Elroy-Sparta Adventure

After our wonderful bike ride along the Katy Trail, we returned back to Chicago to visit family. Therese's Mom decided that a great way to end our trip would be to treat us to stay two nights overnight up in Wisconsin so that we could ride the Elroy-Sparta Trail.

The reservation was made, and we were all set to stay in an Airbnb in Wilton, Wisconsin. About five weeks prior to our arrival, there was a torrential downpour, and severe damage to the trail. Although we still had the Airbnb, we weren't sure that we would get to ride the Elroy-Sparta Trail. But in late September, they opened part of the trail so that people could participate in the National Ride Your Parks Day. This was wonderful news, because many years ago Therese had ridden the Elroy-Sparta Trail on her first overnight solo. She was excited to revisit the trail she had ridden in the mid 1980s!

We headed north on a Tuesday, October 9, 2018 and arrived sometime after 3pm. The Airbnb in Wilton was exceptional!

Our host left us many little treats!

The place was beautiful and decorated for fall.

We slept up in the loft; watch your head! Notice the re-used barn wood.

Beautiful spiral staircase with cherry risers.

The skies were gray, but with no rain in sight, we requested a ride to the Norwalk trailhead. We agreed to meet up with Therese's parents around 6pm in Sparta for the shuttle ride back to Wilton.

We had a great time riding the trail and were excited to ride through the tunnel. Except that the sign said, "walk your bikes." There was no one else out riding and walking our bikes 3/4 of a mile in a creepy, pitch black tunnel was not all that appealing, so we hopped on and pedaled through.

Around 4:45pm, a CRAZY storm hit us. We were caught in a torrential downpour complete with thunder and lightening. It hit so fast, we didn't have time to get into our rain gear...we headed for cover at a nearby farmhouse, but no one was home, so we stood dripping wet under a cluster of trees while calling Therese's parents to rescue us. They picked us up around 5:15pm; we were happy to be out of the storm.

Fortunately, we had an emergency blanket to wrap T in because she got chilled pretty quickly.

When we arrived back at the house, our host had left us a welcome email, complete with apologies about the weather and directions for what to do should we hear the sirens go off at the fire station regarding a potential tornado (get in the basement!).

We had a great night, and woke up the next morning to a forecast of somewhat clear skies. Around 10am, we loaded up our bikes and were dropped off at the point where we had stopped the night before so that we could complete the remainder of the Elroy-Sparta Trail.

It was a great ride and was followed by stops at the Visitor Center and Bicycle Museum. 

Katy Trail Bikepacking Map

Here's the map of our most excellent bikepacking trip. You can read all about it on our Katy Trail page.

Transportation: To & From the Katy Trail

After reading all of the various posts on how to travel to and from the Katy Trail, we were scratching our heads on how we would make this happen. Turns out, it was pretty easy. Especially with our folding Dahon bicycles.

Combining our bike trip with a visit to family in the Chicago area, we decided that we didn't have to count the cost of the train trip from Oregon to Chicago in our trip budget. That said, we tried to minimize all other costs.

Here's what we did:

1. Amtrak's Illinois Service: Summit, Illinois to St. Louis, Missouri. We carried on our gear and folding bikes. Total: $38

One hour layover in St. Louis

We wanted to ride the entire trail from Clinton to Machens and the best option we found was to get off the train in Warrensburg.

2. Amtrak's Missouri River Runner:  St. Louis to Warrensburg, Missouri. Arrived a bit late (8:45pm or so), hopped on our bikes and rode to our hotel in the dark). Total: $44

From Warrensburg, you can either catch the Greyhound (college towns always have bus service) to Clinton or pick up a rental car.

3. Enterprise Car Rental: Believe it or not, the car rental was cheaper than the Greyhound was for the two of us. For whatever reason, we were not charged a one-way drop fee. Total: $34.64 plus $5 gas (which was more gas than we needed to put in the car).

4. I-70 Commuter Service St Charles to Hanley Metro Station: Our bikes, and our gear were quickly transported from St. Charles to the Hanley Metro Station. This service runs four times/morning. Total: $1

5. Hanley Metro Station to St Louis: Bikes are allowed on the train, you just have to hold on to them! Total: $5

We toured around on our bikes, spending the day taking in the sites in downtown St Louis: Gateway Arch National Park (including the Museum of Westward Expansion, tram ride to the top, and riverboat cruise) and the City Museum.

