Bicycling Frisco Highland Trail & Katy Trail

As an adult, I began bicycling in 1994 and have made it a major part of my Outdoor Activities every year except 2007/2008 when I had surgery on my neck.  My experiences up to 2011 are extensive and I have documented most in photo journals that I have yet to transfer to electronic format but have plans to do so in the next several years.  Some of my major activities related to bicycling include the 2000 Millennium Legacy Trail in which Keith and I biked the whole Katy Trail together in segments over one season and included the extra mileage to the Kansas State Line all the way across Missouri to Indiana.  In 2001, I went on a Woman's Tour for a week with a group of about 15 women on road bikes with support along the Outer Banks of North Carolina.  I biked in the Blue Ridge Mountains, the Smokey Mountains, and in Northern Virginia.  In my work-related travels in SW Missouri and along the southern Mississippi River in SE Missouri, many times I took my bike with me and saw so much more of the areas I worked and different trails maintained by cities and smaller communities.  I did 288 miles in 7 days/6 nights on the Katy Trail by myself during the 2003 tornado season staying in Bed & Breakfast Inns along the way and included an Amtrak return from St. Charles.   What a trip that was!

In between longer trips, I biked most regularly from my home in Hermitage to Nemo and return for a total of 14 miles 3-5 times a week most weeks in season.  Day trips were most commonly done on the Katy Trail from Clinton to Windsor and from Windsor to Sedalia which is about 35-40 miles round trip each segment. Clinton is only about a 40 miles from Hermitage.  In recent years, the Frisco Highland Trail has been expanded from Bolivar south to Springfield for a total of 35 miles.   Bolivar is 30 miles from Hermitage.  I had biked the segment from Walnut Grove to Willard which is 20 miles round trip for years.  Keith and I will increase our time on the Frisco Highland Trail since it is so new and have made it from Bolivar to the Sac River and return for a total of 25 miles recently.  There are about 12 bridges in this segment and that is why it took so long to complete.   

Here are some photos of our Labor Day 2012 bike ride.

For more information and a map of the Frisco Highland Trail:  www.friscohighlandtrail.org
It is part of the Ozark Greenways Incorporated and the National Recreation Trails.

Here I have some recent photos from our September 30, 2012 trip from Clinton to Windsor and return.  My new bikin' buddy, Carmen, joined Keith and I after we met on the Frisco Highland Trail previously.  This was her first Katy experience!

                                                Rest stop in Windsor where we had lunch

                                    Keith and me in Windsor getting ready to return to Clinton

                                              A rest stop with Carmen and Keith in Calhoun

This lady was in the Windsor rest area spinning a different kind of wheel since she injured her foot and couldn't ride this week.  She also dyes here own wool.  There are many different activities along the trail at times including poker runs, art shows, and many different organized rides for fun and charity events.  For more information about the Katy Trail and a map:  www.katytrailstatepark.com