Katy Trail Day 5: Jefferson City to Hermann

We are having a great time and nothing hurts!

The fun part of the day was that we leapfrogged with several other cyclists heading east on the Katy Trail. There was a group of four from North Carolina, a single fellow from Texas, and cousins from the Kansas City area. Everyone was so friendly and all were staying in B&Bs along the trail.

At about 11:58am, this very loud siren went off. It was so loud that one of the bikers stopped to cover his ears. It went on for four minutes! Turns out that it was the first Tuesday of the month emergency test for the nuclear power plant.

Two of our stops stood out today: lunch in Mokane and a cold drink at Steamboat Springs (Bluffton). We knew from studying the map that there was going to be a little store called the Mokane Market. We didn't see a sign, but kind of peeked through the windows, which were covered in old photos/articles, and saw a lady cleaning the tables. So we went on in and ordered up our lunch. I don't know if I was just really hungry or if that chicken salad was that great, but we were thankful that Desra was there to make our sandwiches!

The Lunch Lady

Steamboat Springs is a little campground and a self-service cold drink stand where you just pay on the honor system. A couple ran it for many years; sadly the woman passed away in 2017. There was a nice little story about her posted on the sign. We were very grateful for the cold beverages, as it was 91 in the shade.

Lynn and Brian (Plano, TX) at Steamboat Springs.

We ended up riding 50.7 miles today and pulled into the little town of Hermann at 4:30 this afternoon.

We took a walk around the campground, and enjoyed our dinner and showers. Oh, and those snacks we bought in Jefferson City at the Dollar General (it's kind of like Dollar Store) rocked! We mixed up our dehydrated hummus and ate it with carrots and the mini pack of Ritz crackers. And tonight we feasted on lemon creme sandwich cookies in our tent. We will always go there for snacks on our bike trip! We are looking forward to a balmy evening (low 71 at 6am!) and to taking the historic tour tomorrow morning.

Cyclist TIP: The Hermann City Park is an easy ride from the bridge. Take a look at a topo map to find the flattest route.