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Home Page2004 Katy Trail Ride
Day 4 - June 24, 2004 - Boonville to Sedalia
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The riders woke up once again to a feast provided by the Pancake Man and his helpful volunteers. The Pancake Man stepped out of his usual realm of the flapjack world and ventured into his delicious version of French toast. Eggs, sausage, fruit, coffee and juice accompanied the meal. A lot of people chose to eat outside due to the terrific weather.
After the meal, the riders loaded their luggage and tents on the trucks and headed up the trail toward Pilot Grove, Clifton City and eventually Sedalia. Due to the incline that the trail takes between Boonville and Sedalia, many of the riders said that this was the hardest section of the trail. A long uphill climb right outside of Boonville started the riders off to a long day on a short section of the trail.
Harleen Phillips, the day coordinator, as well as residents of the local Mennonite community outside Pilot Grove and Clifton City greeted the riders at the SAG stops. When the riders reached Sedalia, they met at the historic Katy Depot on Third Street near downtown. Some of the cyclists shopped in the depot’s gift shop while others continued down Third Street to Liberty Park. Once in the park, a lot of riders set up their campsites and then hit the town to get a bite to eat or see some of the sights. Cyclists also had the option to swim at the Liberty Park pool free of charge or to catch a shuttle to tour the Bothwell Lodge State Historic Site.
As the day progressed, the riders slowly gathered at Liberty Park’s Convention Center where dinner would be served. Nadler’s Catering catered the dinner again, which consisted of chicken breast in a mushroom sauce, smoked turkey, salad, potatoes and cake. After the plates were cleared from the tables, James Page, special event intern, hosted the nightly rider’s meeting. Guests for the meeting were Sedalia’s Mayor Bob Wasson, Missouri State Parks Foundation’s member Booker Rucker, and Doug Eiken, director of the Department of Natural Resources’ Division of State Parks.
At the conclusion of the meeting, the Katy Trail Ride staff gave away prizes to the youngest and oldest participants on the ride, nine-year old Mallory Eitel from Laplata, Mo., and 80-year-old Richard Shields from St. Charles Mo. The staff then drew rider numbers out of a bag to give away other prizes such as Lewis and Clark books and Scott Joplin dolls.
After the meeting, the riders were entertained by the Sedalia Community Band in one of the gazebos in Liberty Park. The band played for about an hour and then the riders prepared for the coolest night of the trip. The temperature dropped down to a cool 50 degrees F that night, setting record low temperatures for the month of June in some surrounding areas.
