Riding the Katy Trail State Park

Onward to Leeton then Pleasant Hill
On the way to Leeton to camp in the city park, we stopped in Windsor and found the only place open - the Side Track Cafe.  We had the best ever burgers before traveling the remaining 10 miles.  We're now on the Rock Island Spur, a route that continues northwest to Kansas City. Continuing on to Pleasant Hill to camp the following night, Jim will then proceed to Lee's Summit (southeast of Kansas City), where he'll catch Amtrak back to his car in St Louis and head home.  I'll continue to Olathe for two nights in a hotel before heading south/southwest to Joplin.

Day 5, Pilot Grove to Sedalia, 28 miles
We got a few bonus miles today, looking for the fairgrounds in Sedalia, where we planned to camp.  Turning unexpectedly colder.  I chatted with Jeff from Rolla, on the trail, who's starting a new gravel touring business.  He offered me his front yard for camping, when I get to Rolla on my return leg to St Charles.  Sedalia was given the choice to have the state college or the fairgrounds. They chose the fairgrounds. Sedalia has been hosting the Missouri State Fair since 1901 on almost 400 acres of grounds of 47 buildings.
Day 4, McBaine to Pilot Grove, 38 miles
Weather has been getting cooler during the day, necessitating long sleeves and sometimes leg coverings.  We had read about the dreaded Salt Creek Detour...a bridge on the trail that had washed away in 2016 with no repairs planned.  I had anticipated this, and found a road route that was actually quite nice; a change from the sandy surface and cave-like trees we'd mostly been riding through.  After a 5 or so mile detour, we returned to the trail and had the opportunity to inspect the damages to the bridge.  At some point, I'll upload photos.  Some riders will trudge through the yucky mud and maybe 6 inches of water, to avoid riding on the road.  After a heavy rain, even that option wouldn't be possible though.
We picked up some bonus miles in Booneville as I searched for someplace to buy cheap reading glasses as I  had left mine at the hostel. No glasses, but we did discover an A&W Root Beer stand with the oh so yummy root beer freezes. Made a great lunch!
Pilot Grove is a delightful little town with a wonderful city park that welcomes bike travelers to camp for free.  Covered shelters, bathrooms, and water available. The local Dollar General was a 3 minute walk in one direction and I got my glasses.  A few minutes the other direction was a Casey's market/gas station, in case there's something you need that Dollar General didn't have.  
We met a nice man, Tim, riding a recombant trike.  He's from Indiana and was also riding the Katy, but both directions.  His great sense of humor in sharing his stories, including that he's had six (yes, six) strokes and a heart attack made for a pleasant evening of conversation.  He has some mobility and vision limitations, but dang, he's out there riding self supported.  A great inspiration! 
Day 3, Tebbetts to McBaine, 46 miles
We decided to make this day a few miles longer, so that the following day would be less than 40 miles as I had originally planned.  I've enjoyed riding with Jim, my ride buddy, as we came up with ideas to maximize our energies and time.  Anyway, there was no place to camp in McBaine.  So, we found a place near the sewer plant to stealth camp (odor-free!).  
​Day 2, Marthasville to Tebbetts, 54 miles
Even though the trail appears flat, there's a grade of no more than 2 percent.  On a road, it would not even be noticeable, but with a total bike weight close to 70 pounds and soft surface, it's VERY noticeable. A storm was due this day, and although the worst went north of us, we still got free showers before getting to Tebbetts.  We stopped in the tiny town of Mokane, and ducked into the local bar to wait for the rain to stop.  We had a beverage and a delightful conversation with Jennifer the young bartender, with lots of ideas to attract the cyclists along this popular route.
Arriving at the hostel in Tebbetts was a welcome sight after this long soggy day.  We had called ahead and were advised where the key was hanging and that we put our $6 in an envelope and drop it in the US mail box over at the post office.  When full, the hostel accommodates about 40 travelers but there were just 3 others joining us this night.  The kitchen was adequate and showers were hot.  We spent some time washing off the sticky grit from our bikes before storing them in the adjacent storage area.
Day 1, St. Charles to Marthasville, 39 miles
Marthasville is a small town with a population of less than 2000.  We're camping at the local ballfields (game night!) and I think everyone in town must be here.  The food vendor is open for business and provided us with a cold beer while setting up our tents.  We had both electricity and showers for a camp fee of $6. We're sharing this nice space (covered picnic tables and farm equipment) with four other travelers, going the opposite direction.
Apparently Daniel Boone called this town home and he was originally buried here. At some point his remains were relocated to Kentucky.  Missouri has never gotten over that.

I was fortunate to connect with a fellow bike tourer via Warmshowers.org and we'll be riding together for about five days. Our first day is about 40 miles to the town of Marthasville to camp in a city park. The weather people warning of severe storms on Day 2, Thursday, but with an early start to ride the 50 miles to Tebbetts, we hope to reserve bunks at the Turner Katy Shelter and beat the worst of the storm.