A Family Gathering at the KATY Trail

 We have family members spread out all over the Midwest. It is nice to find a central location for all to meet and visit. 

The KATY Trail is a former railroad right of way that traversed the State of Missouri and is now a Missouri State Park dedicated to a bicycle trail across the state. This is a nice central location to drive to and offers something for all age groups of the family to do.

We met at the former railroad engine house which is now a campground in New Franklin, Missouri. My cousin Phillip and his wife Wendy came as well as my daughters Mandy and Betsy and their families.

We all rode from New Franklin to Rocheport on Day 1 of the trip. It was quite cold the night before so we were glad for warming temps the next day for our ride. Not far from Rocheport we found the trail was closed due to a major washout of one of the bridges over the river during flood conditions in the spring. The detour involved riding along the shoulder of the highway for several miles and this was not an acceptable solution for the youngest riders of the group. Instead we decided to ride down the trail to see what the washed out bridge looked like before we headed back.

Turns out the bridge had washed away near a low water bridge and if we were willing to move our bikes down the side of the dike embankment we could stay on the trail. We did so and had quite the adventure getting all back on the trail, but succeeded.

The next day Phillip and I and two grandsons rode the other direction for a total of a fifteen mile ride.

We all posed for a photo at the Caboose in New Franklin

There are benches along the trail to allow the weary to rest

Mandy and Mom on the Trail

Julie made the trip on a bicycle with a step thru frame and electric pedal assist. This technology allows an electric motor to provide a slight boost to your pedaling effort. Julie ended up riding 25 miles and the battery still never indicated anything but a full charge.

This old grain elevator is found along the trail and is made of the most beautiful glazed bricks

Very nice architectural treatment for a commercial building of days gone bye.

This as the area of the washed out bridge. Much work will be required to repair this.

Phillip enjoyed his electric assist bicycle. He converted a traditional bike to electric and did a fabulous job! It is a sweet ride!

The tunnel at Rocheport

The Grandsons at Rocheport

Phillip and I rode past Rocheport to see the Missouri River. Phillip is holding his classic Instamatic camera. He has a side business selling replacement battery packs for these antique cameras as the traditional battery is no longer produced.

Made it to the river

Heading back to New Franklin

This is the levee that led to the low water bridge around the trail wash out

Bennett on the Trail

Emery on the trail

Mandy posing to show how tired she was...

Julie and her ebike

Phillip and his ebike

Just four of us rode the next day

We checked out the lift bridge over the river. One segment is open for pedestrian traffic but the bridge cannot be crossed.

This was the largest center lift bridge in the country when first build

The center span lifts to clear river traffic. It has been in the "UP" position for a very long time.

The KATY Depot in Boonville Missouri is in the Spanish style

The caboose on display at the Boonville depot has quite a history.

There is a bicycle shop in the Depot

There are occasional large culverts under the highways

We rode as far as where the trail crosses Interstate 70 outside of Booneville. The sounds along the trail are usually so quiet that the sound levels of the Interstate are quite jarring to the senses. 

Time for a snack

My ride is an electric assist bicycle. It folds for easy transport.

Winnie watched over her masters Wendy and Phillip

Blake, Betsy and boys ready to head home

Wendy and Phillip

We hope to ride again next year!

  

A nine year old in the mountains

Emery is the oldest child of my elder daughter. After a series of trips with various family members he ended up in Kansas for a trip to the mountains with us.

The trip across Kansas was typical for July with excessive heat and high winds. Nevertheless we stopped and saw all kinds of things.

Steam engines in downtown Dodge City are open for viewing

There is a nice stop to see the original Santa Fe Trail and wagon ruts from the many travelers

Gotta stop  to document the trip when entering the  state

Outside Canon City is a fun trail to hike known as the Tunnel Trail drive. This hike is over a trail thru many tunnels overlooking the river.

A fun place to  explore

Emery took this image of Julie and me - I like the silhouette effect

Enjoying Monarch Pass

Gotta stop for a Mario's pizza in Gunnison, Colorado

Next to Mario's is a sporting goods store which had adjustable walking sticks  on sale. This was used all the rest of the trip on hikes

Overlooking the remains of a dam at the Ute Ulay mine above Lake City

Emery captured my image at the Ute Ulay mine.

Exploring the buildings at the Ute Ulay mine

This was the winter of massive avalanches, the remains of which are most impressive

Most of the mine shaft openings are closed off for safety

The "Hard Tack Mine" above Lake City give great tours and was a hit with Emery

We went four wheeling to get back to some beautiful mountain valleys

Enjoying our adventure

Lightening hit a tree in our neighborhood and started burning. We ended up in the woods with the brush trucks to help put it out. Emery didn't know he was going to be fighting smoldering trees.

We used this truck to fill the neighborhood fire truck with water

Next day Emery got pretty wet refilling the truck tank with water from the lake. Our neighbors grandson helped out.

Gotta check out the train exhibit at Cimmaron. Both the train and trestle are recently restored.

The crew of the Durango and Silverton train guide the train as it backs into Silverton.

We got to explore the engine

Also checked out the rail cars in the storage yard

Emery found out just how close the narrow gauge rails are... 

One of the last stub switches to be found

Lots of old mining structures can be found

Photographing the remains

Ouray, Colorado is in a mountain bowl called the  Amphitheater

There is an overlook in the campground with a great view of the  town

Emery and Julie enjoying the overlook

Gotta have ice cream when you go to Ouray

Another bit of adventure was when we came upon a guy who failed to make the turn onto our access road. His car was nestled over rocks and was difficult to get up the embankment.

The Black Canyon of the Gunnison  is most impressive. Emery got some good shots.

We got talking about diners and ended up at "Denny's" where Emery got a veggie burger.

The observatory in Gunnison has a most impressive telescope

We viewed the rings of Saturn and a nebula before the clouds set in and prevented further viewing

We have found that the favorite part of the trip to the mountains is cutting, splitting and stacking firewood for winter. The log splitter is a hit and most enjoyable to operate.

We are pretty well set for winter wood burning

This is the railroad display at Cimmaron and the narrow gauge crane

Emery reports he wants a red Mustang when it is time to drive

We enjoyed several hikes. This one is along the old RR grade going to Vance Junction. RR grades are nice to hike as the grades and transitions are gentle  due to limitations of the train.

The Forest Service has done a good job of keeping the coal tipple at Vance Junction in reasonable repair

The hikers

Afternoon rain showers found us in a picnic gazebo at Trout Lake, a most beautiful location

My Dad and I ate at this location and now are sharing the same with Gen 4 of the family

The Trout Lake trestle is still standing. Not bad for a wooden structure in the mountains over 100 years old.

Recycling at our local recycle center

Hard to imagine, but our local thrift store (Six Points) had a  Viking helmet for sale!? Just the thing for a Minnesota Vikings fan to wear while helping clear a fallen tree from the roadway to our cottage.

Ready for the hike into the gorge at the Morrow Point reservoir

Many steps take you to the reservoir for a boat tour through the cliffs

They do provide places to rest along the steps

Children under 13 all wear life jackets on the boat tour

Lots of chances for good photographs

The Ranger gives a detailed history of the canyon

My favorite part of the trip is when they line up the boat with the Curecanti Needle used on the logo for the narrow gauge railroad that went thru the same canyon before the reservoir. 

The structure for loading the boat is rather high style and made for an interesting framing of Emery

Looking down on Morrow Point from above

Learning about the coke ovens at Redstone

Emery's mother arrived via Amtrak to escort him back to Minnesota