The Final Section of The Katy Trail, and Back Onto Roads
Breakfast with George (at the Concord Hill Bed and Breakfast) was one of the most fun chapters to write in Pilgrim Spokes, and starts my final day on the Katy Trail out wonderfully. Â I leave the leisurely pace I’ve enjoyed over the past couple days with my good friends behind, kicking into the last 50 miles or so with a strong pace that takes me to Alton after crossing the mighty Mississippi River on a beautiful modern bridge.
The town of Augusta calls me heavily, a bar and grill hanging invitingly out toward the trail, but I resist. However, the Ted Drewes I pass is beyond my ability to fly past, and I stop to enjoy what folks in St Louis are convinced is the best frozen custard on earth.
Further up the road I meet some new folks and enjoy a break in the old river town of St Charles, which many folks mistakenly think is the eastern end of the Katy Trail. In reality, the trail extends another 12 miles or so beyond St Charles, and after a little lunch I continue the deserted section of trail, not seeing another human being until after I exit the trail and get onto the roads along the flood plain.
After crossing a beautiful modern bridge across the mighty Mississippi, I find my way to the Beall Mansion Bed and Breakfast Inn, where Jim welcomes me and shows me up to the Butler’s Quarters. This is another transition point for me, leaving friends behind and kicking my pace up, out alone on the highway again.
Pedal, Breathe, Smile, and Enjoy…
A cross-country bicycle adventure is the canvas for this tale of discovery along the winding backroads of America’s heartland. The second book in the “Cycling Reflections†series, Pilgrim Spokes tells the story of the eastern half of the trans-American trek, continuing the saga begun in Neil’s award-winning previous book—Pilgrim Wheels—which reconnoiters the western half of the journey.
More than just a journal of a bike ride across the country, Hanson’s delightful and beautifully written story takes the reader on an engaging pilgrimage of observation and reflection. Often hilarious, sometimes poignant, and always inspiring, it’s a must-read adventure that will stir your soul.
