Several months ago, Danelle and I were at an event in town and met the proprietors of The Peers Store. Connie asked me to let her know any time I was coming out on the Katy Trail which goes right in front of her store. The Peers store was an original train stop when the Katy was still a rail track. They have done a great job of maintaining history. Today was the day that I wanted to visit. Danelle didn’t want to be left out, so we drove about an hour from our house to see the store. There, I would unicycle in front of the store for them to see, and then do my best to ride the Katy to Hermann, MO.
Connie wasn’t at the store when we got there, but we waited around for their social media person to show up to film me riding. Danelle got some stills of my ride.
With the social visit out of the way, it was time to get started. To make the visit worth both of our time, I drove Danelle about 4 miles west on the Katy. There, she would walk back to the Peers store. I dropped her off to start her walk and enjoy the trail. I then drove back to the Peers store and parked and started my ride. It didn’t take long for me to catch Danelle and she got some photos of me as I continued on making good time.
I rode about 4 miles before I stopped to check out an old building and stop on the Katy.
From there, I wanted to ride fast. It was cold out and I was wearing all of my layers. I was a bit concerned about a storm front that looked to be coming towards me. I was making great time. Then before I knew it, I got off balance and was falling forward. I wasn’t ready and had a UPD (unplanned dismount). I wasn’t hurt, but I was shaken up from the unexpected rolling!
The combination of the leaves and sticks just got the best of me. The trail isn’t paved, which means that occasionally there are ruts as well. I did experience some misting rain that came and went, but I had no other gear, so I needed to continue. I wish I could say that I made it all the way to Hermann, but that wasn’t to be. After 3 UPDs and a near miss on a 4th, I knew it was time to find my exit. Looking closely at the map, I found a road that left the Katy. I called Danelle and we arranged a pickup as soon as she could get there. I walked 3/4th of a mile to the road where we would meet. While I fell short of my riding goal, I was happy to quit on my terms. Also, shortly after I was picked up, the rain came in and didn’t stop. Almost like it was meant to be. I was happy to be dry and warm in the car. I’m glad we went out to enjoy the trail today. I’ll have to keep training so I can ride farther again. I made it just over 13 miles. Not bad for an average guy!
Hogan