September 8, 2025
Ride Report for September 7, 2025
Trying something new on the blog. When I go for a bike ride I am going to do a short write up.
Sunday was a beautiful day for a ride. It was about 70, mostly sunny. Just a hint of clouds when you needed a little respite from the sun. Wam enough to almost sweat a bit, but cool air so I never felt hot.
I parked near the Boathouse and rode north on the Katy Trail. I didn’t really have a plan, but ended up going all the way to the Black Walnut trailhead, which was just under 10 miles one way.
I really like this part of the trail, even though it passes some not so great views (lots of old cars and trucks piled up in a junkyard, for example). It starts in St Charles, at the historic river front and quickly transitions to farmland after you pass the Route 370 bridge.
This stretch of the Trail is so quiet. Eventually you catch up to a few rural roads that meander alongside the Trail, then run away, but there is not much traffic. There’s enough woods/tree cover to stay cool, but also enough opening to see the surrounding fields and river.
Black Walnut itself isn’t much to see anymore, just a trail head next to a few grain silos and a few scattered houses. It’s hard to imagine a railroad actually running through there, stopping to pick up passengers. But I can see the appeal of living out there in the peace and quiet, still close enough to town if you need something.
I hung out at the trailhead about 15 minutes, one lone cyclist passed on his way to the terminus at Machens (I assume). Eventually I headed back toward St Charles, taking it slow, just enjoying being on my bike and the beautiful day.
Once I got back to St Charles, I hung out at Frontier Park for a bit before heading home for the day.
Ride stats: