More River Crossings

Reception Area at "The Lodge"-Pere Marquette State Park, IL

Bike Trail to Grafton, IL from Alton

Old Glory flys here

Scenic River route

State of Art Modern Bridge to Alton ,IL from Missouri

My Buddy at The Finn Inn in Grafton, IL

For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not your harm, to give you a future with hope.
                                                                                        Jeremiah 29:11

On this leg, I crossed the Missouri River, then the Mississippi. It will be many moons before I cross these rivers again. The weather has been feeling like the "dog days of summer" and June hasn't even arrived yet. Temperatures have been in the 90's for daytime highs, but the high humidity is the true culprit. That makes it feel extra hot. The bugs have been an issue too. With all that stated, I do miss the climate in my hometown of San Diego, CA. There, it doesn't get to hot in the summer or to cold in the winter. Low humidity, with sunny skies are common as well.

The stretch of bike route between Alton, IL and Pere Marquette State Park is the most beautiful piece of river bike route I've experienced anywhere. The bike lane is dislocated from the road with winding river scenery. Along this stretch you'll enter Grafton. I would recommend spending some time in this quaint little river town because it's home of The Fin Inn aquarium restaurant.. This restaurant features assorted aquariums that contain local river life. I ate my grilled catfish in front of a 65+pound snapping turtle. A few years ago, I came through this area on a different cycling tour and  met a local fisherman who caught a snapping turtle and donated it to this restaurant. He's the fellow who initially told me about this place with gleaming pride. His turtle has gained 25 pounds in it's new home. I don't know if the turtle I spent time with was the same one he caught but my time here was time well spent. This turtle's head was the size of a cantaloupe melon.

Pere Marquette State Park is a strong recommendation too. The Park is the largest in Illinois and is named after the French Jesuit priest who is one of the first known European explorers in this area. The Lodge boasts a spacious conference area with a large fireplace and notable chessboard. I like chess and here I had some opportunity to encounter competition.

This is One Large Snapping Turtle...65+_ pounds.

More Gateway City

The Mighty River at Dusk

Sporting my New Hat

Northside Saint Louis Airport at night

No problems with these folks on my trek through town

I don't think this well feed Canadian Goose will be going far this summer

"And  we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit"
                                                                                                  2 Corinthians 3:18

I circumnavigated Saint Louis in a clockwise direction missing the downtown area and East Saint Louis, IL. The weather here has been outstanding for the most part, with the exception of one rainy night. Daytime temperatures hit the low 80's and the nights were clear and comfortable for sleeping outdoors.  One thing I notice as a general rule about North American cities is that the wealthier parts of town tend to be in the north. Saint Louis is no exception. The bike lanes widened, traffic loosened and the landscape opened up. I'm in Hazelwood now and I want to give the local Police Department a thumbs up for not being such "hard asses" compared with some of the other police forces I dealt with in neighboring municipalities.

Visiting the Botanical Garden and free Zoo are some activities that I would recommend to a tourist in the Saint Louis area. I've heard nice things about the vibrant downtown Soulard community as well.

The Great River Route is what I've followed most of the way from New Orleans to Saint Louis, but the Great River was mostly at quite a distance from the roads, most of the time. Engineers and planners are probably skeptical about developing  roads and property to close to the river because of the flood threats.

Saint Louis

Harley Happiness 'Saint Louis Style'

Vigilant Walkers at a all night Cancer awareness fundraiser in Festus

 

Rollin On The River route

Handsome Canadian Goose that hasn't left for Canada yet

My little monster with 'Old Glory'

A mourning swim for some big birds

He restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
                                                                                                    Psalm 23:3

Saint Louis has been a rougher go than I anticipated. Although the weather has been good, sunny warm days and rainless nights don't guarantee a good time. South of Festus, highway 61 turns from a 4-lane blacktop with shoulder, to a 2 lane cement road.  There is about a 4 inch shoulder to ride on. Then, there is a drop off to sloping gravel before it becomes a ditch. Extreme caution should be used when riding this shoulder. Not all drivers show the same amount of courtesy to cyclists. I feel that offensive motorists act rude by speeding, tailgating and multitasking behind the wheel. I unfortunately had a disheveling incident in this stretch where a 20 year old male almost hit me. There were no other cars around and I think this punk was trying to show off to his girlfriend by seeing how close he could get his speeding red pickup truck to me. After I made a reactionary gesture toward his distasteful driving, he slammed on his brakes, got out of his truck and screamed at me about his belief that I don't belong on the road. I don't know if I would categorize this as a road rage incident, or just a young aggressive driver trying to impress his girlfriend. Perhaps, it was a bit of' both. Maybe this fellow was high on drugs or something but I'm glad I got the chance to have a few words with him during his torrent. I did call the local Sheriffs department and reported this shortly after it happened. This is a tricky piece of road so cyclists beware.

