Cyclists will debate which day of a multi-day ride is toughest. In my book its usually day two or three. On the KATY this year it was definitely day three. It wasn't the length of the ride, only 39 miles. It wasn't the heat, in fact we had a cooling breeze most of the way coming off the Missouri River. More than anything it was the lack of food that caught up with us, as once again, it being a Tuesday, everything was closed. We weren't the only cyclists dismayed by this - on the menus posted on the community section at the trailhead sign others before us had written their thoughts about the fact that Sunday through Tuesday good luck at finding anything to eat along the trail. I guess this means that you have to start on a Wednesday to finish by 12:01 a.m. Saturday if you want to not just ride, but actually eat and ride along the KATY. That gives you only four days to complete the journey, which for us would be pushing our self-contained touring into some distances too long to be comfortable.
The terrain is changing somewhat now that the trail basically follows the meanders of the wide Missouri. Crossing some of the bridges it's interesting to note the high water mark from the annual floods. Some are above our heads, and as hot and tough as this ride has been so far I can only imagine doing it with a snorkel.
The highlight today was the trailhead at Huntsburg. As my wife Sophie aptly put it - no food, no restrooms, and no water. That's demoralizing to a cyclist, so we kept going to Jefferson City. From about 6 miles out of Jefferson City you get some nice views of the State Capitol in the distance. From the KATY trailhead there is a spur trail that takes you the 3 or so miles into town via a very fancy pedestrian/bicycle bridge high above the river. Once across it was just a short distance to tonight's lodging at the Cliff Manor B&B, which true to its name sits high on the bluffs overlooking the Missouri River. The guidebook for the KATY trail has yet to steer us wrong when it comes to lodging and tonight's room features another cozy bed AND a two person jacuzzi spa which we plan on making use of before turning in.
We asked our host about recommended dining options and she mentioned the Bar and Grill at the foot of the hill. Since our legs were not yet sufficiently tired (yea, right) we opted to continue into downtown Jefferson City and the Capitol district. Ultimately we settled on the Madison Cafe off of High Street. The food was good but the service was better. The waitress tolerated our appetites and thirst by keeping both food and beverages coming and kept up a friendly banter throughout. Though my Southwestern chicken salad (what else would one order in the middle of Missouri?) was delicious it will be the friendly and attentive waitress that we'll remember long after the calories are burned off in tomorrow's pedaling. Oh, and the apple tart (hot and a la mode) was not too bad either.
Walking back to the B&B we strolled (more like limped in that curious walk that bikers adopt after a long ride) past the State Capitol which really is something to see. As far as Capitol buildings its one of the more beautiful I've seen. Perched high on a hill with beautiful lawns and fountains it shows the pride Missourians take in their State. Apparently its somewhat modeled after the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. and is the second one after the first burned down. Tomorrow's ride heads back out the spur trail to reconnect with the main KATY trail and from there its east to some other town who's name escapes me and I'm much too lazy to get up and find the map to check. I guess we'll know it when we get there (here's hoping) but for tonight my tummy is finally full and life is oh so good.
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