Biking with Friends on the Katy Trail

November 1-4, 2022
Cross-Country 2022

My husband and I have been taking one or two extended van trips a year in our retired life. Our first few trips were to National Parks in the West. Then, an East Coast wedding inspired us to drive cross-country in 2020, right before COVID hit. In 2021, we enjoyed fall foliage in Northern New England, and last year, in fall 2022, we traveled cross-country again from Virginia to California. Along the way, we met friends in Missouri for a few days of biking the Katy Trail in St. Charles.

The Katy Trail provided plenty of places to stop, rest, and visit with friends.

Getting There

My husband and I departed the John James Audubon State Park and Campground in our 1996 Pleasure-Way RV camper van that we had recently named Sweet Van-Ella Magnolia, or Ella for short. We soon crossed the Ohio River into Indiana. The landscape changed drastically from the hills and mountains we had traversed in recent days. Indiana (this part of it, anyway) was flat as a pancake. We drove north on U.S. Route 41 through Evansville to Warrenton, picked up I-64 West, and crossed the Wabash River into Illinois. Later, we crossed the Kaskaskia River. Then in St. Louis, we crossed the Mississippi River into Missouri.

We survived the thick St. Louis traffic on I-70 to I-170 to I-270 and crossed the Missouri River to St. Charles, where Sundermeier RV Park was just down the road from the exit.

In just over three hours, we traveled through four states and crossed three of the largest rivers in the United States.

We left the hilly landscape of West Virginia and Kentucky for the flat valley along the Missouri River.

Sundermeier RV Park

Sundermeier RV Park in St. Charles is adjacent to the Katy Trail (a popular rails-to-trails bike path). The commercial RV park has 114 side-by-side concrete sites, a combination of pull-through and back-in, with picnic tables, and is open year-round. Separate men’s and women’s restrooms with showers require a code. We felt safe, and the park was quiet except for the airplanes approaching the St. Louis airport.

The best part of Sundermeier RV Park was access to the Katy Trail just out the back gate and the St. Charles Historic District, also known as Frenchtown, an easy 10-minute bike ride away.

The Katy Trail is the former Missouri-Kansas-Texas railway.

A mix of RV travelers and full-time residents filled most of the park. Our neighbor, Nate, was on his first RV trip, a real greenhorn. He was on his way to Texas. His remote job allowed him to travel. He shared a few tips and apps with us, and I told him about our travel blog, which includes an article about our trip through Texas in pre-COVID 2020. If you’re reading this, Hello, Nate! We hope you’re still enjoying your time on the road!

Frenchtown is a historic arts district in St. Charles, Missouri.

The Lay of the Land

Missouri sits on a solid continental foundation known as the North American Craton, commonly called basement rock. Layers and layers of igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary rock sit atop the basement rock. During the Ice Age, 2.4 million to 11,500 years ago, the glacial flow cut what is now the Missouri River.

Archaeologists have evidence that indigenous cultures lived in Missouri at the end of the Ice Age, as many as 12,000 to 14,000 years before European explorers arrived in North America. (1) Diverse cultures—Chickasaw, Delaware, Illini, Kanza, Ioway, Otoe-Missouria, Osage, Quapaw, Sac & Fox, and Shawnee— not only survived but thrived. (2) The Pottawatomie, Sauk, Fox, and Osage were the original people of St. Charles County. (3) Tragically, the U.S. government and the Indian Removal Act of 1830 forced all native people to leave Missouri. Today, “there are currently no federally recognized tribes in the state of Missouri.” (2) While we enjoy the natural beauty of the Katy Trail, let’s acknowledge the people who once called this land home.

The Pottawatomie, Sauk, Fox, and Osage were the original people who lived along the Missouri River of St. Charles County, Missouri.

In 1865, Union Pacific Railroad built the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad, known as The Katy. Just 128 years later, in 1993, Union Pacific abandoned the railroad. Shortly afterward, a group proposed converting the railroad to a multi-use recreational trail. (4)The 240-mile-long Katy Trail State Park is the longest-developed rail-to-trail in the United States. The Katy Trail closely follows the Missouri River and crosses a diverse landscape of river valley farmland, riverside buffs, woods, and wildflower meadows. Parts of the trail run along highways and cityscapes.

Travel and Friendship

When we plan RV van trips, we first select the region we plan to visit and then rough in a general route. Our unlux travel style avoids the trappings of densely populated tourist destinations—except for National Parks, which can be pretty crowded. From there, we look at the map and identify national and state parks and other places of interest, including friends and family who live along the way, also known as our Mooch Trail. Seeing family and friends adds flavor to our on-the-road lifestyle. Visiting a place is more meaningful when we create memories with special people.

We had a comfortably warm and sunny day biking the Katy Trail in St. Charles, Missouri.

We have visited friends we’ve had since childhood, former coworkers, and people we otherwise probably wouldn’t see again outside of a random drive-by visit for a walk in the park or a cup of coffee, wine, or a gin and tonic.

The Katy Trail is popular with bicyclists, walkers, and runners.

Some friendships are situational, people you meet along the way and may never see again—golfers, RVers, and camp neighbors. We friend each other on Facebook and exchange phone numbers. We keep tabs on each other’s locations for a few days, then contact wanes until they’re a distant memory in the rearview memory.

One of the most interesting people we met on the road was Sam Billings, who made violins out of the back of his van. We met him at Elmore State Park in Vermont. In New Hampshire, our camping neighbor knew one of Roger’s old college friends. Most people we meet on the road are warmhearted and open to chatting about their travel experiences.

