DNR
Home PageDay 2 Facts
| Date: | Tuesday, June 19 |
| Breakfast: | Pancakes, sausage, fresh fruit, cereal, coffee, juice and milk |
| Start: | Pilot Grove, MO |
| Finish: | Columbia, MO |
| Mileage: | 43 miles |
| Supper: | The cyclists were given meal vouchers to use at various restaurants in downtown Columbia. |
| Activities: | Swimming at Twin Lakes and Free shuttle to/from downtown Columbia |
Trail Features (Taken from the rider's daily map booklet.) |
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| Pilot Grove to Boonville: |
Pilot Grove (1873) was built by the railroad and named for the grove of trees used as a landmark by travelers along the Osage Trace. Pilot Grove to Boonville is considered by many to be the most strenuous section of trail. Here bicyclists negotiate the northern foothills of the Ozark Plateau. The never-populated and nearly forgotten community of Prairie Lick is passed at 197. The only overhead crossing of I-70 is at 196. Riders make their final decent into Boonville and the Missouri River valley on Lard Hill. For information and free tour, stop at the department's historic depot, as well as the Katy Caboose Museum. Caboose tours will be offered from 8 a.m. to noon. |
| Boonville to Rocheport: |
Boonville (1817) was a frontier river port and rail station. Over 400 structures are on the National Register of Historic Places. Boonville was the site of the first Civil War battle west of the Mississippi River on June 17, 1861. Take Spring St. east to Main (5th) St. then north on Hwy. 5 to the Boonslick Bridge. Note the Katy lift-span bridge up river and look for the 1869 home of Riverboat Captain Kinney on your right, now the Riverscene Bed and Breakfast. The trail leaves Boonslick Bridge and crosses Hwy. 87 to the 1816 site of Franklin. It was here that the Santa Fe Trail began, and Kit Carson learned the saddlemaking trade before departing for the Rockies. The first newspaper west of St. Louis was printed in Franklin, which was relocated after the floods of 1826-28. At 189.1, take time to see the Katy Roundhouse and old switching yard. New Franklin (188.2) has basic services. Look for Pearsons (1921) elevator constructed of tile at 184.5. A SAG stop is provided at Davisdale Conservation Area (182.1). Diana Bend Conservation Area (180.0) is named for the steamboat Diana that sunk here circa 1836. The next highlight is the west-end of the Big Manitou Bluffs and the Rocheport Tunnel (1893) at 178.9. The Lewis and Clark expedition encountered curious paintings and carvings on this bluff as well as a den of rattlesnakes on June 7, 1804. |
| Rocheport to Columbia: |
Rocheport (1825) is a restored river port and railroad town. Antiques and B&Bs dominate its commerce today. Beyond the depot is the continuation of the Big Manitou Bluffs and great views along the Missouri River. Note the Joned monument, erected in honor of Edward D. "Ted" Jones and the contributions he made to the development of Katy Trail State Park. Across from the first bench out of Rocheport (177.9), look for the spring (dated 1908) and the MKT logo on the bluff. Less than half-a-mile later, you can view the railroad's explosives bunker against the bluff. Hidden up the creek drainage at 174.9 is the once popular Boone Cave, once a tour cave and now owned by the Missouri Department of Conservation. Look for a pictograph above Lewis and Clark at 174.4. Huntsdale (1892) is encountered at 171.7, but there are no services. For a quick side trip at 170.8, travel right down to the paved road to see the Missouri state champion bur oak, and return. A SAG stop is provided at Hindman Junction (169.9). From there, travel up the MKT Trail into Columbia (1819), Boone County's seat and home of the University of Missouri's main campus. |
Day 2 Highlights |
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| Jim Kuper, the Pancake Man |  |
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Audubon Museum located at the Stadium Blvd. MKT trail head. |
| Check-in at University of Missouri's Reactor Field. |  |
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Sarah Ashman from Walt's Bikes in Columbia providing support to the cyclists. |
| Buses provided by the Colulmbia Downtown Association shuttled cyclists to supper at various downtown restaurants. |  |
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Columbia Mayor Darwin Hindman gives a warm welcome the the cyclists. |
| Katy Kids group photo |  |
