The short ferry ride with riders, our Subaru SAG and tour company van rolled smoothly across the Mississippi to Illinois.
The fun surprise was riding along th bluff that at one time contained the Mississippi within its boundary.
Some of the bluffs have been mined so there are deep caves carved into the face of several. As we rode past we heard the delighted yelps of the riders in front of us. What the...? Cold air, 20-30 degrees less than the stuffy humid 80 degree air that we had been experiencing, was coming from each of the caves. Oh, how we could have used that air during previous day's rides
As we approached St. Louis the traffic increased along with speed and kindness disappeared. The south is certainly unique with every driver and porch sitter waving a friendly greeting.
We rode through long neglected East St. Louis, IL. and
across a bridge with a designated bike/pedestrian path to St. Louis. The arch is still an impressive and unique monument. David and I went up into its center when we took one of our cross country road trips in the 70's. So I won't be repeating that. Tomorrow is a day off, so we will be tourists for a day while we rest and recuperate for our next ride meandering up the Mississippi.
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you amazing lady - that heat kills me just sitting in the shade! We are leaving Florida and are going up the Eastern Seaboard for awhile.
ReplyDeleteGlad you are in STL already, I remember riding along old Route 66 and then across the huge bike bridge to Hartford Illinois on to the confluence of the Missouri and the Mississippi. You are so right - the backroads and friendly people are incredible, the minute one gets to a larger city, people are very stand offish...! Did you pedal on the Katy trail?