September 18, 2020 - Pleasant Hill City Lake to Windsor, MO

Katy Trail Adventure – Riding Day 1

The sun was red again this morning when we got up – more red than shows in the picture. Today the guys were starting their ride across Missouri!I took a short walk down to the lake before we were leaving and noticed a few of the trees starting to turn color. We could hear noises during the night and realized acorns were falling on the roof the the RV! Those were some tall oak trees!It was chilly, but the guys got started about 8:30 this morning. It was about 4 miles from the campground to the trailhead, so off they went. Marcia and I met them at the trailhead for their “official” picture! Here they are ready to go on the Rock Island Spur of the Katy Trail. Ride safely, guys!The first stop was at the Medford Trail Head – about 20 miles down the trail. Marcia and I arrived first and took Penny for about 1/2 mile walk before she was worn out. She took a nap in the RV and we went the other direction and back for almost a 4-mile roundtrip walk. It was beautiful, but a little windy.The guys arrived shortly after we returned and had snacks instead of lunch because they were ahead of schedule! After a short break they were heading off again.We originally planned to stay overnight at Chilhowee, but it was only lunch time when they arrived, so another change of plans. Lunch and a nap, then they decided to go another 10 miles to Leeton. There were still wildflowers blooming along the trail.The guys spotted what was originally a two-story treehouse. The joist hangers were still in place!We met them at the Leeton Trail Head after following along on the narrow, hilly Hwy 2!They told us they had seen a snake on the trail just a little way back that had caught a frog so Marcia and I walked back to see. WOW! At first we couldn’t find it because they said it was on the trail. We kept hearing a noise like a cat and finally located that – but it wasn’t a cat – it was the frog crying out! When they saw it, the snake just had one of the frog’s feet. By the time we got there, it had BOTH hind feet in it’s mouth and was slithering backwards into the brush!This poor frog was trying its hardest to puff itself up so the snake couldn’t swallow it, but I think the snake was going to win! It took us quite a while to figure out that it was a type of gardener snake!

The guys decided they could go another 10 miles so they were off to Windsor – and so were we!The last 10 miles were tough but they made it to Windsor about 4:45 pm. They rode 52 miles and were still smiling when they pulled in!We are camping at the trailhead here in Windsor. Tomorrow they are off to Clinton!