Beverly

Today we rode from McKittrick to Augusta for a total of 34.5 miles. We skipped the Portland to McKittrick section as we passed much of the section on our ride to the hotel last night and the scenery seemed to be the same as day 4.

We took rain jackets with us today as it sprinkled a little before the ride. As it turned out we didn't need them It was overcast and the headwinds kicked up later in the afternoon but otherwise it was another great day for riding. You would have thought we would have some tailwinds riding a west-to-east route but the winds have been from the east/northeast all week. The trees along the trail provide quite a bit of shelter but the wind really hits you in the face along the open areas.

The locals were there to meet us as we prepared for the ride this morning. This is "Sophie". She and her owner were just returning from a walk on the trail and stopped to talk with us.
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This is a building undergoing restoration at the McKittrick trail head. We talked to some of the construction workers and they said the owner hadn't made a final decision on what he would do with the finished building.
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The riding group for the day. One of the riders decided to take a day off.
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The Augusta Brewery. We didn't stop there today. I visited this place with a couple of the granddaughters I took on a Katy Trail ride in 2000. We opted to return to the hotel, clean up and then go out to dinner.
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doctor j

Great series of threads, Beverly, and great pix.

I notice all of the bikes are sporting fenders. I suppose they help with the gravel and and any mud on the trail.

Ken Brown

I have enjoyed your postings, Beverly. Sounds like a great trip.

Beverly

The rider who didn't ride this leg of the trail didn't have fenders and she was always the one with the most dust on her at the end of the day. Thankfully we didn't encounter any rain or muddy trails on this trip.

I've been extremely lucky on bike tours this summer. I did GOBA without rain, I did Colorado without rain and now the Katy Trail without rain Now that I've said it I'll probably get drenched on my next tour.