I spent the week before Ped Jam packing and preparing, knowing that my brother Mike was coming out to join us, as he has the last couple of years. I put a rack on his bike and made a little fender in anticipation of the forecasted rain. But the day before departure, he called to say he couldn't come. I was disappointed. Savannah said that they probably weren't coming, or maybe they would only come to visit on Saturday. So plans changed.
5/22/2025. I left at about 12:30 p.m. It was very windy on the way down, which is not fun when towing a travel trailer. There was a bit of a traffic jam on I-70 around the bridge over the Missouri River, causing about a 30-minute delay. I met Corky at our usual camp site. He was already set up. I pulled in and set up my camper. We had dinner at the new Mexican restaurant in Boonville, then went on a short ride over the bridge to the markers for the old town of Franklin, which no longer exists. Interesting history. It was the starting point of the Santa Fe trail. We rode back over to Boonville and checked out the old railroad bridge.
5/23. I slept until 7, which is quite late for me. It helps when I don't gave to get up at 6 to feed dogs. Corky cooked a hot breakfast. We rode to Pilot Grove on the Katy Trail, seeing a snake and a box tortoise on the way. Our favorite place to eat there, Katrina's, had sadly closed. Instead we ate at Deon's Bar and Grill. The food was good, but it took an hour to get it. There were only 2 people staffing the place, and they had kind of a rush. The waitress had interesting tattoos. The ride back to Boonville was much easier because it's mostly downhill. We checked out the Visitor's Center, and read some of the history.
Savannah, Jacob and the girls showed up shortly after our return. They had decided to come down and ride on Saturday. We went for the traditional dinner at Maggie's--beer and burgers. Good thing we got there early, as they were swamped when we left. We went back to camp and chatted awhile. It began to rain and we deployed our awnings. That's when I discovered the holes in mine. I suspect I hit a tree branch coming out of our driveway. I also found the the big tupperware tub of silverware was missing. I couldn't find it in any compartment, and still haven't at the time of this writing. That night the kids slept in pack-n-plays on top of the big bed. Savannah slept on the folding couch. Jacob slept in the top bunk, I slept on the bottom one.
5/24. We all got up at 5:40 when the girls did. We had a breakfast of pumpkin bread and strawberries, which Stacey had thoughtfully prepared. Me and the whole family loaded into my truck and drove to Columbia. Corky had to take his own truck because we didn't have room for him. It sprinkled a little on the way. We found the parking lot, got a spot and unloaded the bikes. Jacob and Savannah rode their tandem, pulling a trailer carrying Cleo and Gwen. We rode to Flat Branch Park where it starts, then met Corky. We rode the MKT out. There was some deep gravel on the trail, and at one point I saw a child on a small bike hit that gravel. His bike slid out from under him and he slammed into the ground. It was ugly. His Dad was right behind him and provided immediate aid. We rode hard to McBain to see Pat Kay play. I had never seen him without the full Kay Brothers band, but he was great solo. He plays guitar (or banjo), a base drum and harmonica at the same time. A bald eagle and a couple of flocks of geese flew over us. Cleo was obsessed with a tiny grasshopper that she held for a long time.
After the concert we rode on to Rocheport. We heard a band play while we ate hot, fresh pizza. So good. It was still cool and mostly overcast at this point. We rode on to New Franklin. We rested and saw the Katy Roundhouse and a couple of bands. The sun came out and it was warmer. I took off my rain jacket. We rode the final leg to Boonville and back to camp. A lot of people were walking their bikes over the bridge, so it was a good thing we rode on the roadway instead. We watched people ride in to the end of the route, which is always interesting. I took a shower and we went to the venue. Got some good BBQ for dinner and a chocolate-dipped frozen banana (with nuts!) for dessert. The kids were really tired, so Savannah and the Zimmerman's went back to camp. The fireworks show was good, and a dude sang the Ped Jam song. I recorded it. We saw three bands: 1) country band. Pretty good. 2) rock band. a bit too screamy. 3) The Big Dam Band, the headliner. The guy had a unique blues guitar style. He had a drummer and then his wife on washboard. They sounded good, but wore thin after 3 or 4 songs, so Corky and I went back to camp. It rained overnight.
5/25. Jacob went over to the venue and brought back pancakes and sausage for all of us. The kids were going home that day. Corky and I headed out about 9:30. It was cool, so I was in leg warmers and rain jacket again. We made good time, 13-14 mph for long stretches, except when we had headwinds. We stopped briefly in New Franklin. We stopped in Rocheport long enough to pee and hear one song from a washboard band. I took off my raincoat, as it had warmed up. We rode on, and stopped to photograph the plaque on the bluff. I saw a red-tailed hawk fly by and spook some pigeons off the rocks. When we got to the MKT, it was sprinkling hard. I put my rain jacket back on for the final leg. When we got back to the parking garage, I could not at first find my truck. I hit the lock button on the fob and heard the horn, so I knew it was there. I had mistaken which side it was on. Anyway, I did a Savannah and peed in the parking garage. I loaded up the bike and headed out. Bought gas in Columbia and drove to Boonville in what was now a driving rain. I made a sandwich for lunch. I hitched up truck to trailer and struck camp. I took a shower, said my goodbyes to Corky, and headed for home. It wasn't a bad drive. A little windy, but not much traffic.
There were a lot more ebikes this year, and, interestingly, cargo bikes. At one point we passed a guy who had two kids on his cargo bike and was pulling a trailer. He was a big dude, but that is a massive load. Most of the cargo bikes were ebikes as well. The camping area was extremely crowded this year. Good thing we got there early.
Here's a link to a small photo album: https://photos.app.goo.gl/D4ce63hkLBxsJhH77
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