June 14, 2012 Thursday
26 miles
We decided we’d have a slow start this morning since there’s not really much to do between Rocheport and Hartsburg besides admire the scenery. We began with breakfast in the Katy Trail Bed and Breakfast‘s really large yard. This place was different from other bed and breakfasts we’ve stayed at. There is a bed, and there is a breakfast, but it’s really more of a hotel (in a boxcar!) than a bed and breakfast. You never see the owners, or anyone else, for that matter, and you help yourself to a continental breakfast in the kitchen. So we took ours outside, and ate while Penny ran around and occasionally stopped by for a bite.
Breakfast in progress
The yard had lawn chairs and tables, several porch swings, a tire swing, and a hammock. Also, the Katy Trail went right by the front, with plenty of cyclists to wave and point at. In other words, no shortage of stuff for toddlers to do.
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Penny’s favorite thing in the yard was the hammock.
Yay hammocks!
My favorite thing was the boxcar itself. There was a built-in ladder that went all the way to the top of it, and obviously I couldn’t resist that, so I spent some time on the boxcar roof.
If you happening to be staying in a boxcar with a built-in ladder, clearly you need to climb that ladder.
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Penny needed to climb the ladder too.
John still wanted a helmet, so we went to the bike shop just next door, where he bought a shiny new blue one. Then we went to the Rocheport General Store, in search of batteries and a bottle of wine, but sadly it was closed. Then it was back to last night’s playground, where Penny got to swing again, since I’d promised her she could. This a really great swingset, the kind with a frame that’s high in the air, so you can swing as high as you want without ever running into that end-of-the-chain thunk. Obviously, I swung too.
This may be the most satisfying swingset I’ve ever swung.
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By this time, it was almost 11:00, and the official opening time of the general store, so we thought we’d try again. It’s worth explaining that the Rocheport General Store was more touristy than, you know, cheap clothes and batteries. We could clearly see through the window bottles of wine, and it also advertised sandwich and pizza and ice cream. If it was open, we thought we’d go for an early lunch, and get our meal there with our wine and batteries. But, nope, it was still closed.
So, okay, how about the wood grill pizza place we saw earlier? A little bit of pedaling determined that, nope, not truly open until July.
If Penny and I spent a few minutes wandering around a nearby (and open! gasp!) antique shop would the general store be open then? Nope. But! We met the wife of the general store owner, who was working in the antique shop next door, and she gave us a couple of AA batteries for free. So that was very kind of her, and helpful for us.
Still, at this point, I was feeling frustrated that Rocheport looked so very nice, and yet hardly had anything open for us to enjoy on a Thursday morning. So feeling a bit grumpy, I settled for barbecue from a place that does barbecue and bike rental near the trail, called, aptly, Rocheport BBQ and Barbecue.
Rocheport BBQ and Bike Rental
It was amazing. I had chicken drumsticks, and the meat was tender and juicy and the textbook definition of falling off the bone. I was afraid it would be slathered in barbecue sauce, but it wasn’t at all. It was just well seasoned, and tasted like slowly smoked food from a backyard smoker. John tells me his pulled pork sandwich was excellent too. The entire meal was twelve dollars, between the two of us. I am so glad all of the closed places were closed.
Amazing food
Filled with tasty food, we finally started on the trail.
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The familiarity of this leg was fun. We’re near Columbia now. At one point, we could have taken a side path and been at our front door in an hour and a half. We’ve ridden everything from Rocheport (or, well, the Les Bourgeous turn-off) to past Easley before. We’re fortunate that this is our home section of the trail. Everyone says it’s the prettiest section, and that seems to be true.
Rocheport to McBaine is the most photographed, and understandably so. It’s got huge rock bluffs on one side of the trail, and the Missouri River on the other. It has my orange flowers too. I saw the perfect picture of the orange flowers on the bare rock face, but Penny was napping, and I was afraid to stop and actually take it.
Missouri River on the right
Rock bluffs on the left
I ultimately did get a trumpet flower picture, even if it wasn’t that perfect shot.
But my favorite part of the trail is McBaine to Hartsburg. The rock bluffs are there too, but they’re partially hidden behind tangled roots and greenery. It looks to me like the forest is growing up over the ruins on an ancient civilization.
I never did quite get a photo that captures what I’m describing here. But I promise it looked cool in real life.
And maybe it is growing over the ruins of an ancient civilization. We finally found the Native American pictographs I’ve heard about. If the sign wasn’t there, assuring me of what they were, I’d assume they were rust red modern graffitti. John said that maybe they were graffitti, just really old, Native American graffitti. I said that graffiti was more about intent, and that these looked really dangerous to do. He pointed out that’s often part of the reason for modern graffiti too, the “Look where I am!” markings. So, sure, maybe this is centuries old graffiti. Anyway, we found the upside down fermata and the blotchy red stick figure dude, fifty feet up in the air.
