Boonville to Jefferson City

Today was a day for description: first, the temperature was about 10 degrees lower than yesterday when we left this morning at 7:00. We wound our way out of Boonville across the wide Missouri and onto the trail heading eastward. After a few miles of cornfields on both sides, we entered the section of the trail that made us feel most at home; there were cliffs to our left and now and then, a river to our right. Most of today's ride was in the shade.

And the most exciting news of all: The Pointer is Back!!!! We officially rejoined the Lewis and Clark Route, which is what we started on from Astoria, OR way back in 2004. The route is distinguished by historical markers depicting our heroes in profile. One of them, either Meriweather or William, is always showing vigorously pointing the way. Back in Oregon, there was a state park that actually used the image on the men's room with a Sacagawea pointing out the ladies' room. But, I digress.

We were in the first area today which really offered a view of terrain that is unique to this area. High cliffs to our right, which the markers said contained pictographs, but which were covered by vegetation now. To our right alternated views of the Missouri River, which really is quite wide, and flood plain farm fields, or swamp land. It was beautiful and very quiet. It wasn't until the very end of the day that we actually could hear a highway with real traffic.

We continue to be impressed by the trail itself and the amenities. Because it is part of the Missouri State Park system, the funds are there for maintenance and signage. We passed through the trail's only tunnel today, a relatively short one, but memorable. part of it was just blasted out of the rock of the hillside with the rough rock forming the walls of the tunnel. The bridges are smooth with no jolt at either end rejoining the trail, and possibly thanks to the Katy Trail Ride a day ahead of us, storm damage and erosion have been fixed.

Breakfast was in a delightful "general store" and cafe in Rocheport, MO. This woman could give Sam Drucker a run for his money; the menu was very sophisticated. I had a veggie muffaleta and Bob chose a curried chicken sandwich. I was wistful that we couldn't just stay there and come back for dinner, since her wine list and beer options rivaled anything I'd seen anywhere. The contrast for our lunch in Hartsburg was stark. Dotty's Cafe offered a decent selection of sandwiches and hot meals, but the service consisted of a woman literally plopping our dishes down on the table and running away, no eye contact, before we could ask for anything else or inquire about the fries we'd ordered but which hadn't shown up. However, even Dotty's looked good compared to our Gatorade stop in Wilton. We saw signs for a campground with a store, and it was time for a break and something cold to drink. (Cool is a relative term here). The store was like entering a cave, dark and foreboding. We could almost hear the horror movie music in the background. Our first clue was the long-haired, sunglassed, bearded man who sat without moving or speaking until I almost had a heart attack when I noticed him out of the corner of my eye. His wife seemed very nice, but someone had forgotten to tell them the 60s are over. Actually, we speculated later on the possibility that the "natural herbs" that they sold might have included some which aren't completely legal. In any case, we discussed the reason they might not have so much camping business after we left, considering they don't even offer a public restroom. Camping without a restroom is not most people's idea of comfort.

The day ended pleasantly. We decided to take the trail spur into Jefferson City, the capital of Missouri. The Hotel DeVille had been advertised all along the trail, but we had convinced ourselves that is sounded too snooty to be affordable. We were pleasantly surprised, though, when we called to find that it was actually comparable to what we have been paying, and yes they do have a hose outside to wash the trail grit off the bike and yes we can bring the bike in, and they even put it with all the other bikes in a locked conference room next to our room so that we have room to dance around if we wish. We don't wish, just for the record, after riding in the heat. We enjoyd a great meal at a Greek restaurant just next door and even managed to purchase some food to enjoy for breakfast in our room tomorrow. The bonus is that we also have a reservation at a B & B for tomorrow night. Apparently as we head east, accommodations are more at a premium than we have found them so far. Tomorrow night, possibly with the help of our hostess, we will make the decision of whether to head to Hannibal or cut diagonally across Illinois shortening our route. A lot will depend on available accommodations. Stay tuned.