DNR
Home PageDay 5, Sedalia to Clinton -- June 28, 2002
Breakfast began with another visit from the Pancake Man. Pancakes, sausage, cereal, fresh tropical fruit, milk, juice, and coffee helped to start the last day of the Katy Trail Ride from Sedalia to Clinton. Everyone had a great time watching him flip pancakes over rafters and behind his back to then land on a plate. Friday was the last day to spend with friends until they would meet again. Packing up their luggage after breakfast to begin the ride to Clinton was the excitement of the morning. Joining the riders today was Jamie Mullen and Amanda Haley, both staff members with the Department of Natural Resources, on their first chance to ride this week.
The SAG stops today were in Green Ridge, Calhoun and Windsor. Green Ridge was built as a railroad town between the Osage River and Lamine River watersheds. At the trail head, the riders were greeted with Gatorade and fresh tropical fruit. The stretch on either side of the Katy Trail between Green Ridge and Bryson is undergoing prairie restoration. The highest point of the Katy Trail is near Bryson, which is 950 feet above sea level. In Windsor, there was more fresh fruit awaiting riders. There was a caboose painted in patriotic colors that is a unique site to see. After leaving Windsor, riders saw many wooded areas entering the Ozark hills. They rode on to Calhoun, where the riders enjoyed the last SAG stop of the day. Refreshing Gatorade and bananas awaited everyone here also. Past Calhoun, the riders have a chance to see a herd of bison. However, bison are very smart and did not want to bask in the 90 degree weather. Finally, the Clinton trail head was in view and it was on to the Benson Center where riders enjoyed a sack lunch with chips, ham and cheese sandwich, coleslaw, fruit, soda and a cookie.
The 35-mile ride for Jamie and Amanda was great after a long week of working. It was a time to really enjoy the Katy Trail and all the scenery that one could see only on the trail. As first timers on the trail, the ride was a great experience and not the last time it will be enjoyed by the staff.
The passport questions for Friday were:
1. What famous ragtime musician lived in Sedalia on and off the 1890s, attended the George R. Smith College for Negroes, and played in clubs such as the Maple Leaf and Black 400, before moving to St. Louis in 1901? answer
2. The 11-day-long Missouri State Fair, one of the nation’s largest, celebrates which anniversary this year? answer
3. Most of the streets in Windsor run neither north-south or east-west, but at a 45-degree angle. Why? answer
4. At mile marker 257.8, you may have a chance to see the largest land animal in North America. Standing up to 6 feet tall and weighing more than 1,000 pounds, it thrived on the grasslands of the plains and prairie. Various body parts were used by Indian tribes as food, tools, shelter, weapons and clothing, and the chips made reliable and portable fuel. What is the animal? answer
DID YOU KNOW??
Tallgrass prairie covered western Missouri until about the 1830s, with narrow woodlands running along streams and rivers. On the Katy Trail, native prairie is being restored near Green Ridge and Bryson, and just past Calhoun. Since the rail corridor was never plowed, seeds remained viable for a century, waiting for fire and a more open canopy. Big bluestem and Indian grass are beginning to re-establish themselves, and you may also see prairie-indicator species such as ashy sunflower, sumac, compass plant and rattlesnake master. Bicycling birders can watch for prairie birds like northern harriers and scissor-tailed flycatchers.
See everyone next year when we ride the Katy Trail again!
