Decided to take Gerty in for a checkup this morning. She got a new rear tire. Original was pretty worn. Also got a couple water bottles and aero bars. You can lean on your forearms. Hoping it will take some stress off my hands.
Had been thinking about getting them for 2400 miles. Jury is still out. Takes some getting used to. Small movements are big turns. Basically steering with shoulders vs arms.
Didn’t get out of bike shop and back on route until almost noon. Shop was busy but they were good about fitting me in.
Crossed the Mississippi for final time. Back into IL.
The scenery was better today. In the flats looking up at the hills.
Hadn’t seen any corn for a while.
There was a good chance for rain late this afternoon. I got lightly rained on for the last 45 minutes. Decided to call it a day. Would have had to go another 40+ miles.
My back was sore again today. Starting to be a nuisance. Not happy.
I’m doing a bit of a detour from my original plan tomorrow. Basically avoiding riding 15 miles east to come back 15 miles west. I’ll miss taking a ferry across some river but I don’t really care! I’ll take a bridge across.
Working on a new goal between here and Key West. Need something intermediate to push me and keep me moving. It’s going to be difficult to put together but I’m hopeful. It will be super incredibly cool if I can pull it off. Stay tuned!
Big mileage day today. It was “only” mid-80’s but still very humid. Even Gerty was sweating today.
About an hour into the day I reached down for my water bottle. Not there. Stop. Second bottle missing as well. I’d say I lost them but I know where they’re at. Freezer, Room 110, Super 8 Motel, Bonne Terre, MO. If you’re reading this and stayed in that room last night, grab them for me please.
I used a large Subway soda cup for my water bottle rest of day. Doesn’t keep cold very well. I just stopped more frequently.
A few miles later, phone goes flying. I heard it hit pavement this time. Stop. Walk back. Found it in ditch. Protective cover had come off. Nothing broken and I was able to put back together.
I’ve figured out why phone slips out of holder, I think. Holder is rubber that stretches around corners of phone. Outer protection of phone is also rubber. When moist, humid gets kind of slippery connection.
I’ve spent the last 2 days riding through the Ozarks. They’re sometimes referred to as the Ozark Plateau…which they definitely are in this area. Everything is a similar elevation. There’s just roller coaster hills of 200-300 feet. You don’t get an expansive view because you don’t get “above” everything. That’s why the dearth of pics last few days.
View from top of plateau.
At the 50 mile mark, I was not feeling great. Back has been bothering me a bit last few days. My legs felt dead. And my hands hurt. I really felt like calling it a day because once I passed Marquand, it was Cape Girardeau or bust.
I sucked it up and kept pedaling. 10 miles up the road, I stopped at a cafe. Had some cherry cheesecake and Mt Dew. Revitalized and refreshed.
Thought the last 10 miles into Cape Girardeau would be downhill to flat. Silly me.
I got on the road shortly after 7AM. It was very humid by that time but the heat hadn’t cranked up yet.
The biggest problem for me in the humidity is the perspiration. Whenever I stop or struggle up a hill, sweat is pouring into my eyes. If I stop somewhere that is air conditioned, I get really cold. I’m soaking wet and the A/C is about enough to give me hypothermia!
Up and down hills all day once again. Pedal really hard. Coast. Repeat.
Lots of trees around here. Some shade…which is good. Very few views…not so good. This was the most expansive view of the day.
Finished pedaling a bit before 1PM. Good timing because got pretty hot the last hour. By 3PM, heat index was 108. Hard to walk across parking lot to Subway.
I’m now less than 2000 miles from Key West. A bit over 4 weeks to go?
Weather for next week is much cooler. Low to mid-80’s. Hope to make some good miles.
Hot. Humid. That about sums up my day. Sounds like lots of you are experiencing similar.
Heard some sad news today. I had met these young ladies about 5 weeks ago in Western MT. Alex (center) took a nasty spill and can’t finish her ride to CT. She’ll be all right but has to be difficult emotionally when you’ve put that level of effort in.
