Katy Trail Day 4: McBain to Cooper's Landing
This is my last long ride, and I'm already getting nostalgic about a trip I haven't finished yet. Remember McBain? On day 2, I rode from Rocheport to McBain, just south of Columbia. On this day, I start at McBain and head south, aiming for a spot called Cooper's Landing. It's among the coolest music venues I know. It's part RV Park, part boat launch, part Thai restaurant, part bar, and part original live music venue. To drive there, you have to use one of those non-county-maintained dirt roads. Or, you can cycle there from McBain, which is about 6 miles one-way.
On their website, there's sad news: The road is impassable due to flooding, so music has been canceled. Still, I pedal there, and discover that sometimes, the Katy Trail serves as an emergency passage for cars when the road is flooded. I pedal far enough past Cooper's to make my 20 miles for the day, then turn around and head back. While there, I find out that the road was just opened, and music is back on. Too late for me. My initial plan was to bike there in the afternoon, hang out for some music, and then pedal back to McBain. I'm not doing that twice today! But you probably should.
Later that night, to eat up five more miles, I bike another section of Columbia's MKT Trail, and finally, find some leaves that have turned for Fall. Peak leaves are insanely late this year.