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We woke to an extremely dewy morning in Mound City, it might as well have rained. Fall seems to be making an entrance in the Midwest. Today we were headed to Clinton MO the western end of the 225 mile Katy trail, 80 miles away.

This was also our second day off route using standard road maps instead of our special adventure cycling maps. Although we don’t have the advantage of all the additional service information our bike maps provide, it was kind of fun to strike out on our own, not knowing what to expect from the next town.

On our way we passed through the Mine Creek Battlefield and the Marais des Cygnes Massacre sites. Not getting as much attention as VA in civil war history, the Kansas-Missouri border area hosted some critical events of the period.

Even though today was a relatively easy 80 mile day, I was happy to get off my bike in Clinton, with an aching shin and ankle. We ended our evening by getting dinner at The Golden Corral buffet. If you’ve ever wondered why Americans have weight issues, make one visit to a Golden Corral and all questions will be answered. What is an all you can eat buffet’s worst enemy? A hungry cyclist.