Hermann and the Katy Trail near Jefferson City, MO

June 2014.  Our next stop was a Coast to Coast park outside of Jefferson City, MO.  One of the things we enjoy in Missouri is riding the Katy Trail.  We had the opportunity to ride several times.

Standing Rock.  Although this looks like a large rock sticking up from the ground, they say it is actually what is left of what was once a bluff.  This small part is what has evaded the erosion over thousands of years.

We weren't alone on the trail, either.

This guy actually allowed me to photograph him.

Another day we found the German town of Hermann.

  The Strehly House, originally built in the 1850s by Carl Strehly.  He added a commercial wing when he started a wine business in 1855.  This location is historic because of a radical newspaper by Edward Muehl.  It was Muehl's freethinking about slavery, which is thought to have helped keep Missouri a Union state during the war.

Now a Bed and Breakfast, many of the downtown buildings were built in the mid 1800s and are still in use today.

The old mill now serves wine and food.

Built in 1868, it is now a museum and promotes evening lantern tours of the town.

The concert hall was built in 1878 and still functions today as a bar and saloon.

The local winery

You can walk down to the basement where they store their kegs of wine.

Just read any history and you will realize this really is Daniel Boone country.  Gasconade County, home of Hermann, was created in 1828, and its first commissioner was Daniel Morgan Boone, son of Daniel Boone.  There were several county courthouses before this one was built in 1898.

We met a couple which were biking across the country.  After there kids were gone from home, they took a sabbatical from work and took off with their dream of biking cross country.  Being a mechanical engineer, he built this special trailer for his bike.  They were interested in our RV lifestyle, so we shared experiences with them.  

We saw them again later at the city campground.  They were trying to get their tent up before the rains came.

Although we did go to Jefferson City, we didn't really do much exploring since we had been there before.  If you want to see my blog on my previous visits, check these out:

Columbus, MO, including Jefferson City

But I did wander across this old penitentiary was built in 1834 and operated until 2004.  It is being remodeled for use as a museum and currently they give limited tours.  Unfortunately, there were no tours on the day I was there.  I guess I now have a reason to return.