June 11th The Green Man from KC

Jamison Clark from Kansas City did a quiet peaceful solo trip on the Katy this week. Jamison is an electrical engineer who specializes in Green heating and cooling systems primarily for large institutional use, I picked his brain a little about what I might be able to do here at the BnB but the ideal setup would be way out of my league. The cost is astronomical! Oh well, we do what we can...Keep up the good work Jamison, we need guys like you!

June 9th The Taylors have Landed...

Randy and Susan Taylor of St. Louis are taking a little time out from their busy lives to bike the Katy.... Here they are relaxing on the porch with coffee before breakfast and getting off for the rest of their ride. Quiet guy Randy turns out to have the most interesting of careers, he's a satellite orbit analyst and travels all over the world working at major observatories for the department of defense. Very Cool!

June 5th & 6th Anniversary Couples...

It's always interesting how our guests often seem to have a lot in common. This weekend we had two young couples celebrating their anniversaries. Both couples ordered our big steak dinner (on different nights) and we served it in a romantic setting in the Wine Cellar. Fred and Marie Abboud drove down from Omaha, Nebraska to spend a few days celebrating their 5th anniversary. Fred is a lawyer and also teaches legal writing and Marie is an administrative assistant. And they're expecting their second baby! so Fred thoughtfully asked me to get some sparkling grape juice to have with their dinner.
Our next couple Nathan and Allison Laupp were celebrating their 3rd anniversary by biking the Katy Trail and doing the BnB thing. Nathan and Allison come from just up the trail in Defiance, MO where Nathan grew up. Unfortunately the next morning a big storm was rolling in and, although they tried to beat the rain, they got stranded in Treloar. Good thing they had family close by who came to pick them up! It was great to meet you guys!

Many updates....

Wow we have had such a busy month here at Concord Hill I haven't kept up with my posts but I have lots of photos and lots of notes so here goes...

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!