Day 3 Featured Riders

Name: Dave and Julie McFarlin
Ages: 48
Hometown: Clinton, Mo.
Second Year on Katy Trail Ride

How is the ride going so far?
Dave: The ride is going really good. The weather has just been perfect so far.

Julie: I got a flat tire today before the Providence SAG stop but we’ve just been so impressed with everyone’s willingness to help out other riders. As soon as my tire blew out, two guys stopped to help me. And when my tired messed up again, a lady gave me a ride in her van to the next stop to get it repaired.

Is there anything in particular you like about this year’s ride?
Julie: We’ve really enjoyed all of the Lewis and Clark posts on the trail.

Dave: I like the short rides and the cool weather. It’s just been a really nice ride. And it’s nice this year to be heading back to our home in Clinton, instead of ending up in St. Charles.

Why do you choose to participate in the Katy Trail Ride?
Julie: We do it because of all the great support on this ride. All of the people are real friendly and you get to know so many people from all over the country

Dave: It’s also really comfortable to know that if something goes wrong, you’ll have somebody to help. It takes a lot of the worry out, knowing that there is always somebody coming behind you to make sure that everything is okay.

What do you think you’ll take away from this year’s ride?
Dave: One cool thing we learned this year is the game of washers. We had never heard of it before until we saw a sign for a tournament in Marthasville. We asked another rider about it and they explained what it was. Then, once we got to Boonville today, a group was playing it and they let us play.

Julie: It was really fun. We’re going to take the game back to Clinton with us and play it there.

What would you say to other riders considering going on the Katy Trail Ride?
Dave: Compared to the Katy ride, we feel a lot of intimidation in other bigger rides. We really like this one because of its limited size and how safe we feel. The personal attention we get on this ride makes it really worth it.