MILES
385
STOPS
3
ORIGIN
St. Louis
DESTINATION
Kansas
DRIVE TIME
6.5 hrs
TOTAL TIME
9 hrs
🛑 Stop 0: Today we slept in a little knowing we had tickets to ascend to the top of the Gateway Arch on the first tram of the day, our only “deadline” this morning was checkout at 11. We intended to have breakfast at the hotel but ended up just grabbing a cup of coffee and croissant at Starbucks and then just headed out to the Arch and walked around the grounds before the doors were opened. It was great to see the structure up close since it had been on my “bucket list” for nearly 40 years. While studying architecture at Montgomery College in Rockville, MD in 1986 I wrote a paper on Earo Saarinan and his iconic design for Dulles Airport. The paper piqued my interest in the architect and his work at the Gateway Arch and I’ve always wanted to visit it in person. This was definitely a stop we would not miss. Beyond the arch we also visited the Old Courthouse before checking out and continuing on to our final destination of the day, Aggieville in Manhattan, KS.
🛑 Stop 1: We had originally planned to have lunch at The Bistro on The Blufftop at Rocheport but were disappointed to learn it was closed on Mondays. Instead, we traveled a little further down the road to actual Rocheport and ended up eating at The Rocheport Winery at Mount Nebo Inn. Quite honestly we were glad the Bistro was closed as this (we think) turned out to be a much nicer experience. We sat in an outdoor patio overlooking the Katy Trail and riders as they passed by the old Rocheport Station. The weather was gorgeous and the setting tranquil and serene.
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The Katy Trail, Rocheport, MO.
The Katy Trail is the largest, most developed rails to trails project in the United States. It spans over 240 miles from Clinton, MO to Machens, MO. We had lunch at the Rocheport station, one of 26 stations along the trail’s lenght.
🛑 Stop 2: Our hike for the day was in the Swope Park Trails just south of in Kansas City, MO. It took us a little time to find the actual trailhead, but once we did we headed up some super nice trails. This is the first time I wish I had had my mountain bike along for the trip. The trails were definitely purpose built mountain bike ribbons of singletrack. We only walked for a little over a mile, long enough to stretch our legs and get us ready for the last leg of the day’s drive to Manhattan KS. Although the day was supposed to be short, our first two stops took us a bit of time and we wanted to make sure we arrived in Manhattan before dark.
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Swope Park Trails
This was the first time I wish I had had my mountain bike along for the trip. The Swope Park trails are definitely purpose built mountain bike ribbons of singletrack.
🛑 Final Stop: We had originally planned to stop at the Konza Prairie overlook to watch the sunset but our timing was slightly off so we just viewed the sun set over the horizon from the car as we made our way to the hotel in downtown Aggieville. Once checked in we headed to “Aggieville” and had dinner at Taco Lucha. I should have followed our server’s recommendations and just ordered a couple of tacos, instead I got a “big plate.” Yep, you guessed it, too much food. The staff were all mostly students from Kansas State University. They were a super cool and nice bunch.