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Day Two, Clinton to Sedalia - 49 miles

    I'm an early riser and this morning was no exception. I was ready to ride. I was out of bed at 6:30 and went over to the office for a cup of complimentary coffee. A continental breakfast was set out as well which included cereal, juice and toast but my wife and I wanted a more substantial breakfast on our first day so I held off until Jeanette was awake.

    When I came back in the room Jeanette was up and looked upset. "Guess what, I forgot my cycling shoes." That left only her white leather tennies to ride in and I didn't think they'd stay white for long. She was soon dressed and we loaded the bike back into the van. We stopped into the office and talked to Ann, the very congenial hotel owner about where to eat breakfast. She suggested a place in the town's old historic square but thought it might be closed on Sunday. As an alternative she suggested the Country Kitchen on Highway 7 east of town. We drove to the square and found that the breakfast spot was closed. We figured since we were in the van we'd might as well scout out where the Katy Trail started and found it off East Sedalia Avenue just three blocks from the main drag.

    The food at the Country Kitchen wasn't wonderful but it got us started for the day. Jeanette said that her omelet was floating in grease and couldn't finish it. We left the restaurant and drove to the closed on Sunday U-Haul dealer,  parked the van in front, rolled out the bike, locked the doors and dropped the keys in the drop box. We were free!

    The trip through town to the start of the trail was five blocks. Once on the trail we stopped at the Clinton trailhead to find a young couple setting up their bikes along with a trailer. They were from Nebraska and were riding to St. Louis, just as we were. We also found a couple in their 50's who were going to act as a sag wagon for their son who was also planning to ride the trail to St. Charles. We checked out the billboards at the trailhead and took off. We were truly on our way!

    The trail itself is made out of crushed limestone and is packed as hard as concrete with a light layer of loose gravel on the surface. It's smooth and relatively fast but makes a typical gravel sound when ridden on. 

    Once we left town the scenery opened up with the trail passing through open farmland. Grades were practically non-existent. The first few miles passed quickly and we soon found ourselves in Calhoun.

    Jeanette wanted some trail snacks so we left the trail and rode through the town. We spotted the Bullseye convenience store and Jeanette went in to see the selection of goodies. She came out with two large bags of beef jerky in her left hand and munching on a fish fillet she held in her right. "This is the BEST catfish fillet I've ever eaten!" She downed the first and then reached in the bag and started chomping on a second.

    She saw me watching and said, "Would you like a bite?". Seeing her joy in vacuuming in the fillet, I passed. Besides she had left her greasy omelet uneaten back at the Country Kitchen.

    We continued on, gliding through the towns of Windsor, Bryson and Green Ridge before reaching Sedalia. While riding we were looking for critters since we'd read that we'd see lots of wildlife on the trail. We were less than successful and had a meager tally of a few squirrels, a feral cat, something that looked like a guinea pig with a long rat like tail and lots of birds we didn't know the names of. 

    We also stopped at High Point, signed as the highest point on the Katy trail and Jeanette made like ET and phoned home to her mom on her cell phone.

    We reached Sedalia about 4pm and decided to eat dinner before riding to our B&B since it was a short ways north of town. Being clueless about where the restaurants were, we decided we couldn't do wrong if we rode through the main street in town, Ohio St. 

    Nothing appeared open. The route took us past the Hotel Bothwell, a favorite for cyclists. Just past that intersection we spied Del Amici's, an Italian restaurant that looked just a little pricey and a little dressy to two cyclists. We rode on and it became apparent as we rode out of town that the selection for dinner was minimal. Two women had been standing outside a car a few blocks back and we doubled back to ask where two hungry cyclists might eat.

    The two conferred and said that pickings were slim on a Sunday. If we wanted pasta, it was Del Amici's or another restaurant, less expensive and more in the cycling mode, Giavanni's, back about a mile and a half at the intersection of Hwy. 50 and Hwy. 65. We backtracked till we found the restaurant. I chained the tandem to a tree in the front and we sat at a picture window, looking out at the bike and the traffic on Hwy. 50.

    A cute young waitress came up and bubbily gave us the menus. I ordered a 22 ounce beer and a Chicken Parmesan pasta dish. Jeanette ordered a cup of tea and a Chicken Picatta pasta dish. After a salad the main courses were served and I dug in. Jeanette took one bite and almost threw up. She looked at me and said, "I can't eat this." I offered to trade and she didn't hesitate. I tried a second bite and had the same reaction. What was supposed to be chicken in wine sauce over pasta looked and tasted more like a vinegar and cornstarch gruel with canned peas mixed in. I can't recall when I've ever absolutely refused to eat something served in the past but on this occasion I just couldn't force myself to take another bite.

    We called our bubbly waitress over and told her of the problem. Without batting an eye, she took the dish back and brought another dish the same as I had ordered. The taste of the returned dish stuck in my throat and I found it necessary to order a second 22 ounce beer to wash the offending presence away. I wish I could say that the restaurant was worth eating at because the waitress was really great. The food however had to rate one step below dumpster level.

    We were booked at the Sedalia House and the most direct route took us north on Ohio Street and then about a half mile on Hwy. 65 before turning east on a country road. We retraced our route and soon found ourselves exiting Sedalia and on Hwy. 65. Jeanette gets very nervous when traffic is passing us on our left at 65 mph but we soon reached the exit and cruised down the hilly road to the Sedalia House, visible at the top of a hill about a half mile from the highway.

    Mark and Kim Phillips, the owners were out on the lawn when we arrived. They showed us the house and then excused themselves since they were eating dinner with Mark's mother at the smaller house on the property. We had the entire house to ourselves. We showered and then came down and watched the big screen TV making sure to watch "Desperate Housewives," helped ourselves to diet Cokes and tea at the self service bar and finally went to sleep around ten thirty. Our first day on the road was over.

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    Because we found Sedalia such a difficult place to find a decent dinner, we checked with Kim at Sedalia House and she gave us the listings they recommend for guests. I suggest that if you're planning to follow us that you write down these suggestions, especially if you plan to be in town on Sunday or Monday. Pickings will be slim.

Del Amici's - Italian - $10-20
319 So. Ohio (Ohio and 4th)

Kehde's BBQ - $9-12
1915 South Limit (near fairgrounds)

McGrath's Irish Pub (unknown if food)
2901 Broadway

Little Big Horn - steak, BBQ, chicken - $7-10
1629 W. Main

Paula Jeans - blue plate specials - breakfast and lunch - $3-7
1435 Thompson

Wheel Inn - home of the gooberburger 
Hwy 65 and 50

LeMaine's Cajun Catfish
3312 S Hwy 65

Chocolate Day Dreams - cafe with homemade chocolates - dinner $7
16th and Ohio

El Tapatio - mexican food - $10-15
1705 W. Broadway

King's Chef Buffet - Chinese/Japanese - lunch $6, dinner $9
2923 Broadway

Mazzio's Pizza (will deliver) $10-15
1613 So. Limit
827-9999

Recommended:

Sedalia House B&B

26097 Hwy HH
Sedalia, MO 65301

(660) 826-6615

e-mail: Sedalia House

Innkeepers:  Kim and Mark Phillips

Ambience: *****
Bathroom: *****

Breakfast: ****
Cost:        $91.44

Day 3, Sedalia to Boonville - 45 Miles