Route 66

 Itinerary

1 Home to St Claire

2 To OK City, OK

3 to Edgewood, NM

4 to Petrified Forest to Flagstaff 

5 to Williams

6 to Grand Canyon and back

7 to Redlands

8 La Brea tar pits

9 to Morro Bay

10 - 15 Oakley 

16 to Utah

17 to Nebraska

18 to home

June 1

Left at 1 pm with Isabella Hamlin dog-sitting. Got gas in Hannibal. Drove to St. Claire on backroads we remembered from dropping off one dog and picking up Ronan. Got a hotel. Got dinner from Gibby's and a beer from the smoke shop next to the hotel.

June 2

Ate the hotel breakfast and took a short drive to Meramec Cavern. Had a tour with just us and the guide. Large rooms with lots of speleothems in the deeper parts. Shows sign of a long term private cave: broken straws, etc.

Drove to Uranus Fudge Factory. Bought some trinkets and took photos. Drove to St. Robert and ate at the Route 66 Drive-in. Very period appropriate. Good food. 

Drove west on I-44, exited onto the actual Route 66 in Oklahoma. Intended to stay at the hotel at Harrahs casino, but it doesn't exist because it hasn't been built yet. Ended up spending the night at a nice Sleep Inn in Oklahoma City. Saw the first scissortail flycatcher at some point.  Had dinner at Mexican restaurant next to hotel.  El Cuervero. Very good.

June 3

Drove I-40 west into Texas, where the environment really dried out. Stopped at Buc-ee's in Amarillo, had lunch and bought trinkets. Stacey drove for awhile and I woke up as we passed into New Mexico. Cholla and creosote bush, some pinon juniper woodland. Stopped at Comfort Inn in Edgewood. Hot tubbed. It rained and we went to pizza barn for dinner.

June 4

Drove west to Arizona. Stopped at the border for kitch Indian craft shops. Continued to Petrified Forest National Park. Ate at the visitors center.  Drove the route and saw long vistas, petroglyphs and fossilized logs. Many logs for sale outside park. Drove to Flagstaff with a big slow down for construction on the way. Checked in to Sleep Inn. Had dinner at Sizzler. Very disappointing. 

June 5

Had a nice breakfast at the hotel. Went thrift shopping. Bought some bike stuff. Drove to Williams. Huge car show in progress. I walked it and took many photos. Ate lunch at Subway and went to a garage sale. Back to the hotel to relax and prepare for tomorrow. Had a delicious dinner at Rod's Steak House across the road from the hotel. Walked the strip and bought a few things.

June 6

Breakfast at the hotel and drove to the railroad station. Saw the cowboy show.  Rope and whip tricks were good, but the rest was bad comedy. Took the train to the Grand Canyon. Saw a pronghorn on the way. Guitar player came through each car and sang a few songs. Got on the bus and went to the buffet. Bus took us to a couple of overlooks. Took lots of photos. Saw some mule deer and elk.  Walked to El Tovar. Took some more photos on rim. Then took the train back to Williams. Fiddle player entertained us a bit, then there was a literal train robbery, as the cowboys from the show shook us down for tips.  We got ice cream at DQ. Car show was still ongoing. Back to hotel. 

June 7

Breakfast at Carl's Jr. Terrible. Day old biscuits, buttered on top! Drove West on 40. Saw a 3-semi wreck. Another semi driven out into the desert. Just west of Kingman, Saw a guy lying on the shoulder face down. Stacey called 911. Got gas in Ludlow for $7.15/gal. Took 15 south at Barstow. Stopped to eat at In N Out Burger. Super crowded. Food was good but they got Stacey's wrong. Arrived at Dave and Evelyn's about 2. Hung out and talked. Went to dinner at State in downtown Redlands. Very good. Had ice cream at a liquid nitrogen place. Also good. Evelyn gave us a driving tour of Redlands architecture, including gnome houses.

