April 14 to 19

April 14, 2025  Martin TN to La Center KY

The day started at 55* so I was able to just wear 2 shirts and a windbreaker.  I had great shoulders and a tailwind for the first 20 miles to Fulton TN and KY.  From there I got on KY 307 north, a small county road with very little traffic that I rode due north for 22 miles. This road had a fair number of short but steep hills and it got hot.  Larry caught up to me at mile 40 or so and we rode the remaining 12 miles to Fort Jefferson Park and Cross overlooking the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi rivers. after 52 miles I was done and we drove a few miles to our warm shower host Dave Pemberton. Dave and his son Austin were great hosts and we learned a lot about raising chickens and koi and about Dave’s bike adventures in FL, GA, and KY. Dave told us to avoid the IL route we had planned and suggested a better and safer route on county roads in MO heading north. Dave was a gracious host and wonderful cook and he promised to visit me and Susan in Tampa sometime.

April 15, 2025   La Center KY to Cape Girardeau 

Following Dave’s advice, we drove over to MO and I rode from Scott City south to Charleston.  We diverted like this so I could have a half day (only 25 miles) and ride with a strong southerly wind.  We drove to Cape Girardeau had lunch and in the parking lot spoke with 2 ladies asking about our ride.  We arrived at the Fire Station #4 at about 4pm and met deputy chief Greg Hecht and the C Crew: Marcus Johnson, Dylan Hohman, and Zach x. They cooked us dinner and we had a great conversation about life and Fire fighting and Missouri. What great young guys. The world is better with guys like them in it.   We ran out to the hardware store to get locktite so we can fix a loose bolt on the bike carrier tomorrow.

April 16, 2025  Cape Girardeau to Ste. Genevieve

Drove a few miles north of CG to get out of traffic.  Hard 48 mile day.  Every inch was up or down.  Started very cool but ended up very warm with bright sun and no clouds.  We were given a room at the hotel Audubon because the owner, Brock Gibson, is a fan of the Wounded Warrior Project and wanted to contribute in this way.  Very Very nice people here .  St Genevieve is a old French colonial settlement near the Mississippi

April 17, 2025  Ste Genevieve to Wood River, IL by way of St. Louis Arch

Took a day off because I was tired from the last several days of riding.  We toured the Arch in St Louis.  After visiting the arch and museum, we drove to our warm Showers host Dave in Wood River, IL.  He let us use an empty apartment in his 2 story home.  Dave is a retired pipe fitter and his current hobbies are ham radio, bike touring and brewing beer.  Terrific guy and place.

April 18, 2025  The Start of the Katy Trail (KT)

We left Wood River and drove to the Machens trail head to get started. We were blocked on a dirt road by a unit train of coal heading to a power plant somewhere. So we drove 2 miles to the Walnut Grove trail head. I rode 12 miles and it was super windy.  When I hit saint Charles my bike started skipping gears and it was a real problem. The bike shop in St Charles couldn't help.  So Susan found a bike shop in Washington, where we were planning to stay, that could fix it. Larry rescued me in the van and we made our way to the bike shop.  Kudos to Revolution cycles.  Alex Ferguson did a fabulous job replacing my bottom bracket, installing a new crankset and chain. And they did it fast with a big discount because they wanted to help us out since we are raising money for the Wounded Warrior Project.  After getting the bike fixed, we drove to the V.F.W where Susan had arranged for us to have chicken dinner with the folks. We had a great time and then spent the night at the America inn. It rained and thundered all night long.

April 19, 2025  Dutzow to Rhineland

The day started cold and rainy. We had breakfast at Bob Evans and had as much coffee as we could handle and then drove to the Katy trail.

At the Dutzow trail head I started 30 miles on the muddiest surface I have ever ridden.  It was in the low 50s and raining most time.  A few bits of the trail surface was firm and packed hard so it was easy to ride. Most of it was like a mix of pudding and quicksand mixed with gravel. An easy ride it wasn't.  On the bright side, there weren't any hills and hardly any wind, so I had that going for me. We stayed at The Dollhouse in Ryland which is a terrific little B and B on the trail that Susan lined up for us.  We had dinner in Herman at the 4th street pizza restaurant. 

We will be riding the Katy Trail for the next few days