Monday was Columbus Day in Missouri, and a day off of work for me. I decided to go on another bike ride! My co-workers had been talking about Al Foster trail, so I decided to ride there. Google Maps suggested to take Manchester Ave the majority of the way there. Within St. Louis, it has well marked bike lanes, but further west, I wasn’t sure how it would go. At 2:00 pm I left home.

About 20 minutes into the trip, I remembered there was a bus route along the route. I stopped to check if taking it would be faster but discovered I just missed it by less than 5 minutes and the next one would come in 55 minutes. I did not want to wait that long so I kept going.

Another 20 minutes later, I stopped at a Dierberg’s grocery store. I knew it was one of the fancier grocery stores in St Louis, and because there weren’t any near my house, I decided to check it out. Generally, prices weren’t too bad, a little more than the Schnuck’s by my house and a bit more than the Ruler Foods, Save a Lot, or Aldi, but they did have an expansive selection. I found their clearance section and got some sparkling water for $0.25 and blueberry tea for $1.50. After putting on my contacts so I could wear sunglasses, I continued westward.

There was a lot of road construction on Manchester, narrowing the road down to one lane in each direction. While it was a bit uncomfortable not being able to get away from the other cars as easily, it did help that traffic slowed down. In other places, there were two or even three lanes in each direction. I passed major thoroughfares like Lindbergh Ave, Interstate 270, and Missouri Highway 141. It was a bit scary having cars driving fast (the speed limit was 45-55 mph in some places) so close to me, and definitely unnerving when the bike lane or shoulder would randomly end or become a right turn lane.

Finally, I reached Old State Rd, where I turned and headed toward the Meramec Greenway. Past Ridge Meadows Elementary School, I reached the Rock Hollow Trail.

It was a lot of fun to ride, as it was paved, free of cars, and all downhill! There were even about a dozen wooden bridges to ride over. I did have to dodge the occasional pedestrians so I couldn’t go too fast. It was cool to see the foliage starting to change colors on each side and overhead, and there were steep hills to either side of the trail.

Toward the end of the trail, I passed signs at the intersection of Zombie Trail. It looked like a fun trail to run (or mountain bike on if I knew how) but I would have to save it for another day if I wanted to get back home at a reasonable hour. At the end of the trail was the Al Foster Trail.

I rode down the Al Foster trail for a few minutes. It was crushed gravel, so not as easy as the Rock Hollow. I rode over some tiny railroad tracks for the Wabash Frisco & Pacific Railroad. Apparently, the Al Foster Trail is haunted. Reports say visitors experienced unexpected cold patches of air, heard unexplained screaming, and got mysterious scratches on their legs. I did notice my legs were pretty itchy but it was probably from a bug bite the day before or a spider web I rode through (at least that’s what I told myself). Overall, it didn’t seem too spooky while I was there. After seeing the Meramec River, I turned around and started heading back.

Returning up the Rock Hollow Trail was not as easy, but still very pretty. By 4:30 I made it back to Manchester Ave. Not wanting to ride through treacherous traffic again, I checked my phone and saw the next bus would arrive in 15 minutes. It was much more comfortable on the bus. 45 minutes later I debussed and rode the remaining 2.5 miles back to my house.

On Monday nights, the Big River Running Company has group runs. I wouldn’t make it on time to the beginning but if I modified the route, I could catch up to the group. Probably about 70% of the way into the run, that’s what I did. I ran the last 2 miles with the group, then final 3 miles back home.

Because the weather was so nice (clear skies, temperatures in the 70’s) and I knew it was going to be cold soon, I went on a walk around my neighborhood. Eventually, I reached Clifton Heights Park which has a nice pond, two fountains, and a plethora of ducks and geese. It was cool to see the nearly full moon rising over the street.