Missouri MKT Trail Adventure

With Odette and Scooter on the CoMO fork of the MKT

My Columbia, Missouri canine charges enjoy visits to the MKT trail. Because their little feet only go so far, we typically trace 1.5 miles from one of the parking lots and back. That’s plenty of exercise.

Ted Jones and the City of Columbia, MO opened the nine mile Columbia Spur of the MKT, or “Katy” Trail almost 30 years ago. By 1999, organizers had expanded the nine mile greenway by 200 miles.

The CoMO stretch is still considered the best of the nations’ rails-to-trails projects.

Contemporary guardians maintain it’s community function with informational stops and public art. I enjoy a display describing the variety of minerals and fossils found in the area.

Blue tile pillars, arranged in a spiral to honor Martin Luther King Jr. are a visual oasis near the trail’s 3 mile mark. Other tributes and sculptures are scattered throughout.

There are no fences or wire separating the path from the shoulder of the trail, providing easy access to prime marking spots for the pets. I appreciate the firm limestone paving that has been worked into the soil. It gives my step considerable spring.

Though the trail is level and well manicured, hikers may enjoy the many side trails that charge up a hillside or down a wooded ravine.

Betsy (middle) rejoins the dog pack after a vet visit

Wooden bridges provide a change of texture for the animal’s tired paws and a shady canopy keeps them from getting overheated.

Folks walking the path are friendly and curious, so expect to stop for conversation if you’re not running or biking. If you are lucky puppy, someone may be armed with a pocket full of liver treats!

Local flora includes poison ivy. I get a brush of it on my left arm and look like I have an extremely localized case of chicken pox for two weeks. Also, since deer frequent the area, I check all trail recreators for ticks once we’ve returned home.

Hannibal Road Trip Adventure with Dogs Photos

Outside the Hannibal, MO tourism office

Scooter, Betsy, and Odette with Your's Truly as we make a pit stop at the Madison Covered Bridge. Three ladies, originally from Hannibal, were there celebrating the life of their mother. They were eating all her favorites, corn Bugles, easy cheese, Chez-Its, Coca-cola and sherry. One of them was kind enough to snap this.

Placid Mark Twain lake

For a $10 donation to the Mark Twain house, visitors can scribble on the whitewashed fence.

The law office of Mark Twain's father, which inspired many episodes in Twain's literature

Mark Twain's boyhood home

This park is at the base of the climb to the lighthouse. If you make it all the way to the top, a souvenir shop next to this statue will provide you with a commemorative card verifying that you accomplished the feat. The statue is an artist's interpretation of Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn.

Lover's Leap is pretty, but its beauty is marred by the fence I'm standing in front of in this pic. Hannibal needs to come up with a less intrusive solution.

View of Hannibal, Missouri from Lover's Leap. The cliffside can be seen foreground left.

Hannibal Road Trip Adventure with Dogs

Americans feel sentimental about Hannibal Missouri before we even set foot in town. Tom Sawyer, Huck Finn, Becky Thatcher, Injun Joe, and Jim are longtime fixtures in our imagination.

Right alongside them is their creator, Mark Twain, whose wit and wisdom took root in my homebase of San Francisco for a time.

All the sites in Hannibal are outdoor attractions. If you want to pop into the ice cream store for a scoop or see the Tom Sawyer Diaoramas, the experience is there for you. Most of your time, however, you will be hiking to the Lighthouse, exploring the caves, or strolling Main Street downtown.

Between Columbia and Hannibal, my dog charges enjoy a variety of rest stops.

Mark Twain Lake is tranquil and good for hearing your bark echo.

The covered bridge in Madison is recommended particularly if there are a trio of women celebrating the birthday of their deceased mother and they offer you cheese crackers.

In Hannibal, the statue of Tom Sawyer is beloved of Betsy, Odette and Scooter as is the marker for the old jail. Both have lots of shady trees to duck and play under.

Groomingdales on Main Street is the primary sniffing area. A broad variety of high end dog fashions, toys, and treats are available inside if your wallet is willing.

On the highway out of town, Lover’s Leap extends over the town’s canopy. The effect is diminished by an awkward fence. While Hannibal doesn’t deserve the liability of people jumping from that promontory, there has to be a more attractive solution.

The picnic area there was nice for a few laps of water. The dogs aren’t used to being up that high above anything other than the floor. Vertical excitement like that appeals to Betsy most.

Photos to follow in the next post.

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Lawn Cuisine Adventure

(L to R: Scooter, a bichon-jack russell mix and Betsy, a miniature schnauzer, eating clover.)

An academic town since the 1830s, Columbia Missouri is known for campus life. Columbia College, Stephen’s College, and Mizzou are all here. The region is heavy with thoughtful people and cultivated physical beauty.

I’m caring for three dogs and two cats and a four bedroom four bath house while the owners are away in Greece. My adventures are, by necessity, revolving around the animals and their interests.

In the afternoons, Christopher Cat enjoys the summer lawn. The rains shake down twigs and folds of leaves bringing bugs and other curiousities down to paw level. A patch of chewable catnip inspires Christopher to roll and pounce.

The dogs enjoy the thick clover in the yard, munching on and bounding through the fluffy white flowers. It's the first place they go if they are feeling unwell. Apparently, clover assists their digestion.

These are naturally fertilized, organic gardens. While maintaining the lawn, I’m looking into what the animals know; what I can ingest from the landscaping?

Photos, to aid in plant identification, are in the next post.

Catnip

Yes, humans can eat catnip. Hot water over fresh macerated leaves makes a lovely, citrusy mint tea. No “special effects” tho.

Chrysanthemum petals

Chrysanthemum tea is one of my favorite dim sum treats. The mums in the yard here aren’t much with hot water, but they are edible when blanched.

Blue cornflower petals

I am eating these raw. They are nice for some color on top of a salad. When I cook them into something white, the blue dye in the petals makes the food look whiter (rice, mashed potatoes).

Oak chutes

It turns out oak chutes are a nutritious survival food so long as the leaves are green. With the stems removed, the leaves can eaten raw.

Since they have a bitter edge, I’m soaking them in saline water overnight. Since they are high in tannic acid, they should be eaten sparingly to permit healthy iron absorbtion.

I’ve soaked the leaves and dehydrated them slowly in a low heat oven. The result is a thin, nori-like crisp, packed with chlorophyll, protien, and vitamin-C. Ground to a powder, I’m using it to boost smoothies and thicken sauces.

Sorrel

Because it has a weed-like look and texture I’ve passed up sorrel which grows wild, in patches, like spinach. I find it more flavorful than spinach - distinctly fruity. It’s nutritional value is contrasted with a high concentration of zit-causing oxcalic acid, so I’m consuming it in moderation.

I make a beautiful sorrel bisque with olive oil, chives, and nightshade vegetables.

Clover tops

Clover tops are sweet and fragrant. They are high in protien, fiber and pectin, potassium, calcium, nitrogen, and phosphorus.

The flowers are rough on the stomach if they are not lightly baked first. Also, harvesting the flowers is time consuming (if you’ve ever separated stems and seeds from natural smoking materials, you understand the process.)

I’ve dehydrated the flowers and separated them and am sprinkling them atop salads and folding them into rice pilaf.