September 6,
2003. We
left Denver at about 8:00 in the morning and
headed east on Interstate 70. We stopped in Burlington,
Colorado so the old folks could get out and stretch their legs,
and Ty looked out the window and found a penny in the parking
lot. Then a little while later when we stopped in Oakley,
Kansas, for lunch, Ty found another penny in that parking
lot. That's Ty's picture at right, and if you look reel
close, you ken see him smiling cuz he was so rich by then!
That night we got to Topeka,
Kansas, and spent the night at a motel next to the highway
there. We had dinner at a Ruby Tuesday Restaurant there,
even though it was Saturday.
September 7, 2003.
The next morning we
checked out the free breakfast at the motel and decided that it
would be better to eat at a Burger King that was next door to
the motel. Well, I think that place was where the truck
finishes out his route and turns around, cuz the ham in the
sandwich was kinda like what us guys sometimes find in the
parking lot, like that beef jerky stuff they sell in those
little stores, and the bacon in Gloria's sandwich was like a
bungee cord. The coffee was reel good, though, and the
little cinnamon rolls were pretty good, too.
Katy Trail After
while that day we stopped in Rocheport, Missouri, where there is
a reel long bike trail named the Katy Trail. That trail
was named for the lady that makes the ice cream cones at the
little ice cream store by where the old folks parked the van and
went on a ride. Us guys moseyed around a little, and
somebuddy called the lady Katy or Mary or Sally, or
something. Anyhow, she messed up an ice cream cone and
dropped it on the ground next to the store. After some
people left, me and Ty and Sniffy and Lil Benny finished it
off. (The other guys was scared of catching Hydrophobia or
something else off of ice cream that was in the dirt).
The Katy Trail is about a million
miles long, and goes almost all the way across Missouri, I
think, and it used to have train tracks on it and the trains
used to go there, but somebuddy stolt the tracks, I think, so
the train had to stop going there, so they turned it into a bike
trail called "Rails-to-Trails," and there are a lot of
other places like it all around the country.
Picture #1 shows the parking lot
for the Katy Trail. The store is where you can rent a
bicycle if you don't have your own, or if yours is a reel ugly
bike that you're ashamed of and you jest want to look cool while
riding the Katy Trail. To the right of it, behind the sign
is the little ice cream store that us guys reely like.
Photo #2 shows the big train
tunnel just west of the parking lot about a couple of blocks.
Photo #3 shows Gloria riding
across a cool old train bridge that is still used to carry
bicyclists across the little creek that runs there.
Photo #4 shows some vultures
circling around above the bike trail, jest waiting for somebuddy
to get in a bad bike wreck and turn into vulture food.
Somebuddy said they watch for people who can't ride a bike reel
good and follow them for a while jest in case.
Sparky's
Photo Album of the Katy Trail |
1. Sign at the parking lot
|
2. Tunnel west of the parking lot
|
3. Bridge along the trail
|
4. Vultures on the prowl for lunch
|
You can click on the Katy Trail
website here for more information and for a whole bunch of cool
pictures:
Katy
Trail Information
You can click here for the
Rails-to-Trails website:
Rails-to-Trails
Information
The old folks rode 17.3 miles on
that bike ride, then we headed off and spent the night in Hazelwood,
Missouri which is just west of St. Louis. That way we were
able to take the road that bypasses most of the traffic of
downtown St. Louis, cuz the next morning was Monday morning.
Columbus, Ohio
September 8, 2003. After
getting through St. Louis, we arrived in Columbus, Ohio, that
afternoon. The odometer on the van read 38,493, which
means we were 1,334 miles from home.
Sparky's
Photo Album of Park of Roses |
1. Sign at Park entrance |
2. Narrow path on side of bridge |
3. Path running along highway |
4. Lots of trees and shade |
The pictures
above show a few of the pretty views along the bike trail that
passes through the park. There is plenty of free parking
and drinking water and restrooms. You can find out more by
clicking below:
Columbus
Park of Roses Information
|