I think I experience a bit of culture shock when I move into a major city from the country. The air quality, noise and traffic are all notable factors. Hopefully, I can keep an open mind about my role in lives of folks I encounter.  Having a map on me helps direct people's attention to what I'm trying to accomplish and assists in answering questions before they're even asked.

Obscure unconventional routing is my approach to most city streets. I'm not afraid to ride on the sidewalks if the roads are bad. I must say that the Saint Louis area has a long way to go toward becoming more bike friendly. The major roads flow heavy with traffic during rush hour and there isn't much shoulder on any of the roads I've ridden.

Today I met a great US ARMY veteran named Donald N. Humphries, he owns The Touring Cyclist bike shop at 11816 St. Charles Rock Rd in Bridgeton. Besides being a very nice gentleman, he stocks a full line of gear designed for touring.

Trust in the Lord with all thine heart.
                                      Proverbs 3:5

Moving Into The North

Old Glory with a following

Highway 61 Northbound Arch Gateway

My man Rick posing with his 'WORKHORSE".

Monitoring Mississippi barge traffic.

New crops in the fields.

Old Country home with a nice metal roof.

Surely  goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
                                                                                            Psalm 23:6

This tour has taken on many different characteristics since it's inception and I'm sure it will continue to change. I think my longevity and enjoyment of this journey will be contingent on my ability to adapt to new environments and circumstances. When I designed this trip I was planning to be on the road 13 months. Because of route changes and the fact that I'm not making the miles I first calibrated, this working vacation has been extended out to a 25 month adventure; it will probably continue beyond that. I don't know if I'll ever get off the road. Originally, I planned to circumnavigate the lower 48 continental United States in a counterclockwise direction. Since New Orleans however; my routing has changed to a northerly direction through the country's midsection. I've been following the Mississippi River Trail  and recently crossed into Missouri.

There have been some good days with strong tailwinds blowing out of the south, but there have also been challenging times when northerly winds prevail. On days like that my mileage is severely hindered.

Cape Girardeau, Trail of Tears State Park and Sainte Genevieve have been my most memorable spots of this leg. I met Rick in 'Cape', he not only had some great stories to share, but he was hospitable as well. I was happy to accept the opportunity to get cleaned up and spend some quality time getting rejuvenated at his home. Besides being a remarkable host and tour guide, Rick accepted the request to ride my bike to the Trail of Tears for me. He did better on the hills than I do. I haven't experienced hills like the ones north of Cape Girardeau since leaving San Diego 7 months ago! 

The Trail of Tears State Park is a memorial dedicated to the forced migration of the Cherokee Indians from the Carolinas and Georgia in 1838. From my understanding they crossed the Mississippi River at this point on there way to their new home in Oklahoma. Over 16,000 Cherokees began this difficult journey on foot, just a small percentage of them completed it. Freezing winter weather, disease(small pox) and displacement stresses were among the extreme hardships and many deaths during the march.  President Andrew Jackson had overruled the supreme court's recommendation not to displace these people. It was a horrible atrocity and black mark in the history of our country upon it's own native people. I've heard it said without the decimation of America's native population, tobacco and slavery, the United States of America would be much different today.

Sainte Genevieve was the next notable landmark to the north. After more hills I came upon the oldest European style architecture west of the Mississippi. Many French people developed this city. It was named after a French queen who harbored folks displaced by war.

 

Into Arkansas "The Natural State"

American & Arkansas Flag

Another Bridge Crossing

Recommended eats in West Memphis, AR

Flooding the Rice Fields

Rice Field Workers

 Turtles making Whoopie!

Patient Speckled King snake waiting for another meal

Nice Countryside on this road

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
                                                     Psalm 23:1             

After crossing the river again (first time:took ferry into New Orleans) I descended into West Memphis, AR. This city is much smaller than Memphis, TN and further inland as well. My ride up HWY 61 was rewarded with spectacular vistas of farmland and visions of feeding the world!

 I playfully boast that the Mississippi River is the 'Backbone of American Culture'. This river connects America's interior to the world.  Rice, corn, wheat  and soybeans are a few of the diverse foods that these fertile lands have the ability to produce in large volume.  I don't know how to solve a lot of the world's hunger problems but what I see around this river can make a bigger difference. It's hard to know where to start in terms of 'feeding the hungry' but with the natural resources of the river and it's surrounding lands I believe this is the bread basket for the world. It's not easy to understand famine, war and poverty. Are these political problems? Are people just lazy? If anybody has a magical solution to these terrible circumstances that so many are effected by, I would like to know the answer.

 I would like to make some kind of difference in this world for the better. I think that means education. America is a country rich in natural resources, we has the technology and material to be bigger exporters to countries that need our help. I see this starting in private business and eventually growing into making it a priority of our government to feed the hungry. There should be a humanitarian law in this world that no living person should suffer from malnutrition and die of starvation. Maybe this sounds Marxist but many who are effected by starvation don't have opportunities to help themselves.Malnutrition of any person in this world should be a humanitarian issue that is a government priority.  What's the answer? Sell birth control and bombs? I think they could use some food before they are confronted with other issues.