September 4 : Columbia to Jefferson City

Today started just like most other days on the road…too early! I think we are all ruined for life...we cannot seem to sleep beyond 6:30 anymore! Oh well…we enjoyed a quick breakfast at the hotel and then Pete and I hit the trail out of town, while Betsy and Sue went off to church. I asked them to “say a little prayer for me” (great song!)

Pete did a great job finding us a way out of town all on local bike trails (Columbia being a university town, has an amazing bike path system!) We soon joined up with the Katy Trail and were cruising alongside the Missouri River again. It’s such a pleasure to watch the water meander by as you pedal along, listening to the birds and not the cars! We saw several turtles along the trail, but they didn’t need rescuing, since the bikers see them from a long way off and swerve around them. Whew! 

We managed to get in about 25 miles before we were met by Sue and Betsy, who had driven the car ahead along the trail and pedaled back to meet us. We continued on together, to where they had parked and then headed into the little hamlet of Hartsburg (population 103 in 2010!) in search of a refreshing drink. We were in luck. There was a little boutique open that also offered cold water and snacks – and it was only open over Labor Day weekend – we had finally hit an event date! (one of our ongoing jokes on this trip, is that no matter what town we arrived in, the “big event” had either already happened, or was going to happen after we left.) 

Well, there were 3 women sitting outside the boutique, chatting to the shopkeeper, and they immediately engaged us in conversation. Where were we from? Where were we headed? WHAT?!  All the way to Washington DC? WHAT?! You started in Florence, Oregon? Wow! That’s incredible! Please sign my guest book – I like to know where everyone is from. We continued chatting and joking and I casually asked the owner if she had any sodas for sale. No luck. No problem. But what kind of soda did I want? Oh, a Coke or a Pepsi. “just give me a minute” she said, “I have connections!” She disappeared into the American Legion building next door and when she came back, she had my Coke and a glass of ice! Thank you so much! How much do I owe you? Nothing! See? The people in Missouri are just as nice as the people in Kansas! 

Plus, the ladies (who turned out to be “the Barner sisters” ) told us about a little restaurant about 5 miles down the trail that has the best fried chicken and country ham around! We would never have found it, in another tiny town just off the trail – in fact – the sign on the building says “store” not “restaurant.” But apparently it really is famous because the entire place was packed within ½ hour of our sitting down  (inside was by reservation only and outside filled up with cyclists who just kept rolling in and out!) Another great meal on the road! 

Cyclists all looking for Fried Chicken!

After lunch (which I shared with a lovely little calico cat who is clearly well fed by the restaurant patrons) Pete, Betsy and I hit the trail heading for North Jefferson, while Sue rode back to pick up the car and come meet us. We arrived in North Jefferson before Sue and decided we would brave the ride into Jefferson City, the capital city of Missouri, while Sue drove directly to our hotel. 

Bridge approach to Missouri River crossing.

We followed the bike path into town and scaled the ramp up to an amazing bike/pedestrian bridge across the Missouri River with a great view of the capital. All good up to that point, and only about 3 miles to go to get to the hotel. Well, those 3 miles were some of the toughest we’ve done recently, with more than a few hills with 19% grades! Ouchy Wowie! We finally straggled in ready for a little rest and a night out on the town! 

Well, the night on the town turned out to be a little less than we’d hoped for. A visit to the capital building was worth the trip, but High Street, in front of it, was closed down for the evening (as in not one single place open for us to enjoy a nice glass of wine, or window shop!)

Undaunted, we decided to try "The Curry N' Grill," the Indian/Pakistani restaurant Pete had found on Google. Even though the ambience (fluorescent lights and menu) left a little to be desired, the food definitely did not! Score! Great food and decidedly “the place to eat” on a Sunday evening (it was packed)! We’ll see what luck we have tomorrow in Hermann, on Labor Day…wish us luck!