Cycling the Katy Trail: A Tandem Sojourn Along Missouri’s Katy Trail

by Neil M. Hanson

“A rich and nuanced perspective on the Katy Trail experience.” —Jim Sayer, Executive Director, Adventure Cycling Association “Neil continues his bike touring adventures, this time with his new wife on a tandem bicycle. An entertaining, thought-provoking, caffeine-fueled trip.” —David Buser, touring cyclist Cycling the Katy Trail is the definitive guide to a crown jewel in the American rail-trail system. Providing more than simply a list of milestones along the trail, this book shares the trail from the perspective of the touring cyclist. Award winning author Neil Hanson provides a thorough trail guide and description for the cyclist who plans to ride the Katy Trail, then, in quintessential Hanson style, he serves up a journey story that magnifies his ride along the trail into a delightful tale of discovery that everyone will enjoy. Neil Hanson finds the perfect balance in this book, his narration serving first as a trail guide to help the reader plan a ride the Katy Trail, then as a master story teller who takes the reader along on one of America’s premier rail-trails, exploring the rural beauty of this gem that runs nearly border to border across the state of Missouri, meandering through the deep rural backroads of middle America. The trail guide section of the book is perfect for planning a Katy Trail ride. It includes milestones along the entire route, a trail overview, detailed descriptions of the five different sections of the trail (as Neil defines them,) then a table describing the ride details and stats as ridden by Neil in 2016. The journey section of the book is where Neil’s fans will discover his award winning storytelling style. Come along with Neil and Christine as they meander along the trail for a beautiful week in September on their tandem bicycle. This delightfully written treasure is insightful and thought provoking, inviting the reader along the journey as Hanson enjoys the quiet beauty of the Missouri backwoods, explores the remote serenity of a trail that runs along a river the helped to shape American history, and wrestles with some difficult questions about the divide that seems to be growing between rural towns in the middle of America and the rest of the nation.

Genres: Nonfiction, Sports, Adventure, Travel

171 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 20, 2018

About the author

A lifelong cyclist, Neil Hanson's two-wheeled adventures have taken him across America, along the Natchez Trace, and throughout northern Italy. Originally from Kansas, Neil currently lives in Colorado, where he navigates his bicycle up and down the inclines of the Rocky Mountains. His books include Pilgrim Wheels, part one of the deep and introspective journey story woven around his cross-country trip that concludes in Pilgrim Spokes, as well as a how-to minimalist-touring guide, The Pilgrim Way.

Reviews

[Tarra Gundrum · Rating 5 out of 5]

The content of this book is incredible, and carefully drafted based on the authors experience and research. I compared a lot of these notes to other research and videos related to my Katy Trail trip. I even used several of the tips in the book to make reservations. Unfortunately my trip was cancelled due to COVID and the need to adjust my schedule. I look forward to taking my trip this upcoming year and reading through these details again. Regardless of me taking the journey myself, the author made me feel as if I were along for the ride.

[Hancock · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good book for those, perhaps like me, that know nothing about the Katy Trail. The first section on "the nuts and bolts" of the trail was exactly what I want in a guide: an overview of what to expect where. The first section was not burdened with excessive detail. The second section, a retelling of the author's trip with his wife, was marred by excessive digressions from the trip itself. We're all different. Perhaps other will enjoy what I describe as digressions.

[Blake Brashear · Rating 3 out of 5]

While some of the information in the beginning was useful the actual narrative of the author and his wife going down the trail on their tandem could have been a little more broadly specific to the trail and certain attractions or histories about the trail. I expected more of a guide or something more appealing to other people that are thinking of riding the trail. Instead we got the ramblings of someone (who even the author admits) who tends to make people disagreeable with his position. I got the impression from the author that he didn't really have that good of a time with his wife the 2nd time riding the trail or he seemed to be overly judgmental about the trail and/or communities around it. Not overly exciting, but it did have some useful information in the beginning. I'll just say I'm glad the local library had this and I didn't spend the money on it. Worth checking out for the first part.

[Neil Hanson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the fourth cycling book for me, and I think this one is my favorite. It let me tell the story of the Katy Trail (a bit like a trail guide) in the first portion of the book, and then move on to telling the journey story of the trip that I took along the trail with my new bride on our tandem. It's a nice combination for me, and I'm currently working on "next books" that follow this format.

Thanks in advance for taking the time to leave your own review. I really appreciate the feedback!

[Matt Knepper · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having grown up with the Katy Trail running through my front yard, I love hearing about someone’s trek along the country’s longest rail-to-trail. Part guide book, part travelogue, this book provides some nice tips and an interesting journey tale. It’s a bit more philosophical than I expected, but pleasant nonetheless.

[Charles · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice quick read for getting a thematic feel of the Katy Trail. The commentary on rural, local businesses frequently shunning the opportunity of the trail’s tourism is repeated to a laborious extent. Themes such as getting old and reflective get a bit, old. Not terribly useful as a trail guide.

[Randy Fay · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was OK. It gave us a bit of an idea what to expect. But for riding the actual trail we just used the pamphlet that's at every trailhead and https://bikekatytrail.com/

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Folksy memoir of riding a bicycle built for two crossing MIssouri on the Katy Trail. …”in receiving with genuine gratitude and grace, we’re truly giving a gift to the giver.”

[KT · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book convinced me to bring mosquito spray on my trip. The author’s writing style is not my favorite, but I appreciated the information and flavor of the travel.