Our calendar showed there was a ride scheduled for Sunday, 12 June, but we did not have a ride leader nor a route planned. Based on a poll I posted, there were only two of us who would be able to make this ride.
So Jenean and I planned to meet at a Phillips 66 in Foristell at 12:30 pm. I got there early and heard thunder and saw lightning around 12:23. I called Jenean and she was just leaving church. We decided to still meet at the gas stop and decide then. I was able to get under the covering at the gas station; she was caught in the rain and got drenched. Radar showed it was a quick-moving storm moving east. Jenean had a ride planned heading west. We waited for the rain to stop and headed out.
Our route had stops along the Katy Trail. The first was to Peers Store in Marthasville. It is a Conservation Outpost on the Katy Trail and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. There was a 3-person string band (Missouri Possum Tamers) playing on the porch. It was cool inside the store, a welcome break from the heat. There was ice cream we could’ve purchased, but we didn’t as it was so hot it probably would’ve melted once we stepped outside.
From there we headed to Treloar, another stop along the Katy Trail. See magnificentmissouri.org/treloar-mercantile/ for more information. At this stop, I found a huge carving of a large ear of corn in the side lot next to the Mercantile Building. See the link above, but specifically the article, Missouri Corn Carving, for its history. “When we bought the 100+ year-old Treloar Mercantile Building, it came with a large, dead elm tree. To pay tribute to the historic success of the town of Treloar, and one main reason it prospered for many years, we decided to turn the stump into an ear of Missouri field corn. Here’s its story . . .”
While visiting this stop Jenean suggested today’s route and a stop for lunch as a possible future route for a group ride later.
After Treloar, we stopped in Truesdale so that we could both get photos of its water tower (this year’s Region Touring Contest), and then we each headed home.
By Alice
Heartland Chapter of Women On Wheels® 