June 8

Went to La Brea tar pits. Bad traffic on the way and a GPS diversion. Very nice museum and it was great seeing the actual pits.  On return did a lot of photography in Dave's yard. Had dinner outside. Smoked brisket.

June 9

Drove west to Ventura and up coast. Stopped at Carpinteria beach and got tar on our feet and shoes. Stopped at Morro Bay for the night. Motel 6. Drove down to photograph the rock. Dinner on the dock with sea otters.

June 10

Great breakfast at a donut shop. Drove up 101. Stopped at a couple of places to take photos. Moonstone drive for tidepools and seals. Pulled over for elephant seals. Video of fighting. Squirrels everywhere.  Herd of elk on east side of Highway 1. Turns to narrow 2 lane. Got flipped off. Stopped 4x for construction. Saw an eagle. Ate in Pacific Grove. Up the 101 to San Jose, then over to Livermore. A whole bumper in the road. On to Brentwood. Met Savannah and family at the Airbnb. Mike and Cindy came over. Ordered Red Robin delivery. Grocery shopping. 

June 11

In the morning Stacey and I went thrifting, but the stores were pretty bad. I got a couple of LPs and a plastic container to keep them in. 

In the afternoon I went out to the ranch with Mike, Marlene and Racin. Many of the buildings are in disrepair. A hawk made a nest in the rafters in the middle of the hay barn. I collected many owl pellets. The figs were not yet ripe. We went to see uncle Ray and heard many of his stories. 

That night Stacey made spaghetti. Racin, Rebecca, Mike and Marlene came over.  

June 12

We went to the Fitzgerald Reserve just south of San Francisco. It was essentially closed, so we went south to Moss Beach. Mike, Cindy, Racin and Rebecca met us there. Walked down to the beach. There were some tide pools with periwinkles, sea anemones, limpets and hermit crabs. I fed a periwinkle to an anemone. There was the decaying remains of a whale on the shore. The kids played in the sand. We ate at the Moss Beach Distillery. I had cioppino for the first time in over 40 years. It was amazing.

I fell asleep on the way home. Woke up with a strong urge to poop. We pulled over in some neighborhood and I shat between the van and a hedge. Much hilarity ensued. 

June 13

Bike ride with Mike and Jacob. Big Break and John Marsh home.  Took a dip in the pool. Mark and Mike came over and we talked. Ate leftovers. Took a short nap and went to Mike's for waffles and beans. Kids played with bubbles.

June 14

Relaxed in the morning and went over to Mike's for a BBQ. Mark and Alex came, Tim and his family, Marlene & Melissa, Racin & Rebecca. Ate well while the kids and dogs played. Went back to the air BnB. Mike, Racin and Rebecca came over to eat leftovers. We played games like Thanks a lot!? And laughed hard. 

June 15

Took another bike ride with Mike, Jacob and Racin. Rode the big overpass and a lot of other little trails for 26 miles. Came back, showered and Mike drove me to El Gallito to pick up lunch. It was great, except there was salsa on Stacey's tacos, ruining them. 

Anthony Roza came over and we had an informal ranch meeting with Mike and Marlene.  I learned some interesting things about ranch history and a potential mechanism for cashing out.

June 16

We got up early, went to a donut shop for breakfast and hit the road. Ran into some traffic in Sacramento, but otherwise a lovely drive through the Sierras. We made it to Salt Lake City.

June 17

Got breakfast at the hotel and drove into the Rockies. GPS routed us around a traffic jam on 80. Saw pronghorn in Wyoming, a fox in Nebraska.  Great scenery, but windy as hell in Wyoming. Stopped in Sidney, Nebraska for Cabelas, but it was disappointing. Nearly ran out of gas after we left. Made it to a gas station in Chappell with 15 miles to spare. Passed the Sram truck and trailer.  Spent the night in North Platte.

June 18

Drove through the outskirts of Omaha, through a tiny bit of Iowa and into Missouri.  Ate at a McDonalds.  Driving west on 36, I had to poop pretty badly.  We stopped on a side road and I befouled a corn field.  Judging by the underwear lying in the ditch, I wasn't the first.  Turned north on 15 then west on 156 to get home.  Dogs rejoiced. 

