Day 17: Thursday, 05/24/18, Louisiana to Hannibal, MO

Map of today's ride:



Distance of Today's Ride: 38.7 miles

Trip Total Distance: 1135.4 miles

Elevation Gain:  1972 feet

Riding Time:  2:45 hrs:mins

Yesterday's 108.7 mile ride was our longest of this trip, and today's 38.7 mile ride was the shortest. We rode for less than three hours so today almost feels like another day off! The weather continues to be super for bicycling, a little less heat and conditions would be perfect!

Hannibal, Missouri is a historic town on the Mississippi River. It has retained its old era feel and is most famous for being the home of Samuel L. Clemens, better known by his pen name of Mark Twain. His stories and novels are known for their humor, vivid details, and memorable characters. His best known works are the Adventures of Tom Sawyer and the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, both classics in American Literature. These two classics took place right in and around Hannibal, Missouri.

A nice small lake along the road, a short distance out of Louisiana, Missouri.

More Missouri hills! When you get a free ride downtown, the payback is getting up to the top of the next hill! I forgot to check the Garmin to see the grade, but would guess it was between 12 to 14%. All of our riding the last few days has been with similar hills. (Note the three bicyclists climbing the far hill.)

Clean and colorful downtown Hannibal, Missouri.

This is Mark Twain's boyhood home located on Hill Street in Hannibal, Missouri.  It was the home of Samuel Langhorne Clemens from 1844 to 1853.  Clemens, better known as Mark Twain, found the inspiration for many of his stories, including the white picket fence, while living here.

Becky Thatcher is the fictional leading love interest of Tom Sawyer.  Sawyer spends much of the novel, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, attempting to woo Thatcher through a variety of artistic, acrobatic, and emotional means, eventually winning over her heart.  Mark Twain has noted that the inspiration for Becky Thatcher was his real life pursuit of Laura Hawkins, who lived across the street from Twain in what is now known as "The Becky Thatcher House."

The Mississippi River at Hannibal, Missouri.

Day 16: Wednesday, 05/23/18, St. Louis to Louisiana, MO

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.

On the trail today, leaving St. Louis, we rode on loose gravel for about 3 miles.

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.

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.

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. 

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.

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.

It looks like we need to find an alternate route!

The Mississippi River view from our hotel tonight.

Day 15: Tuesday, 05/22/18, Day Off in St. Louis, Missouri

We are in St. Louis today, enjoying our second rest day since leaving New Orleans 15 days ago. In our 13 days of pedaling, we have traveled 987 miles. In the remaining 10 days, we have 754 additional miles to reach Minneapolis, where the AbB ride will be complete.  Weather-wise, we have been very fortunate in only riding for a short time in one downpour of rain. The winds have also been kind to us with no major headwinds and frequent gentle tail-winds. We hope the last ten days are as good to us as the first 15 have been!

We didn't blog it, but on Saturday, May 19, a motorcycle pulled up beside us as we were riding about 20 miles out of Ste. Genevieve and the rider shouted a greeting to us..."Is it Good?"  It turned out to be Bubba, the owner of Bubba's Pampered Pedalers.  I have traveled with Bubba twice on Coast 2 Coast rides from San Diego, CA to St. Augustine, FL. Bubba was riding motorcycles with his son, both of whom live in the St. Louis area. We had already been communicating with Bubba ahead of this ride and he was planning on showing us around St. Louis on our rest day. Bubba showed us the neighborhood where he had lived as a child and he then took us to lunch at a historic business called the Crown Candy Kitchen. After lunch, Bubba kindly took me to a hardware store where I found a needed seat tension bolt. It was great to see Bubba again and as always, Bubba was kind and a gentleman.  I am honored to be one of his many friends.

The Gateway Arch is a curved 630 foot tall monument celebrating US Western expansion.  It's the world's tallest arch and tallest man-made monument in the Western Hemisphere, and Missouri's tallest accessible building.  It is officially dedicated to "the American people".

Dred and Harriet Scott filed suit for their citizenship at this old St. Louis courthouse in 1846.  Their case reached the United States Supreme Court and was decided in 1857.  The Court ruled that the Scotts and all African Americans were not citizens of the United States.  Opposition to the decision was one of the causes of the Civil War and led to the 13th, 14th and 15th Amendments to the Constitution.  The Scotts' struggle for freedom stands as a defining moment in the history of the Civil Rights movement.

