Saturday’s Four Kaldis ride started at the original Kaldis coffee shop on Demun.  Preceding the ride’s start there was a brief rain shower.  It continued to threaten and occasionally spit throughout the day.  We had an eight o’clock rendezvous time.  I got there early enough to have a latté.  I took an order from Don for his drink concoction of choice.  What we got was served in a tiny cup that felt nearly empty, concentrated caffine.  I met a new team member, Christian, who originally hales from Montreal.  He has an uncle that teaches at the culinary institute, where we will be staying this summer.  Phil, our nominal Québec tour leader, added that the cuisine there is vegetarian and is sold by the pound.

We eight or so guys launched after eight and headed towards the Kirkwood Kaldis.  Don named me as the nominal tour leader, so I took the group down to Wydown, in order to enjoy the new bike lane and then up to Crestwood.  Phil took exception to my scofflaw intensions and at Clayton led the group down to Moorlands and then circled us around via Wise.  We then cruised down Laclede Station towards Webster, so far so good.  Apparently, my MS-150 training this year has been marred by too many stops to take pictures.  When we hit the hill, just past Deer Creek, which leads up to Summit, I got dropped.  Don kindly hung back with me.  I returned the favor a few miles down the road when he flatted; I helped him change his tube.  By the time that we arrived in Kirkwood, the by then enlarged Kaldis peloton was ready to roll.  As the rest of the team continued heading west towards Chesterfield and the remaining two Kaldis coffee shops, I turned south.

I rode Grant’s Trail down to south city.  Today’s header shows some of the Clydesdales that stable next to the trail.  Grant’s Trail is so named because it runs by Grant’s Farm.  The Grant whose farm this was eventually became the United States President.  As near as I can tell, there are now two Grant’s Farm.  There is the national historic monument that has preserved his farmhouse; it is pictured with this post.  There is also the Anheuser-Busch now InBev Grant’s Farm.  It is sort of a very low key Busch Gardens (no real rides), but offers free beer!  The third picture in the gallery with this post shows some sort of flowering thistle that reminded me of that Scottish thorn that I love so dearly.  I returned to Maplewood via the River Des Pere Trail and wandered neighborhood streets from there home.  I got thirty-two miles.

On another note, here is a YouTube video that raises the bar on the wedding processional.  All you young guys and gals out there who might be contemplating getting married, some day, take note.  Now that’s a wedding!