Midamerica road trip bingo card

Ozark

Hillbilly

Heartland

Jesus

Going to hell

Ambulance chasing lawyer 

Gun rights

Armadillo roadkill

Adult store

Megachurch with huge cross

Bible verse on truck

Vehicle in ditch

Trailer missing wheel

Antique mall

Religious radio station

Candy or fudge shop

Roadside memorial

Sketchy gift shop

Sketchy zoo

Giant statue

Mullet

Cowboy

Bo

Buc-ees or Wallys

Out of context reference 

 

Ride the Katy Trail 2026

RIT & KATY Trail Aug. 6 - 12 2026 

8/6/2026 St. Charles to Machens and back . 32 miles.

Met Corky at the trailhead. Rode from St. Charles east to Machens. Beautiful trail, though it sprinkled on us most of the time. Took our rain gear off in Machens during a break in the rain. Took a side trip on pavement  to Portage des Sioux to the Our Lady of the Rivers shrine. Quite impressive, though there were dozens of dead carp on the shore of the Mississippi River, and as many vultures to go with them. As we arrived back in St. Charles it began to rain hard. We packed up and went to the Salt and Smoke for a good lunch. Drove to Kirkwood and the Amtrak station. Still raining. Sat inside for a bit, then loaded bikes and bags onto the train. Comfortable ride west across the state. Got off at Lee's Summit for dinner at Stuey McBrews. Met a couple of guys and talked about backpacking. Biked to the hotel. Corky had left his credit card at the bar. He called and told them to cut it up.

8/7/2026  Lee's Summit to Windsor. 62 miles.

Took a shower. Ate hotel breakfast and headed out. First on paved roads, then gravel roads through Reed Park, then gravel path, then rocky single track to a paved road. A branch hit my right hand and knocked me off the bike. Another gravel road past Pleasant Hill lake, then the very nice MO Pac trail into Pleasant Hill.  Had second breakfast at Big Creek Cafe. 

Two closed bridges. Went around the first and over the second. Soft trail all the way to Windsor. Lots of birds and mammals, including squirrels, woodchuck, raccoon, rabbit. Photographed a brown snake.  Camped at Katy Rock Junction. Dinner at Jalisco.

8/8/2026 Windsor to Clinton and back. 39 miles.

Breakfast at the Sidetrack Cafe in Windsor. Great omelet. Rode west to Clinton. Saw cows wading in a stream, lizards, and a box tortoise at the end. In Clinton, a car show, murals, a restored vintage gas station, and the 1876 Gustave Haysler House. Ate lunch at Pizza Glen. Headed east and stopped at Calhoun for a beer. Poor service. Nice mural though. Continued east to Windsor. Had dinner at the Chinese restaurant, New China. Rode down to the city park and lake. Very pleasant. Showers then bed.

8/9/2026 Clinton to Boonville. 59 miles.

Left about 7:30. Got breakfast at Casey's in Green Ridge. Rode to Sedalia. Got sandwiches at Casey's for later. Checked out the depot in Sedalia, but everything was closed on Sunday. Rode through town on the trail, such as it was. Saw an original signal light, and also a restored one the lit up and gonged when I got close. Eventually Rode through a beautiful section with wide trail, big tunnel canopy and a stream adjacent. Some parts blasted through rock ridges. Stopped at the bridge over Shaver Creek. Ate our sandwiches while listening to the babbling brook.  I think this was my favorite part of the ride. Watched a soft shell turtle work its way upstream, followed by some fish. Butterflies all over. Mostly hackberry emperors, and a couple of American Snouts. My butt was wet from my leaky Camelbak. We found the leak where the hose screwed into the bladder.

