Sunflowers

Today went better. We think Mike may have started out dehydrated yesterday. We made sure that was not the case today (glug, glug). The temperature still got up to maybe 92, and we rode around 52 miles.

We also started out an hour earlier to catch more of the cool part of the day. The ride was especially scenic. We saw several of the iconic sights that we have seen in other bike blogs and advertisements about the trail. One was a spot where you could see some old Native American pictographs, another was a little stone hut build at the entrance to a cave in the bluff that used to be used by the railroad for storing dynamite, another was a tunnel we got to ride through, and the last was what we called “boathenge”.

Pictographs – hard to see, but they are highlighted in red

Dynamite shed

Tunnel

Boathenge?

The big lunch stop was a town called Rocheport. We had been told a restaurant called Abigail’s was very good, but small (7 tables). We rode hard and got there just after 11:30. We scored the last open table! We both went for the lobster and shrimp ravioli. Even now Tami is still drooling all over herself.

Abigail’s

That set us up for the final 13 miles into Booneville. Right after we left Rocheport, we went through the old tunnel. Interestingly, the couple miles after the tunnel was much more green and verdant than the rest of the trail, not that the rest has not been good, but this section was just more lush. All of a sudden we also started seeing more wildlife. We had frogs jumping on the trail, snakes slithering across, grasshoppers, more birds (including some beautiful white egrets), turtles, and lots of butterflies. Tami even spotted a cardinal, which of course the St. Louis baseball team is named after.

We are staying at a very cool old hotel, the Hotel Frederick. They did ask us when we checked in if by any chance we were brother and sister rather than a couple, as they said the bathroom did not offer any privacy. After we got to the room, we saw what they meant, the bathroom is all glass walls! Quite a show.

Our room, including glass walled bath

We liked the copper pipe towel rack

The room is beautiful, and we are planning to go down in a few minutes to check out the classic old bar. Meanwhile we have a window looking out over the bridge we rode in on, so we can watch the riders behind us roll in.

Hotel bar – the chef actually came out to make our Manhattan’s

Dinner here at the hotel was the best we have had on the whole trip. Some weeks ago we were asked to chose between shrimp and grits, rabbit, and steak Diane. We both chose the shrimp and grits. However, when we saw the menu tonight we were almost sorry we had not chosen the rabbit. Apparently it is the chef’s signature dish, and is listed as rabbit five ways (braised, grilled, confit, mousse, and sauce). There was also a great summer squash salad, and for dessert Tami went for the chocolate cinnamon cake, while Mike opted for the baked apple with sorghum ice cream and caramel sauce.

After dinner one of Bubba’s staff told us from his railroading background. He used to be an engineer on the Katy railroad. One of my favorites was the time there was a competition between the Katy and another railroad to build a line to Indian Territory. Whichever line got its track there first would be granted the right to continue. Both lines were getting close, but the other line was leading. However, at night some workers from the Katy went out and built a monument out front along the route of the other line, saying “start of Indian Territory”, only it was two miles short of the actual border. So when the other line got there, they stopped laying track. Meanwhile the Katy crew built their track to the correct border and won the competition.

Another story was about the origin of the name of Lard Hill, a feature on the line south of here. As the story goes, one day the train hit a women’s pig and killed it. The women was upset and billed the railroad $5 for the pig, but it wouldn’t pay. She was ticked off, so she rendered down the pig and every night would go out and spread some of the lard on the tracks. When the train came along, the wheels would spin and the train would not be able to make it up the hill. This went on until the railroad gave in and paid her the $5.