Mississippi River, Missouri River
I'm just back from a 2000 km unsupported credit-card tour of the Danube River, and I'd like to cycle the great rivers of my own country. Has anyone ridden long distances along either the Mississippi or the Missouri Rivers? Could you get close enough to the rivers for long enough to get a feel of the river's life? My comfortable range is about 50 miles a day. Are the services close enough together? I mapped much of the Mississippi from Lake Itasca to the Iowa border, and streetview mostly showed little traffic and decent shoulders. Is that a coincidence of timing, or is that for real? If I start from Lake Itasca near the beginning of September, what's the prevailing wind direction? Are rains long and soaking, or do they blow over quickly? Has anyone done this ride?
It's way too late to ride the Missouri, and I know I'd have to be stronger, as services are much further apart. Is riding along the Missouri a crazy idea? Has anyone done it?
Why are there thousands of people riding the great rivers of Europe, and very few riding our rivers?