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Day 19

UP AND DOWN AGAIN TODAY...WHERE'S THE FERRY?

Yesterday Tomorrow

ROUTE: Kirksville MO to Quincy IL

DISTANCE: 90 Miles

TOTAL CLIMBING: 4100 feet

DAILY REPORT: Absolutely perfect day to ride...light tailwinds most of the day, high 82, hilly terrain.

Well, we are finally in the east! We crossed the Mississippi River today on the first day of our final two weeks on the road to Amesbury MA. Just a few days ago, Amesbury seemed such a long way away, but now that we are on the east side of the river, the final miles will pass quickly and we'll be wondering where the time went when we get to the ocean. It's only been a little over 2 weeks since we left the Pacific, but it seems like a lifetime ago.

Yes, we did cross the Mississippi River, but we didn't cross it like we planned. Our route is supposed to take the back roads to Canton to cross the river on a ferry. I really like the ride across the river as we get to see the water up close and personal. Thinking ahead, yesterday I called just to make sure it was running. The owner said it was broken down and wouldn't be operational until Monday...bummer...that doesn't do us any good. It was good to have this heads up as when we get to Canton, we're pretty much committed to cross there as the only road south to Quincy is not bicycle friendly. We were able to alter our route southward in time to connect with quiet back roads all the way to the river crossing at Quincy. The bridge isn't nearly as much fun as the ferry, but it gets us into the east. Another hiccup averted...another safe day...one day closer to Amesbury.

It's hard to believe that we were in the desert just a week or so ago, but that's the way it is when we're on the road. We turn around and all of a sudden we see trees, grass, and of course we've had a bit of rain. We've had a couple weather challenges this year, but the last few days have been great and it looks like we will have some pretty good weather over the next couple of days. Most of the rain that's been pummeling this area lately is to our south and the flood waters seem to have receded. That's good news since we've been riding in lots of low lying areas in the country. We are enjoying the sunshine and warm temperatures...we have a lot of unused sunscreen laying around but we got to use it today. If the forecast holds true, we should get some sunny skies for a couple days now and the temperatures should be warm for this time of year.

I think just about everyone was pretty proud of themselves for their accomplishment yesterday. Today's challenge was nothing compared to yesterday, but it was a pretty strenuous day in itself...at least the first 60 miles. As advertised, the first part of today's ride was similar to yesterday with many hills to negotiate and hills in Missouri are pretty steep in some areas. The one saving grace was the nice tailwinds we had early...albeit light, they were welcome. Tired legs from yesterday were made energetic with the nice boost down the road and many of the hills were the kind where you could get up a head of steam with a nice downhill to help up the other side.

Our first SAG was in Baring MO; a town that showed signs of prosperity in the past, but now is only a service station, a set of railroad tracks, a few houses, and a small cafe to service the residents. We park right beside an old hotel that must have served the railroad some time ago...I didn't see much else that would support a hotel this size. The riders were a hit as the residents from the senior citizen's home from across the street all came over to welcome us and wish us well. A big happening around here.

Even though our route is a bit hilly through here, it is great to be out in the county away from the busy highways. We are in Amish territory and we encountered several families riding down the road in their buggies and farming the old way. They represent a time much less complicated than we live in today...sometimes I long for those times when life was simpler...maybe we could all learn from their way of life.

When we got into Quincy, our route took us out of downtown on Maine Street. This is one of my favorite residential areas on the whole trip as it is lined with "Old Money" homes. I've always admired the architecture and it runs for several blocks and for a few blocks either side. I'm not sure what style they are, but it's probably a mix...impressive whatever it is.

It was another rather early finish today...they needed it after yesterday. It will be good to get a longer time to recover for tomorrow's ride into Springfield. We're supposed to have sunshine after possible showers in the early morning...it should be a good day and I know everyone is looking forward to a much needed day off...See you then.

YOU DON'T SAY:

"OK, we saw the Missouri River when we were in Kansas...now we see the Mississippi River and we're in Missouri...boy, am I confused."

"Where's Ron?"
"I left him by a bush somewhere...he's an old man and needs to make lots of potty stops."

"This morning departing the motel, I stood up. Big mistake...my legs said, "I don't want any part of this!"

"OW, OW, OW!" The sounds of the legs as the riders pulled out this morning."

"I don't remember this bridge being so high last time we crossed here."
"Well, they didn't raise the bridge, but the water isn't nearly as high as it was the last time we passed through."
"Oh, that explains it."

DID I REALLY SAY THAT?:

"Boy is it green around here...the hills are so beautiful with all the rolling green landscape."
"Yeah, and have you ever seen so many contented cows?"
"There not contented...they're almost complacent...and absolutely clueless. I want to explain things to them...like...you don't have a clue about what's in store for you. They don't milk you around here...you're about to become a burger dude!"

"Hey Mike, I'm feeling pretty good today!"
"It's early, it's only mile 2."

PHOTOS OF THE DAY
Where's all my riding buds? "Ron, I hate to tell you they left...a half hour ago."	Who said these hills were tough? Andy can do them with his eyes closed.
Sam makes the hills of Missouri look easy.	It's hard to take a photo out here that doesn't show a hill of some kind.
After riding over 135 miles yesterday, Eric was trying to convince this local to either build a motel right on this spot, or just bring him a pillow.	Last night Tom could have cared less where his bike was...he was even dreaming of a way to somehow get wheels attached to this sofa...and then to have someone else pedal it.