Rising gasoline prices didn't matter to Greg and Lisa Bonham of Bloomington when they went on vacation last fall. They left their car at home and took an Amtrak train to Missouri to ride the Katy Trail on their bicycles.

At 225 miles long, the former MKT rail line is America's longest rails-to-trail project, said the Missouri Department of Natural Resources which manages the site.

The Katy Trail comprises part of Adventure Cycling's Lewis & Clark route and the American Discovery Trail. Half of the course follows the path explorers Lewis and Clark took along the Missouri River in the early 19th century.

The remainder travels through Midwestern rural scenes. The grade is relatively easy on bicyclists.

"The Katy Trail is pancake flat," said Bonham, who is in his 50s.

The Katy Trail was Greg Bonham's first long bike ride without a support vehicle to carry essentials. Equipment and clothes were packed in four panniers on an old reconditioned mountain bike.

The Katy Trail was Lisa's first multi-day bike tour. She previously joined her husband on single-day bike rides with the McLean County Wheelers, the Bloomington-based bike club. For conditioning in the weeks before they boarded the train to Sedalia, Mo., the couple went on a bike vacation with the club that featured several one-day bike excursions to the hilly region surrounding New Glarus, Wis.

Greg Bonham is an avid cyclist who raced on two-wheelers when he was younger, including a stint on a team sponsored by Vitesse Cycle in Normal. He enjoyed the excitement, but gravitated toward the promotions side. He helped organize a two-day bike race held in Bloomington and Danvers.

He also helped organize a triathlon at Lake Bloomington to benefit Easter Seals. His own riding eventually stretched toward longer distances than races required. He enjoyed long journeys, including PACRAC, a Pantagraph-sponsored tour of McLean County that spanned several days. For several years, he also took part in Pedal the Peaks, an annual tour of the some of the toughest mountain passes in Colorado and Wyoming.

Greg Bonham said bikes help him connect with his surroundings in a way no gasoline vehicle can.

"It (bicycling) is a great way to see the country," he said. "Driving you just don't notice anything. You get caught up to paying attention to the road, listening to the radio. But riding, you're quiet enough to see nature as it is. A deer or wild animal, you can catch a glimpse of it before it takes flight."

He also likes the people he meets on two wheels.

"The McLean County Wheelers, it is just a real enjoyment. The people are so good in that club. Friendships develop. There is the social side. That and being able to take in what Mother Nature has are the two-pronged pluses of biking."

Convincing his wife to ride wasn't easy at first after they married in 1999.

"I hassled her for a long time," Bonham said. "I never got her interested, but finally she gave in. She is an unbelievable talent and she likes trails."

She rides a Giant Cypress hybrid bike, a cross between a mountain bike and a faster road bike, but is more comfortable and safer because cyclists sit up straighter and have no problem seeing. The wider tires on hybrids are perfect for crushed limestone surfaces, like the Katy's.

The trip started with planning.

Bonham studied Web sites devoted to Katy Trail, including www.bikekatytrail.com. He also talked to people who did the trip and took their bikes on Amtrak. One piece of advice he was happy he followed: book tickets by talking to an agent on the phone or in person rather than on the Internet.

Even then, the conductor on the trip to Missouri told the Bonhams he wasn't told the bikes would be coming along. Still, he was accommodating. He put the assembled bikes in a safe place rather than requiring they take the wheels off, which can happen. Also remember, there is a charge for taking bikes along.

For a place to stay the first night, the Bonhams booked a room at "Maxine's Bed and Breakfast" in Sedalia, Mo. At $45, the price was right, and Maxine offered to meet the train that arrived after dark.

"Talk about being down on the farm and farm hospitality! Even though her house abutted the town, she lived on a farm that had horses, dogs and a cat," Greg Bonham said.

"Even though the place lacked in amenities, it made up for in the big heart of Maxine. It sure seemed she would do anything within her power to make your stay enjoyable," he said.

Passing on an offer for a horse-drawn surrey ride the next morning, the Bonhams took advantage of good weather and pedaled down the Katy Trail.

"There was lots of wildlife. A lot of the ride, you're paralleling the (Missouri) river. Half of the trail you are right next to the water or not far from it. There are bluffs, cliffs, lots of bird life, turtles and snakes - but, no hills. The Katy Trail grade is never more than 4 percent," he said.

Greg Bonham said cyclists have the choice to plan rides at distances of multiples of 30 miles each day because of where towns are located. They rode nearly 70 miles one day, 82 miles the next, about 70 another day and 43 another. They took a rest day in the wine town of Hermann. They tacked on a side trip to Grafton and Pere Marquette State Park one day. Their seventh and final day, they rode the St. Louis Trail. Their journey totaled nearly 300 miles.

"This trail was fantastic," Greg Bonham said. "It was like riding your bike through a nicely lit tunnel, not one made of rock or stone, but of trees that had bent by the will of the train track to form an arch. I'm not sure if the trees had been trimmed many years ago or they all magically decided to form a long arbor like tunnel, but the view was mystic."

One big learning experience: "We overpacked."

The tendency was to take two of everything in case something got wet, plus clothes for both cold and warm weather.

Their only mechanical problems were a flat tire one day and two broken spokes that brought the trip to an abrupt end. They hitched a ride with some trail workers and boarded Amtrak for the return trip home.

Greg Bonham wasn't totally happy with the way their bikes were handled on the train. A pepper spray bracket was lost and another conductor insisted they remove their front wheels. On the other hand, a station clerk at Alton was "especially nice."

"Amtrak was kind of on a teeter totter," he said. "Certainly, it has all kinds of potential to be one of the best travel arrangements possible. But, Amtrak, I don't know they've totally embraced it. They need to make it as user friendly as possible."

Still, Bonham said the overall experience was good.

"It was a great trip, and I would do it again," he said.

Indeed, he recently bought a slightly used Surly Long Haul Trucker, a touring bike built to carry lots of gear, for their next trip. "We're planning to go back to Katy in the fall when the leaves were turning," he said.

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If you go

What: The Katy Trail, a linear rail-to-trail park in eastern Missouri. The surface is crushed limestone.

Distance: From start to finish is about 225 miles, which makes Katy Trail the longest converted rail to trail in the United States. Side trips can increase the total much more.

How to get there: If you want to travel west to east, Amtrak offers service to Sedalia, Mo., a few miles from the western-most point on the trail.

How to get home: Cyclists must board at manned train depots. Choices are St. Louis or Alton.

More information: Visit www.bikekatytrail.com Visit www.Amtrak.com for information on fares, fees and a description of how bikes are handled on trains.