The Katy Trail first came to my attention in early 2013. A then co-worker, who was originally from Missouri, told me about this route. He had ridden it twice. (I don’t know whether this pic is really the Katy Trail, but it looks nice).

It sounded wonderful. There’s an annual organized group bicycle ride that covers the entire length of the trail. The route alternates between East to West one year; and the opposite direction the next.

The Katy is one of the Rails to Trails paths, following a former railroad route. I hear that those routes are almost flat, having at most a very slight grade. That’s good news for a spoiled flatlander like me! For the history buff, more than half the Katy follows the route of the Lewis and Clark expedition along the Missouri River.

I was considering going for the Katy Trail group ride. Unfortunately this would have meant getting to the trailhead to begin with.

I don’t own a car; and transporting a bicycle by air wouldn’t have been so cheap. I was reluctant to bother somebody to drive me up there.

It would’ve meant finding a way to borrow (or — gulp! — buy) camping equipment such as tent and sleeping bag if I don’t want to pay for provided accommodations. If I bought those things, where would I store them? Would I ever use them again?

The more I thought about doing the Katy Trail, the more I realized that I could spend several thousand dollars on something that would last about two weeks. That put rather a damper on my enthusiasm; and I decided that I’d be better off spending that money on a road bike.

I’ve never regretted the decision; but the Katy Trail is still on my bucket list!