...meet me on the Katy. Trail, that is. In an effort to get in at least one more trip before the snow flies, me and my Charlie headed south a ways to St. Charles, Missouri on the north edge of St. Louis. St. Charles is notable for several reasons--not the least of which is as the launching pad for the Corps of Discovery, otherwise known as the Lewis and Clark Expedition. We seem to be spending a lot of time with Meriwether and Bill this fall, (What do you suppose was the nickname for Meriwether? Bud? Shorty?) Anyway, there is a museum on the banks of the Missouri with replicas of the 55-foot keelboat and the red and white pirogues and references to Lewis and Clark everywhere.
And the Katy Trail begins just east of St. Charles, offering cyclists and hikers a route clear across Missouri, 240 miles and the longest developed rail-trail in the country. We didn't quite make the full 240 miles. We started at Frontier Park on the St. Charles Riverfront and rode a half hour west, returned to the park and went a half hour east--maybe a total of 20 miles or so. After all. we have to save something for later trips. But it was a glorious fall day with a light breeze and temps in the 60s--perfect by my standards.
After we reloaded the bikes in the trucks, we hit a couple of my favorite stores on the historic St. Charles riverfront--the spice shop and the bookstore. The Greek seasoning that they sell at the spice shop is my favorite. Then we met Butch's brother John for a great lunch on the patio at Llewelyn's Pub.
We are camped at the 370 Lakeside Park on the edge of St. Charles in the neighboring town of St. Peters. This is a city park only a couple of years old with nice pull-through sites and full hook-ups. There is a hiking-biking trail here too, that circles the lake. The trees are also new and that makes the area look quite bare but isn't a problem this time of year. We entertained John and his wife Carol plus old friends, the Lannings, for supper. The Lannings, who live in St. Charles had fed us great homemade soup and fixings the night before. Disregarding the glare of the setting sun and a stronger wind than necessary, it was a pleasant evening. Today we pack up and head to Johnson's Shut-Ins State Park farther south.
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