Sept. 22, 2020 - Hartsburg to Mokane, MO

Tobey’s ankle and foot were feeling a little better this morning, but Phil woke up with vertigo and an upset stomach. They waited until about 9am to get going when Phil was feeling a little better. Tobey promised to go slower.Leaving Hartsburg they rode along stone bluffs and had views of the Missouri River as they made their way to the North Jefferson trailhead.Marcia and I had a detour north to Ashland and Randy’s Auto Repair shop. The Mexican weld job on our exhaust pipe hanger from a few years back broke and it was bouncing. We called and they weren’t sure they could fix it, but they would look at it. Well, 30 minutes later we we were on our way with the the weld repaired at a fair price. ($30) Thank you, Randy’s Auto Repair!!We followed Highway 63 south and got to see some bluffs along the side, too! This was a great drive – we actually had wide lanes and shoulders on the highway!We met the guys at Jefferson City about 10:30 am and Tobey and I decided to ride into Jefferson City. From the Katy Trailhead we could take the Greenway spur into town. It was an easy ride and the streets are all very bike-friendly. This was the bridge we were going to cross to get to the Capitol.We rode up the bike/pedestrian walkway to get to the bridge. Going down was much easier than going up, but I made it! Jefferson City was named in honor of the third US President and built on a site chosen by the First General Assembly in 1821. The first statehouse burned in 1837, the second in 1911! Today’s beautiful capitol building was completed in 1917 and is built of native Carthage marble. They are working on renovations, so there was scaffolding around parts of the building.Jefferson City is super bike-friendly. The streets in the downtown area all yield to bicycles! We followed the street to the Capitol building and turned to the south to go all the way around and see a little of the Downtown.The north side of the building faces the Missouri River. There were several signs explaining Lewis and Clark’s Corps of Discovery expedition exploring the Louisiana Purchase territory and their experiences in this area.On the block just to the east of the Capitol is the main downtown area of Jefferson City. The architecture was beautiful and we passed lots of restaurants with outdoor seating and the food smelled amazing!We also spotted a shop just for me! I didn’t go in, but I was certainly tempted!The Governor’s Mansion is just east of the Capitol. What a beautiful building!It was time to head back to the RV for lunch. We have one final shot of the bridge with all the locks attached. I think this phenomenon of “locking your love” for someone started in Prague in the Czech Republic. We both need our locks, so we just told each other that we love each other! Our little side tour into the city was about six miles roundtrip. I am happy my bike got see a little action!

After lunch and a short break for Tobey, they were off again with the next stop at the Tebbetts Trailhead. They saw a really cool barn tucked back among the trees and a little green snake.We met them at the Tebbetts Trailhead for the last break before their final six miles. Penny had another long walk – over a mile while we waited for them to ride in. She is enjoying the Katy Trail, too!There was an old water pump that was retired – the tree grew around the pipe coming into the side of it!After their short break they were off. Just a few miles down the trail they came to this through-truss bridge over the Middle River with a span of 180 feet at Milepost 128. It has steel supports across the top.They pulled into Mokane about 3:30 this afternoon. One of the things we have learned that I think is interesting is how so many of these towns received their names. Many are named after railroad employees – usually executives. Mokane got its name from three railroad lines that passed through here, the Missouri (MO), Kansas (KAN), and Eastern (E) lines. Tobey rode 36.1 miles today, including our jaunt into Jefferson City. We are staying at the trailhead parking and will be going into Hermann, Missouri tomorrow. Hopefully, we will have better cell service and internet!