Other than that it was a pretty boring day. Up and down some descent sized hills. Actually descended about 400 feet overall.
A good chunk of day was on old Rte 66.
Goes to Joplin, MO.
Not scenic at all. It’s a frontage road alongside I-44. Saw a few tourist attractions. Jesse James had a hideout in Meramec Cavern…or so the sign said. I also passed the Jesse James Wax Museum. Looked a bit run down but they have some cool stuff…or so the sign said.
That was the only pic I took all day. Not much scenery along the Interstate.
The next town with a hotel is 50 miles from here. I had to choose between 80 miles today or 30 today and 50 tomorrow. I didn’t want to get stuck in my tent (currently more like a real thin, real large sleeping bag) in the middle if heat and humidity got too bad.
Tomorrow’s 50 miles is mostly through a part of the Ozarks. Going to try to be finished early. That means starting early. Not my specialty.
I’m starting to realize that it’s going to be hilly until I get down to Mobile, AL. That’s the bad news. The good news is that I know FL is flat.
For all the ups and downs, it amazes me that virtually every day the change in elevation is usually pretty negligible. Descended 23 feet overall today. 2818 feet up. 2841 feet down. One big ascent at beginning and a big descent near end.
I set my personal speed record today 45.4 mph. That’s probably fast enough. Gerty is a very stable ride. You just don’t want to hit a pot hole. That would hurt.
I go low 30’s a few times every day. That’s pretty comfortable. I’ll only let Gerty take off when straight road with no traffic so I can get in smooth part of lane. Hills like below, I rein her in. Too rough. Bumps are painful when you’re going fast.
It’s gotten pretty hot (low 90’s) and humid last few days. Got to ride on a bike path for about 5 miles late in day. Shade was great.
Passed the world headquarters of KRAP Sports Radio. How do they sell advertising? Advertise your crap on KRAP? But…it obviously caught my attention!
Crossed the Missouri River near Washington. Last time I crossed it was in Bismarck, ND. River was flowing pretty good here. Much faster than Mississippi which it will join about 50 miles from here.
Tomorrow is going to be hot. 95. I’ll just assume humid. Thursday is a couple degrees hotter. I can handle low 90’s in the humidity. Upper 90’s might be tough.
Cools a bit after that. Just need to get through next 2 days.
Tough but good day of pedaling today. Louisiana, MO is a real place with real hills.
It was relatively flat from Quincy to Hannibal, MO. I think this was the 8th time I’ve crossed the Mississippi. Has to happen at least 1 more time…or I’m totally lost.
Hannibal is the boyhood home of Samuel Clemens and some guy named Mark Twain.
I didn’t spend as much time as I probably should have. I didn’t see Huck…or Tom. But I did eat at Becky Thatcher’s Diner.
I had heard there was a big hill out of Hannibal. It was steep, but short. I think I heard Gerty ask “Is that all you got?”
There were a few sporadic flat spots throughout the rest of day. Immediately proceeded and followed by some long, steep hills. Up and down.
When I’m gasping for breath and wobbling up a hill, a scenic overlook is usually the last thing I’m thinking about. Especially when it’s up another hill. Today, for you, I stopped.
OK. Not a great picture but I had to climb on a picnic table for that one…after climbing a big hill
The hills of Louisiana, MO seemed similar to several areas around Stillwater,MN. The hills above the river valley are steep and numerous. That’s why they can get flash flooding. Everything is running towards the river.
The last train to Clarksville.
Today I had to stop on 3 or 4 hills and rest. That means it was hard. At one point I was stopped on the opposite side of the road. No shoulders but very few cars. It was shady. A guy pulled over and asked if I was OK. That hasn’t happened since MT. No joke hard.
At the end of the day I was met by Terry Loterbauer. He is a few years younger than me, a family friend, and hung around with my brother, Jay. Bristol guy!!
He not only picked me up but bought me a few (or several) Buds, dinner, and even a hotel room.
We had a great time reminiscing and just hanging out. Thanks so much, Louie!!!
