Yesterday, Kelly and I loaded our bikes onto the back of the VW and took a day trip to Rocheport and Booneville, Missouri; two towns next to each other in the middle of the state, just west of Columbia. For years, we have driven past these exits on our way to St. Louis, to visit our cousins, but we’d never gotten off the highway for a look-see. From Kansas City, Booneville is the last exit before, and Rocheport is the first exit after, Missouri’s “halfway bridge” on I-70.
Rocheport was our first stop. Frommer's has listed it as one of America's 10 Coolest Small Towns, and while that seem like a stretch, it really is a sweet place to be. It's filled with dozens of quaint Bed & Breakfasts and fun little antique and specialty shops. There are several restaurants, but one has live music every Friday night. Although we didn't stay for the show, the restaurant's website had a YouTube clip of the bluegrass group that was scheduled and it looked like it would have been really fun to stay. The town totally caters to the cyclists and weekend overnighters, who come from the nearby surrounding areas, as well as Kansas City and St. Louis.
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| Tunnel just west of Rocheport. The temperature was at least 10 degrees cooler in there! |
The Katy Trail is a recreational rail trail that runs 240 miles on the former Missouri-Kansas-Texas (MKT) Railroad. Running mostly along the northern bank of the Missouri River, it is the country’s longest rails-to-trails trail. We saw hikers, cyclists, families, couples and singles yesterday on the hard, flat crushed limestone path. The part of the Katy we were on is also part of the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail. While we could have jumped onto the Katy much closer to Kansas City, we really wanted the picturesque and shady lanes that this stretch is known for. Even with the heat and humidity, it was a lovely ride.
The trail goes from Clinton to St. Charles, and I believe there are plans to extend the west trail all the way to Kansas City.
From the Main Street, we first rode west for a couple of miles, through the tunnel and along the wetlands. We stopped just in front of the tunnel and hiked to the top of the bluff to see the River.
About 2 miles east of Rocheport is an access trail up to the Les Bourgeois Vineyard and Restaurant. We locked our bikes at the bottom, and took the short, but steep hike up the trail, to the restaurant on top of the bluff. Overlooking the river from this height, it's so easy to see why it's nicknamed the Muddy Mo - with all the rain we've been getting, the water was up and moving pretty fast. Our waitress said they see very little boat and barge traffic - maybe only a few a week. Sitting at our table we just watched the hawks flying overhead and the water moving below.
I'd love to come back in the fall when the colors are changing and turn this into a weekend.
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| I took this photo especially for my little friend, Katy Gunther! |
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| A view from the top |
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| On the Les Bourgeois trail |
