St. Charles to Machens

St. Charles to Machens is an odyssey. The first thing you need to do is go to a sporting goods store and buy a pair of the cheapest, non-cotton , lightweight convertible pants they sell. You’ll need both long pants and shorts for this stretch, making them convenient. As you go under Interstate 370 you’ll come to the end of the “established trail” because it turns into a dirt path that looks like it may have been a service road at one time. Stop here and put the legs on your convertible pants and bug juice up. Follow the dirt road; you’ll see bike tracks. Next you’ll come to a fork in the road. Bear right, it looks like you’re back on the Katy and you’ll go around a nice little pond. After the pond the road bears right back onto the dirt path. The grass here is knee to mid torso high. There were chiggers and ticks so the bug spray pays off. I even saw Jake the Snake twice so you really have to watch your step. The path alternates from crushed limestone to dirt to big rocks and back to dirt numerous times, the grass is still high but bearable if you stay on the path. The distance so far would be about 6 miles. You finally dump out onto what we would recognize as the Katy just before mile marker 33 when you hit the trail. Wear a hat, use sunscreen if you want, wear your long, lightweight pants in the grass, and carry lots and lots of water. There is no shade!!! Good news: They have upgraded Machens! There’s an indoor toilet so you can sit down to do your business (#2). No more digging holes for tree fertilization is required.