Katy Trail (Just the Tip)

Headed to Clinton after church today, took on the beginning of the Katy Trail. Not that Em wanted to go. I don't think Mo's heart was in it either (judging from her asking to go home about ten steps into it).



Em even tried to block me from taking her picture at first, though she had waxed from describing it as a forced march to 'sounds like fun' several times over the past couple of days.



Once we got out and actually started walking, though, they both got into it. It was 70º, sunny, the fall colors showing, Marilyn Manson would have found a new spring in his step once he got out on the trail today.



After marveling at what a perfect rocket field the first farm we passed was, I spotted the remains of a lost rocket. Looks to have been lost awhile ago, but no question what it was.





We made it about two and a half miles up the trail, stopped for lunch and headed back. I didn't want to push it so far that they'd balk next time I suggested we hit the trail, but I felt like we'd barely made a down payment on the hike.





We drove up highway 50 after, scoped out some of what we failed to hike to. Calhoun had the most beautiful stretch of trail to start on, and I wished we'd gone ahead and driven the extra ten minutes to start there. Calhoun also had a bike rental outfit, though they appear closed for the season.









We took a scenic route back, winding through the hollers of the Ozarks, eventually reaching Warrensburg and coming back in from there. Hilly country, but gorgeous with the trees turning. Hilly enough you could feel it in your ears as you went up and down on the two-lane. Saw an Amish buggy, too.













The artist formerly known as Frau Lobster suggested I take the stuff along for Mo to make rubbings. But she didn't want to. Em, as it turned out, did want to do it. We didn't walk far enough to pass a grave yard, but we did pass three benches with rubbable signage.





Also passed a scrap yard I typeset business cards for. It's this huge conglomerate actually, and they have scrap metal yards all over the place. I picture these massive salvage yards, miles and miles of shredded cars and whatnot. The Clinton Yard turns out to be a scrap heap barely larger than my Mom's next door neighbor's home. Really, he's only missing the front-loader.