6. Enterprise Car Rental: Using the discount code from the insurance company (which removed the one way drop fee), we were able to rent a car in downtown St. Louis, drive it up historic Route 66, and drop it in Roselle, IL (back to visiting the family!). They upgraded us to a Ford Edge, which worked out great because we were able to sleep in the back on our sleeping pads at the campground on our way back (it rained and we just decided to scrap putting up the tent!). Total: $65.90 plus $45.11 gas (for the two day car rental).

Total transportation costs from Chicago area to the Katy Trail and back: $238.65

Katy Trail Day 7: Augusta to Machens (and back to St Charles)

This final morning, we woke up and found that there was no water at the campground! The pipe had burst and they were digging up the road to repair it. So we packed up and headed for the upper park to find water above the break.

Another Night, Another Shelter

Klondike State Park, Missouri

Found the Water: Scrambled Eggs, Ham & Potatoes and Battocletti's Pastry

Once again, we found that there was no water along the trail. From Augusta to St Charles, the only place with services was Defiance, if you ride through during business hours. We were glad that we were prepared and that the temp was about 30 degrees cooler than the day before.

Trail Crossing

The rain started somewhere around Weldon Springs and continued through to St Charles. We arrived very, very wet (glad we had our rain gear) and pulled off the trail to see if our room was ready at the St Charles Country Inn & Suites by Radisson. We chose this hotel specifically because it was right on the trail as you entered St Charles and we were happy we did. Arriving around noon, they were able to accommodate us with an early check-in, as we wanted to drop off our gear before heading out to Machens. He gave us a room on the second floor - right next to the elevator...generally this would be cause for concern, but being a newer hotel, we couldn't hear a thing. The best part was that the stairs were across from us and the laundry room was right next door. Full service!

We knew that we wanted to check out the historic sites before heading to Machens because everything would be closed after we returned. After dropping our gear, drying off, a cookie and coffee, we headed over to see the Lewis & Clark Boat House, which housed a small, but interesting museum and a replica of the boat the explorers used to travel up the Missouri to Mandan, ND. This stop kind of brought us full circle, as we had followed the trail on much of our ride. Next was a trip to the first state capitol and a quick stop at the gift shop, where we found really cool bike Jerseys...thanks Joan and John!

Is that a bike trail I see?

Feeling refortified, we headed out on the trail sometime after 2pm. We rode out of St Charles and made a quick stop at Jean Baptist Point DuSable Park, which was just two miles from our hotel. The next 11 miles were brutal due to the depth of the loose sandy limestone on the trail and the headwinds. We fishtailed and came to dead stops in the sand so many times, I lost count. We rode in silence, just trying to make forward progress. As it turned out (we learned the next day), we were both too busy muttering a string of expletives as we rode. At no time did either of us ever consider turning around; we both knew that we wanted to finish the entire trail. This is why we are perfectly suited adventurers.

St Charles to Machens: Truck and Bike Tracks in the Sandy Limestone

We did come to a very hardpacked an unmaintained portion of the trail...we were very thankful, although it was what I would say was the creepiest part of the trail. We road fast and hard through here, happy to make forward progress.

The closer and closer we got to Machens, the more we both worried about riding back. In my mind, I already knew we would be jumping back and forth between farm roads and the trail. At the Black Walnut trailhead we talked to one of the park maintenance guys. Turns out they dumped new limestone on the trail several weeks back. Lucky us.

Here we are...riding in to the Machens trailhead!

We Made It!

Looking Back at the Trailhead from the Final and Easternmost Gate

Cyclist TIP: From Augusta to St Charles, the only place with services was Defiance, if you ride through during business hours.

Cyclist TIP: Country Inn & Suites in St Charles - great location, great service. Bikes allowed in the room!

Katy Trail Day 6: Hermann to Augusta

What a day! Much to our surprise when we walked over to the bathroom to retrieve our clothes that we had left hanging to dry the previous evening, we found our bicycle clothes, but both of our bras were gone! The only thing we could figure was that the little old (homeless?) lady who was camped nearby must have needed them way more than we did.

Good Morning!

