Field Note 7
I finally crossed the Mississippi today! It seemed like a big milestone after days of fear and loathing about the weather and flooding that were always looming on the western horizon in Missouri.
Fear and Loathing before riding into Missouri by
NBend, on Flickr
I think I lucked out the past few days. I waited out the Memorial Day weekend in Henderson, Kentucky holed up in a hotel in a town that was not all that interesting - to give you some idea, going to the Wal-Mart was the main attraction. I used my time doing bike maintenance, sealing up the rain fly on my tent and doing laundry. A few storms blew thru which made me feel good about my choice to hotel it.
I finally got on the bike on Memorial day and left Kentucky for good crossing the Ohio River into Illinois on a small ferry at Cave in the Rock.
Cave in Rock ferry by
NBend, on Flickr
I met a couple of Dutch guys on the ferry who had ridden up from Mobile Alabama and once we got on the other side, we all rode into the Cave in the Rock state park where there is a nice campground. The campground host put me in the tenting area next to an English couple who were very interesting and friendly. They had been travelling the Transam route from Virginia with German Couple they had met along the way who were renting a cabin in the park for the night.
Meeting other riders on the road is always uplifting and that night was really special. We all met for dinner and I enjoyed hearing their perspectives about America.
Fantastic evening with my new Dutch German and British friends by
NBend, on Flickr
The Dutch guys headed east the next morning but I spent the next few days riding with my new British and German friends.
One night we all stayed in a church that opened up their basement to Transam riders. Each of the couples had their own rooms and I ended up sleeping in a very plush pew upstairs. I slept really well that night joking with Robin the next day that it was because the peace of the Lord had descended upon me and Robin wasn't there to nudge me to stay awake like she does when I drift off during a Sunday morning sermon :-)
My bed last night.. by
NBend, on Flickr
The weather seems to always be a constant source of worry and we were getting reports that the flooding around the Mississippi was getting worse. The one bridge that cyclists can use to cross for many miles is located at Chester, IL. The forecasters were expecting flood waters to rise even more and the bridge was going to be closed through the weekend if we didn't a cross by Friday. The German couple decided to take a train to Colorado instead taking a chance with the weather. It was just me and the Brits now.
It was a mad dash to get to Chester even though it rained through the morning and thunderstorms were heard maybe 15 miles away. I'd check the weather radar on my phone and see waves of rain coming in and that pushed me to go on.
I reached Chester before the violent storm hit that evening and checked into a hotel for the night. A warm bed and hot pizza delivered to my room and I fell asleep hoping for clearer weather in the morning to have any chance for getting across the bridge.
In the morning, the skies were clear! I called my British friends and said I wanted to get across the bridge as soon as possible. An hour later we met and crossed together into Missouri under clear skies.
Crossing into Missouri by
NBend, on Flickr
We crossed the low lying floodplain into the hills west of the town of St. Mary. Riding up those hills felt so good knowing the chance of flooding closing roads is diminished. The sun was out all morning and a moderate breeze kept temps just about perfect. Tonight I am staying in a really cool bike hostel (Al’s Place) set up in the old city jail in Farmington, MO.
Al's Place, the TransAm bike hostel in Farmington, MO. by
NBend, on Flickr
The British friends plan on taking a rest day tomorrow so this is where we'll split off. The forecast looks good for the next few days and I want to take advantage of it.
One thing I've noticed now that I'm on the Transam route is that it is very easy to follow. This route is now 40 years old and its marked with US 76 bike route signs at all intersections. There are many more places to stay in the form of churches, city parks and biker only campgrounds. That's pretty cool.
Southern Missouri by
NBend, on Flickr