The day off obviously did me good. Legs felt great this AM and Gerty and I rolled fast all day. 8 hours first pedal to last.
Crossed the Mississippi into IL first thing.
Today’s ride was the flattest day of trip to date. Only a few small hills. Gotta love that!
I was hoping to get something to eat in Nauvoo, IL. Nothing open however, so I did a bit of exploring.
Nauvoo is along the river and was the largest city in IL for a brief period in the 1840’s. At that time it was the headquarters of the Mormon Church. It still has many historical buildings from that era including the homes of Joseph Smith and Brigham Young.
This Temple was built in 2002. Very large and impressive.
Statue depicts John and Hyrum Smith as they left Nauvoo in 1844 when the Mormons were persecuted and forced to leave.
Mississippi River in background.
After my tour I headed towards Hamilton, IL. I knew that would be my last chance to get something to eat.
This house does not fit in the neighborhood. Probably 6x the size of any other house I saw in Hamilton. It’s right on the river. You just can’t see the river because house is so massive!
My route through Hamilton didn’t pass anywhere to eat. Stopped at a gas station where they suggested I cross the river to Keokuk, IA. It was about 2 miles each way. Not ideal but…
Turned out great. As I was eating a couple came in with their grandkids. They had seen Gerty outside and it must have been obvious that I was with her.
Tom and Adriana cycled across the US in 1981. They were very interested in my trip. They bought my lunch and even offered me to come to their house to do laundry and/or stay. Wow!! I had just done laundry and it was early on a fast day so I had to pass on their incredibly kind offer.
Tom told me it was 40 more miles to Quincy with only 1 chance for water. 6 miles ahead in Warsaw. Filled up right before there from spigot at campground beside road. Very convenient.
10 miles from Quincy I met a group of about 15 cyclists from the Quincy Cycling Club stopped along road. When I pulled up to a stop, I asked “Y’all waiting for me?” I thought it was pretty funny.
They asked me lots of questions and invited me to ride along into Quincy. OK.
Guy I was riding alongside for a bit told me that they were all A and B riders. I have no clue what that means but I kept up…on a gravel bike…with 25 lbs on the back…after 85 miles. Guessing that means I’m an A or B rider.
People frequently ask what roads I will be taking. Honestly, I usually don’t know what road I’m currently on…much less what’s ahead. I just try to keep the blue dot (me) on the red line (route) on my app.
A guy from the group asked if I was going through Louisiana. No, I’m going through MS and AL No, Louisiana, MO. Didn’t even know there was such a place…and now I know I will be going through there. He had told me that hill climbers come from 300 miles away to train in that area. I’m so thrilled. NOT!!
Hopefully I’ll feel as strong tomorrow as I did today.
My legs were very tired when I got up this morning. I knew that I had to ride nearly 90 miles to Quincy, IL. Not any real options for stopping between here and there.
Called Kris early in the AM. Figured she’d be out getting her 25,000 steps in. She was. I was hoping she’d encourage me to take a day off. She told me to listen to my body. That’s exactly what I was hoping to hear.
I’ve ridden a bit over 800 miles since leaving Bristol 12 days ago. That’s a lot of pedaling.
My lower thighs get lots of work. The muscles right above my knee are really tight every morning. It’s not that they were any tighter this AM, I just didn’t have the mojo.
I took a couple naps, watched some Olympics, and just chilled most of the day. It turned out to be hot, humid, and windy. I would have been heading directly into wind so turned out to be a good decision.
Spent a few hours at the local watering hole which happened to be just across the street from motel. How convenient!
Had a great time chatting with some new friends. I am fortunate that I am able to make a connection with almost anyone. Rich, poor, any race, I can usually make a connection. I think it’s because I actually care and I’m a pretty good listener. I’m just Just Pete!
“Big Willie” Nelson
Talked a lot with Angie and Les. She tends bar and he is a retired iron worker. Talk about strong. Just about crushed my hand when we shook!
Les built tall buildings. Scampering around on beams hundreds of feet in the air. He had some amazing stories. Most involved some kind of fall. I can’t come close to imagining that kind of job. Scary.
