Mysteries of the Katy Trail, Part 2 of 3

Read Part 1.

CHAPTER III: Doing What Explorers Do
The gods of the Katy Trail are fickle. They have no favorites. They follow no pattern. They show no mercy.

I believe it was Cory who suggested we hop on our bikes and ride down the Katy Trail. Follow in the footsteps of Lewis, Clark, the Boone boys and countless hobos looking for a little adventure. “We had survived the storm, the sun was out, why not?” Unable to argue with such logic, we loaded up our bikes and headed for a town called McBaine – about 20 miles away.

It was wet, but a beautiful day for a ride. The trail follows very close to the Missouri River and right next to some very scenic bluffs. Caves dotted the cliffs along the old railroad line and you could imagine the thousands of hobos that had once stayed in these caves. Indians who had hunted from them. Even spots where Lewis and Clark had camped. I was shocked back to reality by bats flying out of the cave into the bright day.

In the faint distance, I could almost hear the gods of the Katy Trail warning us to not go looking for things we didn't want to find.

After several hours of riding, we arrived at the small town of McBaine. If you’ve never been to McBaine, at the time it had about a dozen trailers and a gigantic, two-story bar...with no name. Nothing else. We rode through the empty streets of town and did not see another living soul. Completely desolate. There wasn't even a car parked outside the bar. The neon lights were on, so we figured it was open. We pulled up and got off of our bikes.

“This looks like a pretty good place for a drink,” Cory exclaimed.

We all nodded and walked in…

Immediately upon walking in, we had to go up a long, eerie, very narrow ramp that took us to the second floor. It was odd, to say the least. But we were explorers and this is what explorers do.

At the top of the long, narrow ramp, was a large, heavy door. We opened the door and entered. We walked into a huge, cavernous room on the second floor. A bar sat in the far corner with, presumably, a bartender standing behind it.

The five of us walked up ordered a beer and sat down at an empty table to relax. We sat, sipping on our beers, talking about the storm of the previous night, the day's ride and what a neat place we had discovered - smack dab in the middle of nowhere.

It was crazy, and somehow, it didn't make sense...why was this place here? In a town...in the middle of nowhere...with no people. Where was everybody?

We stayed for hours. Not another customer entered the entire time. The lone bartender was a great guy. He invented a drink for Heather, in fact..."the butt numb-er." Considering we were a group of tired, weary riders...it made a lot of sense and made for a good joke.

CHAPTER IV: The Legend Grows

Throughout history, when explorers have returned from unknown lands, mysterious ports of call and undiscovered countries, they brought back with them tales that were beyond belief. Mountains, animals, jewels, spices, oceans, people...outer space - outrageous stories that were nearly incomprehensible to a civilized world that had nothing to compare it to.

So it was with this exploration. We left the "bar," still amazed at its location and wondering "why?" We made our way down the long, narrow ramp and into the parking lot...almost without casualty. The gods of the Katy trail would let us go, but not Scot free. We made our way back to New Franklin and on to Ames. Ames - where the legend of our exploration in New Franklin, McBaine and the Katy Trail grew epic.

We told tales of the storm we'd survived. Like rumors of the Fountain of Youth, Eldorado or Shangri-La in centuries gone by. We told of the caves, of the trails, of the bluffs, of the mighty Missouri River. But most of all, we told tales of the bar. Sure, it didn't have a name. Sure, it was in a town that wasn't on the map. Sure, it was a massive two-story building in the middle of nowhere. But it was there. We were there. Our friends should believe us.

With our friends doubting our tales, we began to plot our next trip. We'd expand our group - this is how we'd prove it to them. Do what explorers have done throughout the centuries - go back.