Crown Candy Kitchen...A St. Louis Tradition since 1913!  This is one of St. Louis' oldest and most popular attractions.  You take a step back in time with the vintage jukebox, the coca-cola collectibles and the soda fountain.  Today it is run by 3rd generation with a little help from 4th generation family members.  They make their own chocolate candy and serve great food for lunch and dinner.  This picture features three of Bubba's coasters - Dad/Wayne, Mike, Tom and Bubba.

Dad and I split a "Heart Stopping BLT"!  There was a pound of thick sliced bacon, lettuce and tomato with Miracle Whip on white toast.  What you see in the picture is 1/2 the sandwich!  Dad also enjoyed a chocolate milkshake.  The Crown Candy Kitchen has been featured on the Food Network.  They have a 5 Malt Challenge - drink 5 malts (or shakes) within 30 minutes and your get them free!

Day 14: Monday, 05/21/18, Ste. Genevieve to St. Louis, MO

Map of today's ride:



Distance of Today's Ride: 84.7 miles

Trip Total Distance: 987.6 miles

Elevation Gain:  4964 feet

Riding Time:  6:06 hrs:mins

We lucked out again today on our weather. Spot rainstorms were forecast and we did get a light rain shower a few miles after leaving Ste. Genevieve. However, even with dark cloudy skies all day, we rode all the way to St. Louis rain free! Today's ride was 84.7 miles long but the kicker was almost 5000 feet of climbing!  That is the most climbing for any single day of our entire ride to Minneapolis.

Today's 84 mile ride was entirely in the woods and hills of Missouri. This picture is representative of today's ride with the exception of the 5000 feet of hills climbed, with up to 14% grades, and one grade being two miles long. We are both exhausted tonight. Fortunately, we have tomorrow off to rest, and get ready for our longest single day ride of this trip.  On Wednesday, we will be pedaling 108 miles!

Due to the heavy forest along today's roads, this was a one of the few territorial views we could capture. The hills in the background are typical of the terrain we rode up and down all day.

We rode by Busch Stadium on our way to tonight's hotel. The city and hotel are very busy as the Cardinals are playing Kansas City tonight. There are a lot of people downtown that are going to the game.  Some of our riders had planned ahead and are also at the game.

The famous St. Louis Gateway Arch is in the background of this picture. We are staying in the Drury Plaza Hotel for the next two nights which is the tall building on the left side of this image. It is a great location, close to many local area points of interest. On Wednesday, we will start our ride on a bicycle trail close to the Arch, and travel on it for 24 miles before we get back on roads with cars.

Day 13: Sunday, 05/20/18, Cape Girardeau to St Genevieve, MO

Map of today's ride:



Distance of Today's Ride: 70.9 miles

Trip Total Distance: 902.9 miles

Elevation Gain:  2972 feet

Riding Time:  5:01 hrs:mins

Even though the roads in Missouri are smooth for bicycling, we concluded today that Missouri is a very difficult State for bicycling. This is due to all the hills and their steep grades. You come down one hill at high speed thinking you will coast half way up the next hill without pedaling, but instead, the hills are so steep you barely begin the climb and the bike quits rolling. The days become very tiring.

The weather continues to be almost ideal for bicycling. The temperatures at the start of our days have been in the high 70's and usually the highs are in the upper 80's. Overall, the winds have been very friendly, with no high wind days and any headwinds have been minor.  Rain has only impacted our travel once.  The forecast has called for afternoon thunderstorms this week, so each day we have left prepared for rain - should it arrive.

Today we crossed the half way point of the AbB ride to Minneapolis. In fact, tomorrow we arrive in St. Louis for our second day off on Tuesday. The trip is passing very quickly.

Our first SAG stop today was in front of the Hemman Winery in the quaint town of Brazeau, Missouri.  The winery makes its home in a former general store dating back approximately 150 years.  Sadly the winery was closed when we stopped.

This is a representation of some of the roads we traveled today.  The landscape was lush and green.  This doesn't represent the majority of the day but was a welcome distraction from the big hills!

We aren't sure if this is a house, apartment or store front but the unique objects and plants out front captured our interest.

This is an example of the muddy rivers we have encountered over the last few days.  Tonight we learned this is a result of excessive rain fall and soil runoff.  According to the locals, the  rivers are usually clear.

We reached the 1/2 way point today!!  When this picture was taken, the sky had dimmed and it looked like the rain was about to open up.  Off in the distance, where we were headed, we saw blue skies so we didn't stay long in hopes of avoiding a down pour.

