Sunday, April 26, 2015

Augusta's Plein Air Festival - A Day in Defiance

Today our Inn and Gallery, the town of Defiance & the Defiance Merchants Association hosted "A Day in Defiance" featuring the barns of Defiance.  Approximately 65 artists participated and could be seen throughout town, in the countryside, and on the roadsides painting the beauty of our area.  The paintings were judged in the late afternoon followed by an artists' social and a sale to the public. It was a beautiful day in the Historic Missouri Wine Country!







A big thanks to Pop A Wheelie in Augusta, Piazza Deli & Sugar Creek Winery in Defiance for helping to provide food & beverages for the artists!





Sunday, April 19, 2015

DMA Charity Ride Day 6

Last day. We decided to get up and leave Sedalia early for a few reasons:
1) we saw the weather report calling for warm sunny weather and
2) we knew Todd White of Katy Bike Rental & Shuttle was going to be picking us up in Clinton around 12:30 (but we didn't want to leave in the dark)

So, off we rode at 7:30 am to get a head start on the day. The elevation map was a liar! We thought we'd be going downhill but WRONG!! It seemed like it was an endless uphill climb followed by another uphill climb.

As we rode toward Clinton we started humming the theme song from "Rocky." We actually pulled in at noon. Todd pulled in with the van and Kim was there with champagne! We were super tired, but super happy with our accomplishment PLUS the fact that we raised over $3,300 for the Asthma & Allergy Foundation.  Todd took us to lunch at Kehde's in Sedalia, and Chuck hosted us all at Chandler Hill for dinner.

A BIG thanks to all who supported us in the ride. We're thankful for our health and are appreciative of the work the Asthma & Allergy Foundation does.

Pics:





































DMA Charity Ride Day 5

The Uphill Battle

We started the day visiting the war memorial across the street and then going down to the Katy Depot and visitor center. We were greeted by Katie who was awesome giving us info about the area and the trail.

Then the real day began. The grade on the trail goes really uphill immediately after pulling out of the depot. This was an extremely hard stretch. It was nice to have each other encouraging us on.

The Highlights were:
- just making it to Pilot Grove for lunch at Deon's Bar & Grill 
- just making it to Sedalia without dropping dead
- the spa at the Bothwell Hotel and the AWESOME massage Chris had right after arrival
- the delicious dinner at the hotel restaurant
- laughing at Norm's bike seat (looks like a clown put a balloon animal on it)

Pics below:





















Thursday, April 16, 2015

DMA Charity Ride Day 4

"Lord I was Born a Ramblin' Man"...

Today was Tax Day and our trek from Jefferson City to Boonville, our longest (mileage-wise) leg of the trip.  The weather was cool and overcast, just right for the trip. 

This is a gorgeous stretch of the trail. Wildflowers, Dogwoods, Redbuds, river and bluffs. We did see some people on the trail this leg, mostly morel hunters. No one we encountered claimed any success, but who wants to give away their secret spot?

We crossed under the Interstate 70 bridge headed to Rocheport and got our bikes up the steep trail leading to Les Bourgeois Winery. We had a delicious lunch there with a spectacular view of the Missouri River below us. Our server, Maggie, took excellent care of us; and Kim (our support angel) met us for lunch.

Time was ticking by, and we still had a long way to go; so it was off to Boonville and the completion of a 52-mile day. We met up with a short sprinkle of rain, but actually felt good. Our room at The Hotel Frederick was a large 2-bedroom suite with 2 bathrooms. This was our "pajama party night" as we all piled in.

Highlights:
Lunch & wine at Les Bourgeois.
Going through the train tunnel at Rocheport.
Teasing Norm mercilessly about everything.
Kim meeting us with surprises and goodies in Boonville & staying the night.
A tasty dinner at the hotel restaurant.

Pics below:























Tuesday, April 14, 2015

DMA Charity Ride - Day 3

"On the Road Again...."

A beautiful, brisk morning awaited us as we left Hermann in the background and headed west on the Katy Trail. This was an absolutely beautiful stretch of the trail as we were flanked by soaring bluffs, tree-lined expanses of the Missouri River, and budding dogwoods, redbuds, and wildflowers.

We came across a large tree down over the trail, and we never encountered another biker on the trail until we reached the Jefferson City limits. 

Our hightlights included:

A fabulous breakfast at the Alpenhorn Gast Haus (thanks Rachel); the largest and tastiest burgers we have ever seen at the Mokane Bar & Grill (thanks Kelly & Mel); the fabulous road support of the Cycle Depot after Chris's bike broke down (thanks Mark, and especially Pam), and our comfy beds & nice showers as well as bike storage at the Capitol Plaza Hotel.

Pics of the day: