Originally Posted by N_C
RideorDrive how did you manage to navigate the trail where it crosses gravel roads? Usually where a trail intersects with a gravel or dirt road the shoulder is very soft and can pull a rider down.
did you camp, hotel/motel? What about shower facitlities? Or did you take one of those prtable camp showers? How long did it take you to ride the entire 200 plus miles? Did you pull a trailer? What kind?
We(1 RANS V2, 3 single uprights and 1 tandem upright) did the Katy Trail the first week of October. Starting in Clinton, we worked our way east to St Charles, where we had left our cars. Started on a Sunday and finished on a Friday, a total of 250 miles including side trips and riding around checking out some of the small towns.[U]We found the trail surface to be in exceptionally good condition. It was packed nice and hard,
rarely any loose stuff even at intersections. Of all the multiple intersections we crossed, I only remember one that was a bit soft and "rocky" all the others were no problems at all. The trail was fairly flat the whole route, very slight inclines along the way. We did B&B's and hotels. We hired a gentleman by the name of Gary Creasson of[I]CREASSON'S KATY TRAIL SHUTTLE SERVICES who shuttled us to the start and then would take our bags to the next nights stop. We found him listed in the KATY TRAIL GUIDE BOOK a must have book for planning the trip. Camping sites available and listed in the book. The people of the area are very friendly with the cyclist and not once did any of us encountered threats or aggression from noncyclist. Bents seen on the trail: 1 V-Rex, 1 Screamer and 2 Vision tandems, 1 Easy Lite. Of the five bikes in our group, 3 of us, including the upright tandem, had Conti Top Touring 2000 tires...no flats! I would do this ride again in a heart beat.
Jorge