The rust red markings are the pictographs.
Line C is what we’re supposed to be looking for here.
Near the pictographs, we saw lots of birds nests in the bluffs.
We also found an old explosive storage shelter, built into a cave
I think everyone who rides the trail from Rocheport to McBaine takes this photo.
Obviously, we had to explore a little bit. Shhh, don’t tell.
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And we found the famous big oak tree (big, as advertised).
Burr Oak Tree
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And we had our daily turtle visit.
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Penny slept for maybe an hour between Rocheport and McBaine. It was a deep sleep. At one point, we stopped to help a young couple who were having trouble with a bike. John has all kinds of tools with him, so he was able to fix the girl’s seat well enough that they could get back to Rocheport. (The guy was a former boy scout, so they bonded a bit over that.) Penny didn’t wake up when we stopped, and she still didn’t wake up when, after a few minutes, the bike started to topple and I yelled for John to come help me. We managed to catch the bike before it hit the ground.
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We’ll interrupt here with more pictures from the Rocheport to McBaine stretch.
Mysterious cave like thing in the rocks. (One time – not this day – we saw a group of women heading off the trail to explore this cave.)
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Penny was awake by the time we got to Cooper’s Landing, and we stopped there. We knew it was too early in the day for Thai food (No Thai tea. Sob!) but John was looking for muscle cream. They didn’t have it, and I think the guy at the store was subtly calling John a wimp. But it’s okay; we drowned any muscle-related sorrows in peanut butter cups and Snickers from Cooper Landing’s store.
Break time at Cooper’s Landing
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The last part of the ride was not very shaded and very hot. Penny was getting bored and tired, so she entertained herself by trying to take my camera out of my jersey pocket, which she knows perfectly well is Not Okay. I eventually had to pull over so I could make eye contact while I told her not to play with Mom’s camera. Being firmly scolded made her cry, but we hugged a bit and played with rocks, so then things were better. She didn’t play with my camera for the rest of the ride, so go Penny.
And here’s another interruption for pictures from the McBaine to Hartsburg part of the trip.
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Boathenge!
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At long last, we reached Hartsburg and the Globe Hotel. It’s a big, old two story building, I think maybe an original hotel?
Globe Hotel
At any rate, it’s very pretty, with steep wooden stairs and clean white bedroom walls, and a cute little stone shed in the back.
Inside the Globe Hotel
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Our room
Cute little shed in the back
The owner, Jeanette, welcomed us with pink lemonade and chatted a little bit. While we talked, Penny played with a plastic stacking ring set. Apparently, it is the best toy ever.
Penny’s first exposure to stacking rings. Also, there was a reason the Christmas tree was set up in June, but I don’t remember what it was, exactly. I think a broken bone was involved.
When I got up to go to the bathroom, I discovered the best part of this place, which is – cats! There was a pretty little grey cat, named Sophie, sitting in the bathroom sink. She looks like my brother’s Camilla looked.
Sophie
There are three indoor cats, and I don’t know how many outdoor-only cats. Jeanette may technically qualify as a crazy cat lady, but she has a couple signs to that effect around the hotel, so I guess she embraces the label.
A couple of the outdoor cats
John has bonded with Boca, an old black cat who hangs around outside our bedroom door, trying to sneak in.
John’s friend, Boca
I like Frank, a beautiful long-haired, blue eyed outdoor cat, and short-haired tortoiseshell whose name I do not remember.
Pretty, friendly Frank
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My tortoiseshell friend. (Penny’s friend too, apparently.)
Penny likes any of the cats who don’t run away when she runs at them and tries to pat them.
Before dinner, we had quiet time for Penny and bathtime for John and me. The bath is a huge, red clawfoot tub. John says it’s the first bathtub he’s been able to lay down in all week. When my turn came, I was afraid I would run out of hot water, and that was indeed the case. But at least I got a shallow bath, and I’m glad John finally got a nice one.
Cool looking clawfoot tub
Bathtime!
We walked to Hart Creek Bistro for dinner. John had a reuben, and I had cheese and crackers and grapes and a bottle of wine. John and I each had a glass, and we took the rest back with us. Penny was hyper and cranky and over-tired, as she always is at dinner during this trip.
Dinner at Hart Creek Bistro
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Look out the window, and you’ll see John rocking with Penny.
A random pretty building in Hartsburg
We came back and watched Penny try to pat the cats for a bit. Once she was inside, I went back out to bond with the cats while I journaled. My tortoiseshell friend sat next to me for most of this entry. But now, I think, it’s time for an early bedtime.
Naptime on the Katy Trail 