Josh got his bike today!

Specialized Cross Trail

We had a little bit of a wait before Josh got his bike--- they had the wrong bike in stock so it had to be ordered.

This was right after he picked it up and I have to say it' a sweet looking bike.

Cruising along the MKT Trail Towards McBaine

On our second bike trip we cruised along the MKT trail from Stadium to the Katy Trail at  McBaine. We are still getting used to how the bikes work-- and Joshua stills has a loner bike.

The trail connects to the Katy Trail about 8ish miles in. We are fortunate enough for Columbia to have excellent places to ride your bike that does not involve cars. Plus, it's a bonus that we usually don't bicker much on bike rides. (Am I admitting that?) 

It was rather hot and our faces were feeling it...as you can see from my crazy selfie expressions. Josh, on the other hand, has one look.

Once we hit the Katy Trail, we realized that there was no going back. The MKT trail has lots of traffic and activity. We like peace and quiet. (Trust me, there is enough noise from me alone.) The Katy Trail is peaceful and quiet....at least a little more so. We are going to ride the whole thing this summer and I cannot wait!

Our first bike trip

 

After 13 years of marriage Joshua and I have struggled to find common interests that don't involve the television--which really isn't an interest at all, but more of a time suck. I read, knit, and exercise while Joshua is more of an avid fisherman and scientist. We have a deep love for one another and are constantly trying to find ways to make our marriage grow.

Last week, we went on an evening walk to Capen Park. I learned about the park on Instagram where I saw couples overlooking a rocky ledge. Although we didn't make it to the ledge-- we didn't want to disturb the rock climbers--- we explored the Hinkson Trail as cyclists zoomed past.

In another day and age, we were cyclists too. We rode our road bikes all around Saint Charles and Joshua trained to race--a pipe dream, I would say. We never realized until this moment that we missed it dearly. It's also a bit of an opportunity for us to do something together.

I hem-hawed for a few days and we even went to the bike shop to look at the bikes. Yesterday, I finally called to place an order for two in-stock bikes. We couldn't pick them up right then because we had a niece's birthday party to attend to, but this afternoon we made a pit stop to pick them up. I couldn't really sleep much last night in anticipation. We are going to be a bike riding couple extraordinaire!

As we entered the bike shop, things didn't go as planned. Joshua was presented with a bright red number. I am talking RED RED. It wasn't the color that we ordered and they had somehow gotten something mixed up. We were honestly a bit irritated, as it didn't feel like things were going right, but the bike shop quickly remedied the situation by offering Joshua a loaner bike until they could special order and get his bike in stock. 

Plus, as soon as we left the bike shop, it started poring down rain. We were still pretty determined to ride our bike, so we headed to Hartsburg, Missouri, a trailhead on the Katy Trail. A little rain never hurt anyone, so we set out along the trail and rode five miles there and then five miles back.

The Hartsburg arm of the Katy trail was pretty bare, but I don't know if it was because of the rain. It was so peaceful with farm land on each side and the Missouri river  poking in on the edge.

There were several bridges that went over creeks? that emptied into the river. We stumpled upon a river access that looked like it needed some care-- there was a fallen tree in the way and mud everywhere. We saw shore birds nestled on the banks and many squirrels scurry along the trail.

A 10 mile first bike ride was just enough, as I was starting to get tired towards the end and my muscles are definitely sore. I cannot wait for Joshua to pick up his real bike, so that we can continue on our biking journey. I would say that this was an excellent first ride-- with my partner in crime. I cannot wait for many more to come.

The Runkeeper App conked out on us half way through, so our trip was divided up into two.

Strange Donuts

We only tried Strange Donuts because Harold's Doughnuts was out of their sprinkle ones.

The decor of the pace was kitschy. Someone put a lot of work into it and you can tell.

They share a place with Seoul Taco and I can't wait to check that out too-- when it's not 10 am.

They have a bunch of neat donuts flavors like gooey butter cake, toaster strudel, campfire, etc.

Since their counter was kind of small, it was hard to decide and the hipster crew were a little pushy. "Move it along. We can all share the space." I might being willing to forgive--- for donuts.

I tried the toaster streudal and the campfire donuts. I just have to say-- OMG, TS was so good.

It really tasted like the toaster strudel from my childhood with a jam center and sugary icing. I could eat one of these every week, yo. 

Truthfully, I didn't even finish the campfire one. It was a very attractive donut, but the cakes consistency wasn't really that good and the donut didn't rally have a good balance--- it was mostly chocolate with graham cracker crumbs and one marshmallow.

I am just going to put this out there--- Harold's donuts are better. They have a better flavor and are more moist. Strange donuts has the "strange" thing going for it and I like that, but they need to up their donut base. I think it's a little bland.

I will probably go back and I definitely can't wait to try a Seoul taco with a donut on the side, but it won't be my regular donut place. 

The Root Cellar

The Columbia Farmers market doesn't really have much pork. There is a pork vendor, but they had limited stock and seemed to focus more on sides of pork. (Don't quote me on that. That was just my impression.)

Jay and I decided to take a look at The Root Cellar which is a mostly local grocery store.

They had plenty of frozen local meat and fresh trout. We stocked up well and even subscribed to their bounty box. We will get a box of local veggies every Thursday and 10% off everything else. I'm pretty excited about this-- it will be like getting a present every week.

Our Haul:

Logboat beer, mead, trout, sunflower sprouts, chicken, and pork

Columbia farmers market week two

The farmers market was lettuce and asparagus heavy. No complaints here!

Developing a relationship with farmers is important to me. They may not remember me, but I remember them.

There's an egg guy from Wil Farms that always talks about his happy chicken. His booth is called Pieter's pantry. The chickens do look happy hanging out in bunches eating the leftovers in his polytunnel. He is from Hermann and offered us to come out and pick over his strawberries that are past their prime. We might take him up on that!

Another farmer was really excited about his tennis lettuce. He said its so sweet that someone who doesn't even like lettuce thought it was not so bad. It is sweet! I am having it for lunch today with a nice piece of salmon.

Our beef lady talked us into some delicious beef jerky when she offered us samples. Both weeks we have bought what she had on offer. That's a smart cookie there. We gobbled up that jerky when we went fishing later that day. It's didn't last long.

This is our haul for the week:

Asparagus, Garlic, Soap, Tomatoes, Eggs, Ground Beef, Cheese,
 Lettuce, Basil, Beef jerky, Sweet potatoes, Swiss Chard