jboyd

OK, now that I have your attention (big grin). Today I woke up, drank a cup of coffee and my wife asked me if I wanted to go over to Cape Girardeau, MO and ride while she hit some yard sales. I told her that my knee was haunting me a little and that I thought I would pass, but ended up loading the bike to see what I felt like when we got there.

Funny how you can start a ride with trepidation and then end up 24 some odd miles later wishing it would never end. I had one of my best rides ever. First off, it was a fantabulous day with azure blue sky and temps that topped out at 66 degrees.

I was dropped off in the parking lot of a local strip club on the Illinois side of the Mississippi River. This allows for an always fun BIG BRIDGE crossing. Cape Girardeau is an old river town, and around here, that means HILLS. This entire town is a series of big wonderful hills. Cape is extremely wheelchair friendly which lends to easy use of sidewalks when the road is not available.

An accounting of the day included: 1 Strip Club, 1 Mississippi River Bridge, 1 Peach Orchard, 3 Parks, 2 Hospitals, 5 Parking Garages, 1 university, 1 River Front, Hundreds of Hills Climbed and 1 Big Ass Cobb Salad at the end of the ride!............I want to elaborate on the parking garages a little. Next to sneaking onto a golf course path at night, I think parking garages may be my second favorite urban riding venue. The ride up all the levels is like one of the longest hills. The ride down is uber awesome!!!!!

Here is a link to all 42 pics from today, and below are a few to highlight the ride. I still can't begin to describe how good this ride felt.
https://s425.photobucket.com/albums/p...004%2017%2010/

The starting point.....Anybody got any $1's


Crossing the Mississippi River


Yes, I rode through a peach orchard.


Great now I have got that song stuck in my head (if you are old you will get it). BTW...that hill is common for this ride.


The artsy bike tire shot.


Academic Hall at Southeast Missouri State University


The River Front


The Wall of Fame on the River Front. If you go to the link with all the pics you will see that there are 9 of these pictures. Several famous Missouri folks.


This gives an idea of the terrain changes that are very common in this town.


This is one hell of a Happy Clyde.

Coopers_Dad

Nice ride, I like the bridge picture!!

Kneez

I was thinking the same thing!

BigPolishJimmy

Man what a ride, that looks like a beautiful ride.

...btw, which song are you talking about, the one by John Prine, or the one by the Presidents of the United States of America? Of course now I'm also thinking about Peaches & Herb.

jboyd

Roundabout by Yes (circa 1971) from the Fragile album

"I'll be the roundabout
The words will make you out n out
And spend the day your way
Call it morning driving through the sound and in and out the valley"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=byeSPOIffVE

Peter_C

Love the photos!

zoste

Behind the shelter in the middle of the roundabout,
A pretty nurse is selling poppies from a tray;
And though she feels as if she's in play,
She is anyway.

HuskyRider

Wow...I really liked the graffiti / art...incredible! Of special note the old school strip joint sign was classic.....LOL

jboyd

Penny Lane......NICE

jboyd

Somehow I made the pics go away for a day. I moved them to a different folder and forgot that it would cause a problem. My bad.

BigUgly

Fra-gee-lay. That must be Italian.