Column: A quarry, a crummy and a river town

Huntsdale — A train without a caboose is like a sentence without a period.

Or, at least that’s the way things used to be. I learned this while reading the Missouri Department of Natural Resources placard and letting my caboose rest outside the old Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad depot at Boonville.

It was one of many features I enjoyed while traveling the 225-mile Katy Trail with my mother, Sherlyn Nail. We have divided the journey into five days — we started in Clinton on Friday and hope to end Tuesday in St. Charles. We’ll take the Amtrak train home.

Today, a caboose, or “crummy” as it was once called, is rarely used. The restored Katy caboose No. 134 that sits next to the historic Boonville train depot was used from 1968 to 1988. The Boonville Chamber of Commerce has turned the caboose into a museum, but unfortunately it was closed Saturday.

The brick and stucco depot built in 1911 and 1912 is the only one of the five mission-style Katy depots that remains. Strangely enough, the day I was learning about the history of the very spot on which I was standing marked an anniversary for the depot.

The last freight train left Boonville on Katy tracks on  Oct. 4, 1986, 22 years ago to the day. 

The Boonville caboose museum is just one of many spots on the trail between Clifton City and Huntsdale (just east of Rocheport) that I plan to revisit.

An abandoned rock quarry about two and a half miles outside Clifton City would make a great way to spend the afternoon, and it’s not far from home. The quarry is unmarked and unseen from the trail, but a pronounced path shows travelers the way.

Inside the quarry, people have used rocks to write initials, words and letters. We decided to leave our own mark by piling rocks to form “SN,” the initials my mother and I happen to share.

Another place I will return, and soon, is Rocheport. Getting there wasn’t easy. The 43.6 mile section of trail from Clifton City to Huntsdale was more challenging than the 50-mile ride Friday, but well worth it.

Rolling hills of trees with patchwork colors, just about to burst into full fall color, was the entry way to the 10 miles before reaching Rocheport. Then came the bluffs, so fascinating that I craned my neck to look up at them and nearly road off the trail several times.

This trek between Boonville and Rocheport had by far the most trail traffic. When we reached Rocheport I understood why. The railroad blasted a tunnel through a bluff, on the edge of the small town on the Missouri River. It is the only tunnel on the Katy.

At the Trailside Cafe and bicycle shop, the bikes outnumber the cars in the parking lot. Folks ate ice cream at tables shaded with rainbow-colored umbrellas, as others rented bicycles or had flat tires fixed.

We decided to enjoy dessert first, blackberry cobbler  ala mode, and dinner later (buffalo burgers and fried okra). The food was great. I felt completely out of place sitting at the cafe, hours before sunset, updating my blog on a laptop. It was a place for relaxation and a break from the modern world.

The race against the sunset began shortly after dinner at the cafe. We were unable to give the east side of Rocheport much attention as we had nearly seven miles to go before reaching our bed and breakfast. I wished we could have lingered longer, looking more at the small caves carved into the side of the bluffs and taking in the sunset on the Missouri River.

But, I know I will return to Rocheport. Anyone who hasn’t been there should go. I would recommend walking or cycling on several miles on each side of the town.

Don’t own a bicycle? The Trailside rents bicycles at affordable prices (about $30 for the entire day for adults, but there are also hourly rates). I saw several families who had spent the day on the trail and seemed to enjoy it.

Not in the best physical shape? Who cares. I’ve noticed people of all shapes, sizes and backgrounds enjoying the best Missouri has to offer.

We are lucky we don’t have to go too far, as the Katy is in our backyard.

I guess we’ll see if my enthusiasm holds up Sunday as we travel 60 miles to Bluffton. It is the longest day on our schedule.

For more about day two (including pictures of the caboose, rock quarry, Rocheport and more) visit my blog on The Democrat’s Web site, www.sedaliademocrat.com. I’ll also continue to give updates on our progress today.
 
Let me know what you think so far, or tell me what you’d like to know more about.