Sedalia to St Charles in Oct. 2000, the first day was cold & wet but each day got better and it was a great ride. I've talked to others who have ridden the trail in Oct. and been cold & wet the whole time.

You never know.....and if you don't like the weather in Missouri, just wait a few hours and it will graciously change for you. October is a great month to ride in. We have gone every year near the 15th for the past several years. The past two have been a bit early for optimal Fall color and bit on the chilly side. Halloween two years ago though, could not have better weather...but the leaves were all gone. I prefer the shotgun approach......plan often.....ride alot. That will put you on the trail many times....and some of those times with ideal weather.

When we rode the trail the first week of October last year, we went from record highs of 95 the first few days to highs in the 80's, then to highs in the 50's, with lows around 25. All in 7 days! Needless to say, we ended up using all the clothing we brought!

I believe Mr Cannon posted here a year or two ago seeking ideas.

http://www.boonvilledailynews.com/articles/2007/02/08/news/news2.txt

That is an interesting article, but I don’t necessarily agree with their perception of themselves. We have found the folks in Booneville to be very accommodating.



The Comfort Inn has let us take our bikes to our room. And I’ve left my car in their parking lot while we were out on the trail for a few days.



The Riverside Diner people are very friendly. I’ve been there with a group of riders, as a group of two, and by myself. Each time it was very obvious that we were biking. We were treated kind….just like everyone else.



On a solo ride last May I rode beside an elderly gentleman and then a 40’ish woman as they were on a morning walk. I quizzed them about their town and infamous Lard Hill. They each were very friendly and openly shared their knowledge of Booneville. In turn they each quizzed me about my trip wondering about the gear I was hauling and how long I’d been on the trail.



On our first trip to Booneville we found it very confusing getting from the Comfort Inn/Holiday Inn Express area to the Katy. I’m not sure that we would have found the motel had we been arriving from the Katy. It is not clearly marked going either direction. Directional signs may help, but I’d really hate to see billboards along the Katy.



Having crossed the river bridge several times, it seems that often times the bike lane has plenty of broken. Glass is a concern on most roads though. It would be nice to be able to ride the bridge without broken glass, but I don’t expect anyone to be out there every morning sweeping off the bike path.



We seem to migrate to points between Rocheport and Hermann. But we like Booneville and have included them many times on our trips and will continue to do so because we’ve found them to be biker friendly.



It’s nice to know that the town folks are concerned, but don’t be too hard on yourself Booneville.

I certainly did not see Boonville as being unfriendly or abnormally confusing. However having said that IMO all of the trail towns could possably enhance business from the trail if they posted a useable map at the trail head. We often did not depart from the trail because of not knowing the direction or distance of a particular store, resturant, etc.



Because of the excellent instructions posted here by Trek Biker we had no problem finding the Comfort Inn, however without those instructions we would have never found it. Our experience there was not the high point of the trip. This was the only lodging that penalized us for not taking up space in their parking lot. I had to pay $5 (don't remember if that was per bike or just a flat fee) to store the bikes in our already small room. Several other hotels went out of their way to accomodate our bikes including the Comfort Inn in Sedalia, The pool was cold, the hot tub jets didn't work and the AC was marginal. On the up side the hosts were polite and did offer us a ride into town.



These are just my observations. If I were to (when I do) plan another trip on the KATY I would probably stay in Boonville again, though I would most likely find a different place to lodge.

I figure it's the Daily News' attempt at 'provocative journalism', a more accurate headline would have read "...making Boonville more bike friendly". Anyway, I think Mr Cannon has some good ideas.

I like the idea of a kiosk at the end of the bridge, and more signage. That being said, I have found Boonville to be just fine in terms of being "trail-friendly."

As is my usual suggestion, I would love to see water available somewhere between the end of the bridge and where it turns back onto the original railbed. There is a little turnoff that would be a nice spot for a faucet

"I would love to see water available somewhere between the end of the bridge and where it turns back onto the original railbed." ???



If you are traveling east to west on the trail and cross the MO river.....there is water at the trailhead (and a gas station/C Store) just about 1/2 mile on down the trail.



If you are traveling west to east on the trail and are fixin to cross the MO river....you would have just past water at the trailhead (and a gas station/C Store) just about 1/2 mile back.

That's true, Trek. My bad.



Since I am a walker, I was recalling a hike from Rocheport to Boonville in August. I had left New Franklin/Franklin and trudged the three miles or so in 100-degree weather in full sunlight.I got to the turnoff that heads for the Boonslick Bridge and had just chugged another 1.5 liters of water and was hoping for a place to refill, to no avail. It was a hot, dry walk into Boonville.



Days like those sure make me envy you riders.

If your interest in cycling expands beyond the Katy Trail into the world of professional cycle racing, The Tour of Missouri may be of interest. The first Tour will be September 11 – 16, 2007 and will showcase several Missouri cities, including Kansas City, Springfield, Branson, Columbia, Jefferson City, St. Charles, and St. Louis.



For more information:



http://www.tourofmissouri.com