This sign is at the entrance to every motel.  It provides the key details upon arrival each afternoon.  If you are in need of mechanical assistance, you can visit with Michael at 4:30PM. Each evening around 5:30PM we review the day and discuss the riding route for tomorrow.  The dinner location is also usually referenced.

Day 12: Saurday, May 19, 2019, Union City, Tennessee to Cape Girardeau, Missouri

Map of today's ride:

Distance of Today's Ride: 92.7 miles

Trip Total Distance: 832.0 miles

Elevation Gain:  2175 feet

Riding Time:  5:59 hrs:mins

Today we bicycled in Tennessee, Kentucky, and Missouri. We are spending the night in Cape Girardeau, Missouri and will be bicycling in Missouri for the next five days. The road surfaces in Kentucky and Missouri (so far) are as good as in Tennessee; however, the hills and grades experienced today in Missouri are very very steep!

Today's 92.7 mile ride was the hardest we have experienced this trip. This was due to the day being very hot, and we ran out of energy between the first SAG stop at 19.1 miles and the second stop at 68.9 miles --- 49.5 miles apart! That is too long without food on rides with the conditions we experienced today.  In addition, the last 20 miles today had some extreme grades to climb.

We started our morning watching the Royal Wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.  Last night, Nick Pannaman, from the UK provided everyone with a Royal Wedding pin to wear today.  It was a neat to watch the vows of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex with four London riders.  Today, Nick and Tim, both of London sported their British biking jerseys.

An overview of Kentucky shortly before we rode a ferry across the Mississippi River to Missouri.  This picture was taken from a park vantage point in Hickman, KY.  Hickman is a town on the Mississippi River totaling 3.6 square miles.

We entered Kentucky this morning 12.2 miles into our ride.

Our support vans and all 26 bicyclists waiting for the ferry to cross The Mississippi River from Kentucky to Missouri.

The ferry ride across the Mississippi River was about 25 minutes long.  An individual ferry rider is charged $1.00 and a person with a bicycle was charged $2.00. The ferry pretty much runs by demand, so the number on the sign was called to arrange the ferry crossing. 

This is a picture of 13 riders and our bicycle mechanic (third individual from the right) on the ferry as we were heading to Missouri.

The welcome to Missouri sign as we left the ferry.

This is an example of a road in Missouri. We climbed the hill to where the picture was taken. Coming down the hill in the distance, we hit 35 mph just by coasting, and coming up the hill required our lowest gears.  Several people with Garmin devices measured the hill's grade at 16%. (Note the car at the bottom of the hill.)

Unfortunately, tonight we will be losing a husband and wife team from the Tucson area.  Bill had an accident two miles from the hotel tonight.  He was on a trail and crossed through some mud when he lost his balance.  He broke his collarbone in four places.  Tonight he is back at the hotel.  We will say goodbye tomorrow at breakfast.  Hopefully, Dad and I will be able to reconnect with Daun and Bill in Tucson this fall.  We send him our best wishes for a speedy recovery!

Day 11: Friday, 05/18/18, Ripley to Union City, Tennessee

Map of today's ride:

Distance of Today's Ride: 69.0 miles

Trip Total Distance: 739.3 miles

Elevation Gain:  2390 feet

Riding Time:  4:43 hrs:mins

It rained during the night and we left Ripley with cloudy skies and a temperature of 72 degrees. The roads we traveled were for the most part very smooth and low traffic. Tennessee rocks for bicyclists!

At 48 miles into today's ride, a light rain started which turned into a downpour after a few minutes. We put some rain gear on, and after about 15 minutes, the rain stopped. About three miles away from tonight's motel, the skies opened up and it poured! If one wasn't wet at that point, you were before arriving at the hotel.  By wet, I mean water sloshing around in my shoes (and that was while wearing water booties over the shoes to keep them dry!).

We are encountering more rolling hills the last couple days compared to Louisiana and Mississippi, so the ride effort is slightly more challenging. We traveled through both wooded  and agricultural areas throughout today's ride.

Before the rain, another beautiful bicycling road.

The Dyer County Courthouse in Dyersburg, TN.  In 1963, Patsy Cline was flying to Kansas City in her manager's small plane with three other people. They stopped in Dyersburg to refuel, only 90 miles away from Kansas City. Unfortunately the weather was bad and the plane crashed, killing everyone in the plane.

A wheat field all headed out and ready to turn color.