Had a great morning exploring the town of Hermann: bakery delights, visitor center, a historic tour, wine tasting, and lunch. The lady at the visitor center was in her mid 70s and very nice. We told her our bra story and she just said "what a great reason to go braless." We assured her that we had spares and I commented that I thought Missourians were a bit more proper. She laughed and said, "There's a reason they call it the "Show Me" state!"

Battocletti Bake Shoppe

The tour was of two of the original homes built by the Germans. One of the homes was lived in until 1968 by a woman who lived to be 98 years old. She knew that she wanted to donate the home to the historical society, and would not have any upgrades. She lived in it the same way her entire life and when she passed away the house perfectly reflected how one would have lived in it during the 1800s, complete with the original furnishings. In the basement was a printing press where there had been a newspaper printed and shipped to various cities and even Germany. They also included chapters from the book "Uncle Tom's Cabin" in their paper; the Germans living in this area were adamantly opposed to slavery. Had anyone found out they were doing this, they would have been arrested. The house was also adjacent to one of the original wineries in town. This particular winery won the top wine award in the 1890s in Europe. Norton grapes.

We finally left around 2pm and started our 40 mile ride east to Augusta. Today was extremely hot and windy, and in the direct sun the air was so thick it felt like you could chew it. The wind just whirled around and around, sometimes ahead wind and sometimes that tail wind. 

Standing Rock

Wildlife

We had become accustomed to finding water at almost all of the trailheads, but this was not the case today. We found a vending machine in front of a little tiny Katy Trail store in Peers, Missouri and bought cold drinks. We were very thankful for the vending machine.

Peers, MO

We exited off the trail at about 6:30pm and pushed our bikes up a steep incline to the Klondike State Park only to find about 46 sixth graders staying in the cabins for science camp. They were all very nice kids, but we had at least a dozen of them in front of us in the shower line...and there were only two showers. With no adult chaperone in the bathroom, I just tried to do what I'd imagine my friend Elly (a 6th grade teacher) would do to move them along. We got a system worked out so that the kids would shower and go get changed in the bathroom stalls around the corner. The last few girls in line were quite appreciative and policed this process pretty well. I think they thought they were never going to get their turn.

After looking at all the campsites and with the chance of rain showers this evening we decided that we would go for our "shelter camping" strategy. So we found a great big shelter, pushed a couple of tables aside, set up our tent, had dinner, said goodnight and went to sleep with a gentle breeze (80 degrees at 11pm) and the roar of the coal burning power plant in the background.

Cyclist TIP: You will be exposed during this part of the ride, and most of the places catering to bikes close up by 4 (if they are even open on the weekdays). So, make sure to take advantage of the water at the Hermann Visitor Center and Marthasville. There is no water at Treolar. Peers had a vending machine, but that could be sold out.

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.

Katy Trail Day 4: Hartsburg to Jefferson City

Today we rode about 18 miles, which included some mileage around town as we visited the Missouri State Capitol and Museum, had lunch at the Prison Brews, toured the old penitentiary and then made our way to our Airbnb.

We had a pretty good night of sleep at the hartsburg Ballpark. One stray chocolate lab meandered around the picnic area in the middle of the night, we got a whiff of skunk, and we enjoyed a beautiful sunrise while drinking our coffee.

We didn't have far to ride on the trail today, so we made sure to pick up a couple of geocaches along the way.

Caching Fun

We had to take the Jefferson City spur which included a trip up a very interesting ramp onto the bridge to cross the mighty Missouri. Once we got to Jefferson City, we headed straight for the capital and had a fantastic tour with highlights of some incredible artwork.

Bike Ramp - Sponsored by Edward Jones

We hadn't realized how many hills there were in Jefferson City, but that did not deter us from our lunch at the Prison Brews. We had several samples of their various beers that they made there and our take away is that Oregon rocks it when it comes to craft beer.

The highlight of the lunch were the incredible sweet potato fries which are covered with cinnamon and sugar. Absolutely delicious and not to be missed.

After lunch we raced over to the old penitentiary to take the tour. It was very interesting although the gas chamber was a little bit too creepy for us.

Old Missouri State Penitentiary

Prison Yard

Riding around the Penitentiary

Cyclist TIP: We stayed in an Airbnb with a washer/dryer a block away from the Central Dairy Ice Cream Parlour and the Dollar Store (great snacks for the trail and $1 Tide), and close enough for a walk to see the capital and nearby sculptures.