Day 3: Augusta, MO, to Hermann, MO
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Day 3: Thursday

Tm: 3:31:30
Dst: 38.33
Avg: 10.8
Mx: 20.4

I slept extremely well in that comfortable, 4-post bed.  I woke, said Morning Prayer, meditated on the Mass readings, and got ready for breakfast.  The owner of the place served French toast stuffed with white chocolate and cream cheese, topped with strawberries.  There were also sausage and eggs.  It was very good fuel for my ride, to say the least.  This place was rather expensive, but there weren't a lot of options when I got into town yesterday.  I know future lodging will be more reasonably priced and more within my budget, thankfully.

It started to rain just as I left, around ten a.m., but it was warm enough and calm enough that I was relatively comfortable.  The trail was wet, but solid (my tire didn't sink into the trail, as I was afraid it might when wet).

Along the way I saw an old telegraph pole from when the trail was still a rail line.  Old grain elevators and train depots (now decaying) line the trail in the tiny towns along the way.  There are also many bridges over creeks that flow into the Missouri - some small, others large steel or iron structures, with massive trusses.

As I stopped on one of these wet, wooden-decked bridges I nearly wiped out.  That scared me a bit and made me realize how alone, and in the middle of nowhere, I actually am.  I only saw one person on the trail all day.  It occurred to me that this was a bad place to get hurt.  I thanked God I didn't fall, prayed for safety, and walked off the slippery wooden deck.

As I pedaled along, most of the time the river was to my left, on the other side of some trees.  On my right there were usually tall limestone cliffs.  But occasionally the trees would open up and show me the river.  It is flowing fast, yet peacefully, southward.  I relaxed, leaned on the bridge railing, and watched the creek under the bridge flow into the Missouri River.  I was calmed by the sound of rain, if not the wetness, and the peaceful flow of the river.  I thought about how busy everyone is in the world, running errands and working.  But the river is always here, just peacefully flowing on.  Somehow, these thoughts were comforting and incredibly relaxing.  I was content.

But at this point, I really started to get tired of being wet.  And the bike was picking up a lot of sand from the trail.  It can't be good for the bike to have the components coated in sand!  And I myself was covered in wet sand, particularly my back side where debris from the trail was thrown up by the tire. 

As I arrived in McKittrick, I was glad today was a short day.  The temp was dropping and I was starting to shiver.  I crossed the bridge, which has a nice, new bike lane separated from traffic by a barrier, into Hermann.  I stopped at the tourist information center and found the address of the Hermann Motel, which provided cheap but nice lodging for the night.

It was very nice to get indoors.  I'm trying to dry out my stuff, which is all wet.  I spent some time washing and lubing the bike's components as well, to remove the sand.

I ate at a nearby cafe, called home, and am now just relaxing.  Tomorrow the forecast calls for sun (I'll believe it when I see it!).  I've made a reservation at the Globe Hotel in Hartsburg tomorrow.  It's graduation night at the various schools around here, so I thought I had better call ahead for a room.  That's about 50 miles down the Katy trail.  The Katy has been slow going (10 mph) while wet.  Hopefully it will be dry, providing for faster pedaling tomorrow.


©2009, Jason Signalness