We woke at the Marthasville, MO, community park club, packed our gear, and headed toward St. Charles. Day five included a 38-mile final stretch that went by quickly! We left Marthasville around 7:15 am and arrived in St. Charles by 11:15 am.
The scenery included more farmland, and as the trail grew closer to the city, it turned into woods, then suburban outskirts.
The limestone gravel was extremely packed on this side of the trail, and we were making excellent time! I’m guessing we averaged 13-14 mph. We stopped at a train station and chatted with some e-bikers a couple of times. The third time we saw them, they said, “You guys are going surprisingly fast to have all that gear!” We had the motivation to get to the end!!
St. Charles at last! The Bike Stop Cafe is in the background. We began the trip with a shuttle from here!
Statue of Lewis and Clark off the trail next to the Bike Stop Cafe.
We completed the MKT-Katy Trail, which was 237 miles (257 for us!). I’m posting each of these one week after the ride. My legs are just now feeling normal! This was a ride of a lifetime! After riding it with a regular bike, I think it would be fun to do so on an e-bike and stay the nights at hotels or Airbnb’s.
We had a fun time and met many great people on the trail. If you ever have the desire to do anything like this, make a plan and get started. We lived in Kansas City, MO, for almost 10 years. Each time we drove under the MKT bridge on I-70, I would tell Christy, “One day I’m going to ride that whole trail!” As Eddie and I rode over I-70 on that bridge, I remember thinking, “I’m doing it! Enjoy the moment!!” Over 15 years later, I finally did it!
Psalm 118:24 (ESV)
“This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.”
Toby DeHay 