We rode at an easy pace, so we could chat and catch up along the way.

Some of these visits have turned out to be poignant. Sadly, we lost a few friends and relatives shortly after our visit.

Other visits have been a way to reconnect with people who were once important in our lives but drifted away after they moved or retired.

When you meet someone, you don’t know if that person will become a friend or for how long. You also don’t know if you will ever see that person again when you say goodbye. We never regret taking the time to visit friends when we have the opportunity.

Biking with Friends

During the 90s and 2000s, K&K worked with Roger as Alaska Department of Fish and Game fish techs on trout research projects. These projects estimated the abundance of cutthroat trout in remote lakes in Southeast Alaska or counted fish migrating through a weir. Over the years, Roger developed strong friendships with K&K, lasting through retirement and across many miles.

K&K are active bicyclists, so when we added the Katy Trail, a prime biking destination, to our itinerary, we called to see if they would join us. The trail was a reasonable driving distance from their new home in Minneapolis, and we were overjoyed when they said yes.

On our first day of biking, we were excited to see K&K again for the first time in a few years. We met them just outside Sundermeier RV Park's back gate in a Katy Trail designated parking lot. After joyful hellos and hugs, we started for Frenchtown, the first capital of Missouri, today an art district in historic St. Charles and just one mile down the trail. Located along The Katy Trail, Frenchtown welcomes bicyclists looking for a meal, a cold drink, or a resting place. The cobblestone and brick streets were easy to manage.

The trail to Walnut Depot bordered farm fields.

We rode to La Belle Vie, an elegant yet cozy cafe on North 2nd Street. Roger ordered The Lake Bake, a stack of crispy hash brown patty, chopped bacon and sausage, an over-easy egg, and sausage gravy. K1 ordered the brown butter crepes, and K2 and I each got the veggie omelet. We enjoyed a relaxed meal catching up.

With bellies full, we continued riding as far as River Bottom Trailhead, then returned to the RV Park.

We considered ordering delivery and having dinner at the RV park; however, the plane traffic was too disruptive, so we returned to Frenchtown on our bikes and had dinner on the balcony at Lewis & Clark, an American-style restaurant. We sat on the balcony and enjoyed the sunset river view.

After a day of biking the Katy Trail, we enjoyed a happy hour beverage at Sundermeier RV Park.

I ordered the chicken cognac. Roger got a cheeseburger, and K&K shared a spinach salad and eggplant parmigiana. The restaurant was a popular destination for locals as well as tourists. Families held celebratory gatherings, and the couple seated next to us was having a date night. Our server was amiable and attentive.

The next day, we rode in the opposite direction to Black Walnut Trailhead. This section of the trail went along the Missouri River on the east and farmland to the west. A massive flock of starlings filled the air and trees with their cacophony of calls at one rest stop.

Black Walnut Trailhead was the end of the line for us on our second day of biking the Katy Trail.

We were not in a hurry and enjoyed the benches along the way to visit, snack, and take in the scenery.

We returned to Frenchtown and the Big A Bar and Restaurant for dinner. The atmosphere was loud and busy. I ordered the pasta special, chicken carbonara, but the server told me they were out. I didn’t understand how they could be out of it at only 5:30 pm., but I didn’t complain and ordered the taco salad instead.

The Katy Trail in Missouri is a destination for RVers who like to bicycle.

Restaurants have been having difficulty recovering from the COVID pandemic with worker shortages and other consequences. We’ve entered a new era of dining and shopping. I’m not sure if it’s a change from COVID, economic conditions, or a different work ethic of the younger generation. Some people say the younger generation does not want to work. That’s jumping to conclusions. Another way of looking at it is they have different priorities and are unwilling to give up their personal lives for their jobs. We don’t know the extent to which COVID has impacted families. I’m sure many people have had to make significant adjustments.

This snapshot of the trail map (in green) shows the section of trail we road.

We returned to the RV park just as darkness settled in and, sadly, said our goodbyes to K&K with the possibility of visiting again this summer in Southeast Alaska.

Keep In Touch!

We all have good intentions of keeping in touch, but distance grows as time passes. Roger is better than I am about keeping in touch with family and friends. We’ve never regretted taking a few minutes from the day to stop and say, “Hello, I’m thinking about you. How are you doing today?”

Tomorrow is not promised. We only have today, now, this moment. Let’s make it count. 1-2-3 Go!

“You meet people who forget you. You forget people you meet. But sometimes you meet those people you can’t forget. Those are your friends”

― Mark Twain

Notes:

1. “The Tribes of Missouri Part 1: When the Osage and Missouria Reigned.” Missouri Life. Missouri Life Magazine, accessed August 2, 2023. https://missourilife.com/the-tribes-of-missouri-part-1-when-the-osage-missouria-reigned/

2. “Indigenous Tribes of Missouri: Missouri’s Native Peoples.” Library’s Reference Guide, Jefferson College, accessed August 2, 2023. https://libguides.jeffco.edu/missouritribes

3. “The Osage.” St. Charles County History. Dorris Keeven-Franke, July 20, 2013. https://stcharlescountyhistory.org/2013/07/20/osage-indians/

4. “History of the Katy Trail.” Friends of the Katy Trail, accessed August 2, 2023. https://katytraildallas.org/history

© Copyright 2023. Patricia E. Harding. All rights reserved.

Updated 8/15/2023.