Lazy Days of Summer: Biking On the Katy Trail

I’ve always pictured the summers unfolding like the Country Time Lemonade commercials: boys on a tire swing, sipping lemonade on a wide front porch, running barefoot down a dock to jump off the end into the blue water below.

Unfortunately, our summer is more like a commercial for Spike TV: wrestling, fast car chases, and even faster women. In this case the only thing the “fast woman” is doing is hustling her kids from one activity to another. The lazy days of summer have, so far, been anything but lazy.

MJ and I decided we needed a break from our regularly scheduled programming. We had recently bought a bike rack and couldn’t wait to load up all the bikes and hit the road. I’ve been waiting to take the boys out of the neighborhood to ride and the Katy Trail seemed the perfect place to start.

The Katy Trail is the longest “rails-to-trails” conversion. The crushed limestone trail is 237 miles long and stretches over most of Missouri. Part of the trail follows the route Lewis and Clark took up the Missouri River. We decided to enter the trail in St. Charles, by the Lewis and Clark Boat House and Nature Center.

We strapped on our helmets, hopped on our bikes and headed down the wide, shaded path. The boys had no trouble on the flat, hard-packed surface and we were able to move along at a comfortable pace. We spotted a black snake on the trail and stopped to watch it slither into the grass. E and C stopped at a spot where they had been dredging the river. They marveled at the “mountains” of sand and silt and imagined climbing to their summits. Dandelion puffs blew through the air like snow flurries and gave the afternoon a magical feeling.

When we got tired, we turned around and headed back. It was getting close to dinner time, so we rode our bikes to Llewellyn’s on Main Street. We rode right up to the back patio where we munched on sliders and fried pickles. After all the scheduled activities the boys have been participating in, this one relaxing family outing had them shouting, “This is the best day ever!”

I think what contributed to the “best day ever” was a little planning on our part to ensure things went smoothly. Before we left, I packed some essentials in a small, draw-string backpack: sunscreen, bug spray (and there are sections on the trail where you will need it), sun glasses, two hand towels (for any unexpected mud puddles), and, in our case, two plastic cups. We had our water bottles attached to our bikes, but E is very particular and will not drink out of a sports bottle of any kind.

MJ and I knew that we would need to take as many rest breaks as the kids required and we tried not to push them to go on. We kept in mind that it may end up a short ride depending on the boys. But the length of the ride wasn’t as important as the quality family time we spent together.

Sometimes you need to pencil in “fun” on your schedule.