Quad Cities: Iowa and Illinois

A weekend in the City, er, the Quad Cities.  4 times the fun and excitement.

We have spent hours watching Ole' Man River swish past the campground.  And we watched several "tows" lock up and down the River; even got to watch them stop the train so the lock through could proceed.  Glad we could not hear the folks in the car when the train started and stopped.  And stayed stopped.

A quick visit to a Farmer's Market.  All sense of authentic ended when the "Amish" relish man was sucking down a Starbucks coffee drink.

We are riding the bike trails -- about 80 paved miles along the River from here north.  Loving flat!!

Headed down river.  The barges have to be split at the locks due to length.

Train bridge pivots to let barge through.

The is the land of John Deere!  And you thought all they did was tractors:  THINK again!

Ride Along the River

Trip to Figge Museum to see some Grant Wood.  Not much on display!

Fabulous Weaving in Textile Art Display

Watching the Sunset 

Graham Cave State Park

We headed to Graham Cave State Park to relax and regroup after a week on the bikes.  Well, mostly on the bikes.  The Park is not one of Missouri's finest -- but suited our needs.  The Park is named for a cave (shelter or ledge cave really) that during an excavation in the 1950s was found to have artifacts from 10,000 years ago.

We walked a trail -- kept in motion to fend off the bugs -- and barely beat the downpour back to the RV.  Thankful again to have a solid roof.  We did see 2 new birds:  Kentucky warbler and Northern Parula.  And a couple of lovely flowers.

Time to move north.

Butterfly House

Years ago we explored the Butterfly House on our 2002 cross country trip.  I definitely wanted to see the butterflies and tropical flowers again.  And release that heat & humidity....yeah.

The house has about 1,500 butterflies at any point in time.  They fly everywhere.  Sometimes they land.  Alas, when they "close up" the colors are often hidden.  So no pictures of the Blue Morph...

A taste of the tropics, if only for a day.

Butterflies!!

The Katy Trail...more of a Missouri Paradise...

We continued our cherry picking approach to the Katy Trail.  Figure out the "beautiful" or "unique" sections and ride those.  Move Bessie to a near by campground and ride the trail from there.  It was a perfect strategy.

In total we rode the trail 5 days; a bit under 200 miles; and found 5 campgrounds for 6 nights of camping.  We had NO rain and NO humidity!!!  And the first flat tire....as Alan rode into the last parking lot!  How sweet is that!!  Today we awoke to a downpour.  Oh luck was with us!!

I will remember the rolling farmland, broad muddy & fast Missouri, bridges and tunnels of all sorts, bluffs/cliffs, farmsteads, dense forests, historic brick buildings, and the trail just rolling out.  Rolling out.

We met all sorts of riders -- during the week numbers were low (30 a day or so) and most were "doing the trail" or enroute to somewhere else, like Oregon.  We rode on a Saturday...and lots more traffic...mostly day riders from St Louis.

One advantage of moving the RV was a chance to see the rolly, hilly countryside that the Katy Trail skirts.  Glad to be riding the trail.

Bottom Land farming, the Missouri is just "beyond" the bluff.

Small church -- the graveyards are on TOP of the bluff.
This is in Rhineland area -- settled by Germans in the 1830s.

The Trail rolls along

A snatch of color

We have our rules on this trail!!1

Historic building in Hermann.  Settled by Germans and chock full of German shops.

Bessie in the "barn" near Marthasville -- along with a tractor & Buster & my bike.
Buster is the car and is indeed named for Buster Posey.  Go Giants!!

Prosperous Farm--that be corn about to grow up and hide the scene.

Land Trust to preserve lands adjacent to the trail (in private ownership) to maintain the Trail's ambience  

Um, good time to stay on the trail!

Welcome to Lost Creek Winery

Farm house with a view of the River....except when it floods into their porch

Bridge from early 1900s

Roll down the trail...yellow flowers to show the way

Ready for Instagram????

End of ride in a winery.
Um, Missouri wines are no match to California or Washington vintages.

Remember

Leap Frogging Down the Katy Trail; Day 1 & 2

Katy Trail State Park is the crown jewel of Missouri State Parks -- the longest developed rails to trail in the country at 240+ miles.  The Park is built on the former corridor of the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad (MKT or Katy) and runs from Clinton to Machens with multiple trailheads along the way.

We debated how to do the Trail:  ride east; ride west; ride both directions; camp; bring Bessie.  We opted to "leap frog" the trail -- move Bessie to a campground down the trail and ride sections near the campground.  We are picking the most scenic sections to ride -- rolling Missouri farmland followed by  stretches of the Missouri River and framed by the high river bluffs.

The weather is "warm" and "humid" but there is plenty of shade.  The trail is hard packed gravel so one has to pedal all the time -- no easy coasting along!  There are other riders in both directions but many times we are enveloped in the silence of the road.  Small towns come into view and quickly pass.

The best things about the Trail so far:  no traffic, great scenery, pleasant weather, no road kill.
The "not" best things about the Trail:  just keep pedaling.  And then pedal some more.

Crown Jewel of Missouri State Parks

One of the classic trails in the US

TYPICAL view -- dappled shade & flat

Big old yellow tractor out in the field

Bridges along the way 

Nature 

How about a Pullman Palace Sleeping Car!

Stopping for lunch -- topped off with fresh baked blackberry cobbler & ice cream 

Farmlands

Interesting Planter Box near the trail...that be a car.

Tunnels to mix up the ride

At Boonville the trail joins up with the Missouri River

State Champion Bur Oak Tree

Remnant from the days of rail

Following in the path of Lewis & Clark.  Many historical markers along the trail.

The trail is sandwiched between the river & bluffs.

Columbine

Storage site from the construction of the railroad.

River-Trail-Bluff.
Just keep riding

Interesting rock insert high above the trail.  

Views of older, brick buildings along the way

Cut stone tunnel -- 243 feet long -- amazing arched brick ceiling

Riding On

Native American Pictographs.  

Onward...