Coast to Coast

When Derek Liecty asked about restaurants along the Katy Trail I asked where he was coming from. His response was St. Louis... Of course I assumed he meant St. Charles which is the beginning of the trail. But when Derek and his friend Jerry arrived I found out they really did bike from St. Louis. The St. Louis Airport! Not only that but Jerry biked from Richmond Virginia and is planning to go all the way to Oregon. Derek flew in from Oakland CA to bike the Katy Trail with his long time friend and biking pal. Both are avid bikers and have done biking tours all over the world. I'm impressed! And a little bit jealous. Derek came riding up up on a "Bike Friday" which is a bike that folds up into it's own suitcase that you can bring on an airplane. And Jerry came loaded down with heavy traveling gear on a sturdy touring bike. Biking cross country takes about 4 months and Jerry is visiting friends along the way who sometimes bike along with him for bits of the trip. Stopping in St. Louis to visit friends was a perfect way to meet up with Derek at the airport and get on to the next stretch. They biked through St. Louis streets to a trail in Creve Coeur Park that connects to the Katy, that was news to me, so all you St. Louis people who are interested might want to check that out. You can follow Jerry's trip on his blog at Jerry Bikes West. He usually updates it at libraries in the towns he stops at for the night. Have a great trip guys... You are really inspiring me!

New Soap at the BnB..

Our guest Bob from Colorado was a little put out that we had "Lisa" soap for his daughter Lisa in the bathrooms and none for him, so in honor of Bob we have just added a new soap to the rooms...

Coincidences

Coincidences are abounding on the trail...I guess that's not so strange, really. Monday night's guests just by chance met each other at the Augusta Brewery right off the trail, struck up a conversation and discovered they were all spending the night here at Concord Hill.
Lisa Ruskanen from Kansas City wanted to bike the Katy Trail and invited her dad Bob, who is now living in Colorado, to join her. Since this is a family that loves physical activities out in nature (Skiing, Scuba diving, Biking etc.) Bob jumped right in.
Janet and Wayne Kneipkamp from Millstadt, IL (near my old stomping ground) decided to take advantage of a summer break, and test their wheels on the Katy before inviting more friends to come along for longer, larger group trips.
Everyone sat on the porch that evening sipping wine and sharing stories while I made a big pasta dinner, then we sat down for a lovely meal together.
It was wonderful meeting you all and I hope you come back this way again!

Garden Angels Have Decended!

OMG! Do I have some Awesome friends or what? Good pals Debbi and Reese offered to come out and help in the garden since I am such a novice, and believe me I need all the help and advice I can get. Well, not only did they come but they brought 2 more friends Kate and Jamie who have worked at a nursery in the past and love gardening! They spent the better part of the day Sunday digging, weeding, transplanting, chain sawing, weed wacking, edging and teaching me so much! These guys really got me on my way. And on top of that They Thanked ME! Are you kidding? You guys are the Best! I couldn't have done it without you and it was fun too!

Kim and Bob from Terre Haute

Saturday evening Kim and Bob DisPennett rolled up on their Tandem Recumbent Trike, now that was an unusual site! The couple from Indiana have 2 recumbent trikes that can be hitched together by popping off the front wheel of one and attaching it to the back of the other. Kim says this way husband Bob doesn't leave her lagging behind and they can talk while they're biking, I like that Idea. Bob and Kim met in Hawaii while Bob was a young enlisted man and Kim, coming from a military family, worked on base. After a long career in the Police force Bob is retiring and uh hmmmm what now? Kim works as an administrative assistant at a college and is an accomplished musician, they both fell in love with the Native American flute for it's beauty and simplicity (even Bob could play it) and now enjoy teaching and selling the flutes and accessories. We're looking forward to your return guys and maybe a flute jam...I think I could even do that!