Map of today's ride:
Distance of Today's Ride: 109.1 miles
Trip Total Distance: 1096.7 miles
Elevation Gain: 2608 feet
Riding Time: 7:17 hrs:mins
We left St. Louis this morning shortly after 7 am to ride 109 miles, the longest ride day of our MRR. Once again we had good weather with the high reaching 90 degrees and no adverse wind conditions. All 24 riders did well today, and it is obvious everyone is in better shape than when we started the ride 16 days ago. We rode on bicycle trails for about the first 28 miles before finishing the ride on lightly traveled roads. We did have to change routes twice, first due to some road work and secondly, a flooded road! We rode over a bicycle bridge called the Chain of Rocks on old Route 66 and entered Illinois about 15 miles after leaving downtown St. Louis. We then rode all day in Illinois until crossing a bridge into Missouri at Mile 107. Tonight we are staying in Louisiana, Missouri at a motel overlooking the Mississippi River.
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| On the trail today, leaving St. Louis, we rode on loose gravel for about 3 miles. |
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| This is the Chain of Rocks Bridge. It is considered to be one of the more interesting bridges in America. There is a 30 degree turn midway across the mile long bridge that is more than 60 feet above the mighty Mississippi. For more than three decades, the bridge was a significant landmark for travelers driving Route 66. Today, it's restricted to bikers, walkers and joggers. The bridge's name came from a 17 mile shoal, or series of rocky rapids, called the Chain of Rocks beginning just north of St. Louis. |
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| The City of St. Louis built the Chain of Rocks Water Treatment Plant in the early 1890s. The plant drew water from the Mississippi River and prepared the water for distribution throughout the city. This is the older of the two mid-river water intake houses. It features a base made of cut stone, with a white stone structure on top. The most distinctive feature is the green conical roof. |
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| The Lewis and Clark Confluence Tower is a 180 foot tall tower on the Illinois bank of the Mississippi River at the confluence of it and the Missouri River. The tower has platforms at 50, 100 and 150 feet, providing good views of the rivers. Downtown St. Louis and the Gateway Arch can also be seen. |
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| Floods have always been a part of life in Grafton, IL. The Flood of 1993 proved to be the most devastating in the town's history, reaching a record 38.2 feet. The community pulled together, fought the swelling waters of the river, dried up and rebuilt the city to become a tourist town. The lighthouse on the riverfront today stands as a symbol of resilience and determination for this historic river town. |
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| The Illinois Department of Transportation owns and operates two free ferries that travel across the Illinois River. These ferries operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Ferry services are offered to improve access across inland waterways within or bordering IL. Today we jumped on the Brussels Ferry about 1 mile North of Grafton and crossed the Illinois River Road into Calhoun County, IL. Interesting to note...the ferries help keep the river free of ice during the winter and the action of the propellers stun fish and help bring them to the surface. This attracts many bald eagles and make for an incredible bird-watching experience. |
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| It looks like we need to find an alternate route! |
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| The Mississippi River view from our hotel tonight. |
Welcome to Illinois! Glad you had a good day. �� I loved hearing about this day and seeing lovely pictures with so much green and blue. Didn't know about the Chain of Rocks or its bridge, didn't know about the L&C Confluence Tower, didn't know about the ferry across the Illinois. I was thinking that when you were south of Ste. Genevieve, you were near where we watched the solar eclipse last August, Perryville. We were with college friends who live about 45 minutes into Illinois from St. Louis. We crossed the Mississippi at the Chester bridge and continued to Perryville.
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