Built along the corridor of the former Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad (MKT), which was decommissioned as a rail system connection in 1986, the Missouri State Parks was able to acquire the land for a spectacular Rails to Trails Park system, now known as the Katy Trail. The entire trail is over 240 miles in length, has 26 trailheads, and is hailed as the longest Rail to Trail system in the USA.
Much of the trail follows along the Missouri River, stretching between the western and eastern parts of the state. Through a mix of state grants, private donations, and federal funding, the Katy Trail provides visitors with an opportunity to explore via walking or biking a little slice of history.
Gary and I took our bikes through the Jefferson City section of the trail near North Jefferson, where one of the 4 refurbished train stations stood amongst a mix of dense forest, swampy creeks, and open prairie.
We rode a ten -mile loop in relative solitude. (This has been a goal of mine since I began my health journey last year – to be able to easily bike 10 miles. Now that I can cross that off my list, I will set a new goal of 15 miles per ride. Of course, my accomplished husband can easily ride 40 to 50 miles in a single ride). It was in this solitude that I reflected about the people who came here before us.
This slice of history happens to be one of our country’s greatest stories of American adventure and fortitude – The Lewis and Clark Expedition.
In 1803, Thomas Jefferson directed Meriwether Lewis and William Clark to travel west through the newly acquired Louisiana Purchase territories. The expedition, referred to as the Corps of Discovery, would take more than two and half years, 8,000 miles, encounter more than 50 Native American tribes, the discovery and identification of more than 178 plants and over 120 animal species previously unknown to science.
Added to this incredible adventure, the team received invaluable assistance from a teenage Native American woman named Sacagawea. We all learned in school about this remarkable woman who helped guide and translate the team through the vast wilderness, surviving hostile tribes, hostile weather and conditions, and all the while caring for her newborn child.
We stopped for a break when we saw a signpost that marks the exact spot where the Lewis and Clark team spent a night on the banks of the Missouri River in 1804.
It kind of gave me chills, being there with my protein bar in hand, riding through history, but then again, it also made me feel like a weenie for feeling accomplished for making a ten- mile loop on my E bike!