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  • rstrandjohnson

Day 38: Higginsville to Boonville, MO

Updated: Jul 27, 2021

Distance: 59 miles

Elevation: not much!

Temperatures: 80s with Midwestern humidity


Finally, the Katy Trail! By hook or by crook, we got here a day earlier than planned. After losing a few years off of our lives negotiating traffic on rural highways with no shoulders and impassible gravel roads, we decided to hitch a ride with our SAG extraordinaire Kurt from Higginsville to the Leeton trailhead and get on the Katy Trail today instead of tomorrow. We still did the same amount of miles, but they were SO PLEASANT!


The Katy Trail was the very first Rails to Trails bIke route in the country, so it’s a bit famous in cycling circles. “Will you be on the Katy Trail?” was one of the first questions we were asked when we would mention biking through Missouri on our cross country trek. It was named after the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad (MKT or Katy), the corridor it is laid upon. It’s 240 miles long and stretches across the entire state. We were able to maintain speeds of 12-15 mph on its well-maintained crushed limestone.



We passed through towns that cater to trail traffic, including county seat Sedalia, where we had a great lunch at a pub on the square. Because the hotel we are staying at in Boonville was off the trail a ways, Kurt picked us up in Pilot Grove so that we could get ready for dinner reservations at a lovely restaurant called Blufftop Bistro at Les Bourgeois Vineyards, where we sampled some local wines. Who knew Missouri had good wine?



High point of 935'. Go us!




We actually saw more horses today on the trail than cyclists!


Tomorrow is another day of exploring the Katy Trail as we make our way towards our final destinaton, St. Louis!








Highlights:

The Katy Trail

A lovely dinner at a local winery

Rosalee, the absolutely wonderful woman who checked us into the hotel we stayed at in Higginsville, who also prepared a homecooked breakfast this morning. She made us feel loved!

Lowlights:

Carol got a flat but at the end of the ride

Midwestern humidity!

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