Rode on to Pilot Grove. Deon's was closed, so we drank Busch lights at Casey's. Rode on to Boonville. Got some beer at the Cenex and checked in to the casino hotel. Showered. Ate my leftover lunch food, then we went down to the casino restaurant. Felt really good today, even at the end of the ride.

8/10/2026 Boonville to Jefferson City. 53 miles.

Left hotel, rode over the bridge toward New Franklin. One tree lay completely across the trail. Lots of dodder in the ditch. Breakfast at Meriwether's in Rocheport, burrito. Rode on to McBane and Coopers Landing. No food, but we got a beer. Did not feel great on this section, especially my hands.  on to Jeff City. Up the corkscrew and over the bridge. Janet picked us up and we went to Corky's house. 

Had a nice steak dinner and we moved the rack from his mountain bike onto his road bike because the front derailleur cable was frayed. Slept well in his camper.

8/11/2026 Jefferson City to Hermann. 47 miles.

Corky made breakfast burritos. We left after finding the lost cat. Janet dropped us in Jeff City and we Rode on to Tebbetts. Shortly afterwards I ran over a stick that stuck in my spokes and caught my fender stay, pulling the fender up. We got the stick out and got the fender bent back into position, holding it in place with zip ties.

Saw the jail in Mokane and Standing Rock with the flood markings. Stopped in Portland for lunch at Holzhauser's. 15 miles and a couple of stops took us to McKittrick. Stopped at a grocery for beer and lemonade. Rode over the bridge to Hermann and checked into the Nestle Inn. Rested, took showers, and went to the Concert Hall and Barrel for dinner. Great food. Got malts at the deli two doors down.

8/12/2026 Hermann to St. Charles. 67 miles.

Got up early and picked up breakfast at Casey's. Rode through the park and over the bridge to the trail.  After about 12 miles we stopped at a bench overlooking the river and ate our breakfast. It was cool and overcast.  We had a tailwind almost the whole day. My butt was hurting more than my hands.  Very fine houses under the bluff or on hillsides overlooking the river.  Saw the 6th box tortoise of the trip and a big black rat snake.  Also a doe and her two fawns. Stopped at the Mercantile in Treloar.  It's a State Park facility with antiques on display and various items for sale. We met a group of 6 from Indianapolis. Stopped at a convenience store in Marthasville to buy lunch, as there would be no options by the noon hour.  Ate later at one of the depots.  Stopped in Defiance and Amy from the bar/restaurant on the corner gave us bottles of water.  Corky filled up his bike bottles, but left them behind.  The trail gets really rough in places as we approached St. Charles.  Finally rolled up to my car in the parking lot, having covered all of the trail over the past week.  We packed up and drove to Kirkwood to get Corky to his car.  Just as we arrived it started pouring rain.  We got his stuff moved into his car.  I left and drove home, stopping for food and gas.  

Reflections

The total was 359 miles.  It was not that hard a ride, but I should have trained more on the gravel bike.  My legs had the endurance, but my hands and butt did not.  That made for some painful days.  It wasn't that hot most of the time, as we were covered by tree canopy.  The cooling towel was useless because the humidity was so high.  I never used the click stand.  The scenery and wildlife were fantastic. There were not a lot of riders at this time of year, and that helps. 

Phenology: In bloom were compass plants, chicory, Campanula, sunflowers.  Cicadas were peaking, with very loud calling in places, and the raccoon poop consisted of yellow corn near the fields. Red-spotted purples and hackberry emperors were abundant, and we saw a few American snouts, goatweed leafwings, and various other butterflies that would be expected at this time and place.  

Link to photos: https://photos.app.goo.gl/9JvbzAHPZ1Q6b56n9

Most difficult hills in Lewis County

After riding the whole county, I noticed that it is quite a hilly area.  The century route is somewhat difficult because of all the elevation change. I decided to put together a list of hardest hill climbs.  It turns out, they are all river bluffs.  Every river creates a valley that you must climb out of if you're on a bike.  Most of them are about 100 feet in elevation.  There are few hills that come even close.  I ranked them as well as I could, but some choices are arguable. 