Les had just moved a 500 lb fireplace into their house. I could maybe move 50 lbs. He told me it’s all about leverage. “If you have a long enough lever, you can move the world.”
It was a good day off. Hoping to be rested and fresh in the AM.
So sleeping in the tent was not great but not nearly as bad as I expected. Real pain getting in and out but I did manage to get a few hours of good sleep.
Got the tent before Appalachian Trail so have gotten some good use out of it. Purchased at REI. They’d probably replace for free…if I ever get near one.
Finally got back down to the Mississippi as I neared Muscatine.
Was in town by 8AM and at Harper’s Cycling when they opened at 9. Great experience. Family business.
Lucky that they fit me in as they are closed starting tomorrow for RAGBRAI. This is an annual bike ride across IA from Missouri River to Mississippi. 10,000 plus participants. I’ve been getting asked all through IA if I’m participating. Want to say that I’m doing that about 10 times!!
Greg let me watch him work on Gerty and was extremely helpful. Didn’t sell me a chain as he said wouldn’t do much good unless I get a new sprocket(?) as well. They are in short supply. He oiled chain and told me to do that frequently. He also told me I ride in high gear way too much. Oops! Just trying to go fast. Sorry, Gerty!!
Back tire is much more worn than front. Not unusual as there’s 25 extra pounds back there and that’s also driving gears. Front tire just steers. Will have to replace down the road.
Other than that all good with Gerty.
He told me there would be no services once I left Muscatine until I arrived in Burlington (almost 60 miles).
The first 12 miles out of Muscatine were almost perfectly flat. Tried to stay out of high gear. I’d give myself a C+ on that. Chain worked great. No slippage.
Greg was right about the no services. I was ecstatic to see a Casey’s convenience store as I got to outskirts of Burlington. Tired and almost out of water.
I then searched for a hotel room. Definitely not wanting 2 straight nights in my flat tent. First 2 hotels were sold out. Panic setting in. Lady at second place felt sorry for me and started calling around. Found me a room on her 3rd try. “Dated but clean.” Works for me!!
Will cross into IL tomorrow. Hopefully stay down in valley where it’s relatively flat.
The day started on a high note. I’ll say that much.
Field of Dreams was only a half mile off my route.
Kris and I had been there with a small group from work in 1990 (I think). It is still just a donation to get on/near the field.
Things are a bit more commercialized these days. There’s a concession stand, souvenir shop, you have to pay to go near the house, and they have a major league stadium ready to host Yankees and White Sox in August. You can see the lights beyond the corn.
Construction workers were busy on the stadium. Couldn’t get close to that.
This is the house from the movie.
It was a fun stop. I was there for about a half hour and then time to pedal.
Stopped at the Cascade Cafe for lunch at about the 28 mile mark. John, the owner, was flabbergasted by what I was doing. Bought my lunch. Also gave me $20 for charities and a mdiner gave me $4!!
John and Michelle (waitress)
At bike shop in Alexandria they said Gerty’s chain was a bit stretched. She’s starting to slip a bit in high gear so I called bike shop in Muscatine and made an appointment for 9AM tomorrow.
Muscatine is 80 miles from where I had lunch so I targeted Wilton, about 20 miles short of there.
Hard afternoon of riding but I got there about 6PM. That’s when things went bad.
Motel I was hoping to stay at is closed. Got picked up for doing 20 mph in a 15.
Actually didn’t get picked up. Asked officer if there was a place I could pitch my tent in town. He was super nice and escorted me to a town park.
Went to set up my tent and it’s broken. Back in MT I had to do some repair work on stretch cord that holds poles together. It was fine at Mr. Bloom’s but was not fine here. Tried to jigger it together but only made it worse. It’s now totaled.
Tonight I’m sleeping in a low rider!
I’m writing this from inside my tent. Not easy to get into and I’m guessing difficult to get out of. Also 0 headroom!!
Stephen King, on his best days, couldn’t make this stuff up. Here’s to better days.
Just Pete Hiking 