2026 Sedalia-Washington
Just Mark & Me
Day 3: Halfway and Hitting Our Stride
JEFF CITY - HERMANN / 45 MILES
Every day on this trip feels like a new chapter — new towns, new surprises, and now we’re finally in our groove. Waking up and picking breakfast in the moment feels downright luxurious. Today’s choice? The top floor of Hilton’s 360° view restaurant, watching fog lifting revealing the capital in a panoramic “wow, life is good” moment. Jeff City absolutely delivers as a Katy Trail stop. Epic!!!! We were the only ones up at 6 a.m., sipping coffee definitely the winner of the best breakfast view.
Today is a lighter day — 45 miles to Hermann, our beloved wine town where we fell in love. The earlier we roll in, the more wine time we get. And wine still works its magic. Always has.
Then… time to roll.
Leaving Jeff City is where I thank the heavens — and my husband — for my e‑bike. Those brutal hills on Day Three would’ve murdered my quads on a regular bike. Instead, I hit Turbo and floated up them like a Disney princess with a motor. Everything about biking into and out of Jeff City is dramatic: the bridge, the five‑level spiral ramp, the river valley opening up, and then boom — back on the Katy.
My bike and I are officially bonded. Distances shrink, pain disappears, and the farmland and woodlands just glide by like a moving painting.
A Love Letter to the Katy (Yes, From Me)
I’ve complained about the Katy for years — loudly. But after 100 miles of flawless trail? I’m eating my words. Not one pothole. Not one washout. Not one fallen tree. It’s immaculate. Whoever maintains this thing deserves an award. I have a new appreciation for this gem and need to seriously enjoy it more... but with power.
Mark Hits 100
Three days in, his speedometer finally flips to triple digits. A milestone moment. Maybe next time he’ll knock out a century in one day with us. He definitely has a new appreciation for what we do and the amount of saddle time it takes for 100 and especially 120.
Flat Tire #7
We stop in Mokane and discover yet another flat — this time on Mark’s back tire. He’s clearly trying to catch up to my four‑flat performance yesterday. At this rate he’ll earn a black belt in tire changing. We use the downtime to top off our e‑bike batteries, which means we can pedal as fast as our legs (and courage) allow.
Lunch on Memory Lane
Ten more miles to Portland, where we walk into the same bar we brought 45 riders to fourteen years ago. Nothing — and I mean nothing — has changed. It needed a facelift back then, and it still does. But there’s something comforting about a place that refuses to keep up with the world. I even found the old photo of my dad throwing on an apron to help the overwhelmed cook. And yes, the mountain of pork rinds was real. Who and why was that ordered is still a question that haunts me.
Captain Wohlt’s Inn: A Full‑Circle Moment
Our final night is in Hermann at Captain Wohlt’s — the same place I stayed with ten biker chicks on our first big ride. It’s grown into a cluster of charming buildings, and I think I’ve found my new favorite Hermann stay. A lazy front porch overlooking Main Street, perfect for coffee or cocktails while cars and life drifts by.
And hallelujah: our first night without giant e‑bikes hogging every inch of the room. They’re tucked away downstairs, charging peacefully, while we enjoy a cozy room with one bed and — blessedly — no “Mark staging bed with everything he bought exploded across the sheets.” I felt like a real girl on a real romantic get away finally our last night.
Wine, Wildlife, and Zero Farkle
Happy hour is mandatory. Tonight we sip wine on the B-n-B's garden patio, wrapped in blankets as birds, squirrels, and rabbits put on a full nature documentary around us. Mark was thrilled to have wildlife entertainment instead of the cards and Farkle I had ready to deploy.
Tank 7 Trifecta
My beloved Tank 7 — rare in the wild — somehow appeared in three tiny Missouri towns now. The 1837 Cellar Bar had one bottle left, completing my holy trifecta. Life complete. Time to go home.
Tomorrow: The Final Stretch
We ride back to Washington in the morning. I don’t want it to end. So here I am, midnight, running on two hours of sleep, trying to stretch this moment just a little longer and recapping all this past days life experiences.