The Concourse must be in first place. There's no downhill to give you momentum going into the climb.  In fact, there's a stop sign on 9th to at least caution you.  The turns make it seem harder as you grind your way up--all the other climbs here are straight. The steep grade seems to never end.  It only has a lower average gradient than Hall's Mill Hill because of the long run-out after you summit the hill. Keep going until you reach Washington Street to complete the segment. I had to end the segment there to make it long enough for Strava to recognize it. This is the case for most of these segments.  The hills themselves are too short to constitute a segment.

Hall's Mill Hill, named for the mill that once operated there at the Middle Fabius River, has the numbers. It has the steepest average climb, and the same maximum grade as the Concourse.  We should caution, however, that altitude is the least accurate variable produced by GPS, so some of these grades are questionable, especially when they only appear for one interval.  Hall's Mill Hill does have the advantage of a downhill into the valley from the south side.  If you maintain your momentum through the flat in high gears, it will help carry you up the grade.  Once you crest the hill, keep pushing until you reach Route CC.   

White Street climbs the same bluff as the Concourse, but over a slightly longer distance with a lower grade.  There is no downhill on the approach, but there is a long flat where you can get your speed up. Washington Street is similar.  The average grade is lower but the maximum grade is higher. 

Route E has a lot of hills, but the one coming up out of the North Fabius is the hardest.  It's the longest climb listed here, though the grade is not that high. 

Runners up: Washington and South Streets, La Grange.  Also going up the Mississippi River bluff, but not as steep as the Canton climbs.

The statistics follow.

1. The Concourse

Description: In Canton heading west on Lewis Street, up College Hill from 9th Street to Washington Street (the main entrance for C-SC).

Segment length: 0.48 miles

Steepest grade: 12.8%

Average grade: 4.3%

KOM time: 1:52 

Elevation change: 110 ft

2. Hall's Mill Hill

Description: Heading north out of Ewing on C, from the bridge over the Middle Fabius River to the intersection with CC.

Segment length: 0.46 miles

Steepest grade: 12.8%

Average grade: 4.4%

KOM time: 2:07 

Elevation change: 110 ft

3. White Street Hill Climb

Description: In Canton heading west on White Street, from Route B to 11th Street.

Segment length: 0.53 miles

Steepest grade: 9.2%

Average grade: 3.5%

KOM time: 1:50 

Elevation change: 107 ft

4. Washington Street Bluff Climb (Canton)

Description: In Canton heading west on Washington Street, from 4th Street to Hilltop Drive (the main entrance for C-SC).

Segment length: 0.73 miles

Steepest grade: 9.9%

Average grade: 3.3%

KOM time:  2:34

Elevation change: 128 ft

5. Route E Fabius River Climb

Description: Heading west on Route E, from the bridge over the North Fabius River to the summit of the bluff.

Segment length: 0.84 miles

Steepest grade: 4.5%

Average grade: 2.3%

KOM time:  2:42

Elevation change: 104 ft

Runners up: these are good workouts, but not as challenging as the top five.

Washington Street Hill Climb, La Grange, MO

Description: From Main street heading west on Washington Street to the summit of the bluff then right on 7th Street for just a bit.  .

Segment length: 0.35 miles

Steepest grade: 9.4%

Average grade: 6.1%

KOM time:  1:21

Elevation change: 114 ft

South Street Hill Climb, La Grange, MO

Description: From Main Street heading west on South Street all the way to 8th Street.

Segment length: 0.41 miles

Steepest grade: 13.4%

Average grade: 5.3%

KOM time:  3:24

Elevation change: 116 ft

Lah's Lim Lih

Description: Heading south toward Ewing on C, from the bridge over the Middle Fabius River to the top of the hill. This is the opposite bluff from Hall's Mill Hill.

Segment length: 0.72 miles

Steepest grade: 11.2%

Average grade: 1.7%

KOM time: 2:24 

Elevation change: 72 ft