Refreshed with vigor I set off walking down the tracks in the morning. A freight train came so I stepped to the side and watched it pass me as I neared a road crossing where I rejoined the highway. I became very fascinated with the freight train though and began thinking of the shipping industry as a whole around the world. It wasn’t the first time I’d thought about it on this trip, but I did get particularly wrapped up in the idea of how closely together everything thing is from the Chinese farm or factory to a Walmart in the middle of Missouri. I was so wrapped up in it that I actually thought about it the whole way to Syracuse, MO.
I hadn’t expected anything out of this town from the looks of it on the map, but I was a bit surprised. It was still a bitty little town, but on my first stop into what I thought was a café my notion changed. The café was actually a gift shop that sold ice cream and coffee only. Talking with the owner he told me to go down the street to the Country Kitchen (I think that was the name) and tell Harriet he’d sent me. The thing that intrigued me though was what he’d said about the town. Evidently it used to be a big boom town before the Civil War due to the railroads. Bushwhackers burned the place down and since then it never really recovered. He gave me a leaflet on it which I read over breakfast.
For breakfast I switched it up a bit and didn’t get a cheeseburger but a grilled ham and cheese which was delicious. I topped that off with a chocolate pie and many cups of coffee before refueling water and heading off. The rest of the road was clear of towns until Sedalia so I wandered on going over my new thoughts on town development and shipping industries. Not really a beat poet, am I?
Throughout the later half of the afternoon I began contemplating over my map as to whether or not to hook up with the Katy Trail. Taking Highway O north about two or three miles it connected with it and then would be the same distance in to Sedalia. I didn’t really want to hit Sedalia that day and thought that walking on an actual trail I may meet some folks with the same mindset and interests as me. As I came across O I made a command decision and headed up.
It was about three miles. Those three miles put me definitely into an over 20 mile day and I had not been good to myself having only rested in Syracuse, and twice on the road since then. I kept on, though, taking one small break up O because I was really hoping to come across other hikers while I rested on the trail. I also hoped there would be a supply store, or something, to get coffee at before entering the trail. There was neither.
I walked about half a mile down the trail after I eventually reached it and sat down having seen no one. I was beat, it was late in the day, and I was willing to go no further. I pitched my tent and only then did I see some local bikers come through while I was reading.