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Slideshow
A slideshow of photos from Illinois and Missouri can be found at https://photos.app.goo.gl/zeF7Ps5eD5aL7di88 .
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Missive No. 4: Illinois
This evening finds me lodged in the Bicycle Shack at the Fraternal Order of Eagles in Chester, IL, the home of Popeye creator E. C. Segar. Yesterday I was in Carbondale, once home to Buckminster Fuller who built his famous geodesic dome there and taught at the university.
The TransAm route in southern Illinois is shorter than its route through any other state, not even 200 miles. After crossing the Ohio River by ferry from Kentucky, I visited Cave-in-Rock, once used in the filming of the 1962 movie How the West Was Won. From there I went on to Golconda and a rest day at a cheap motel where I made friends with the manager Leslie, her daughter Natalie, and their dog Tucker who liked to lick my fragrant bicyclist feet.
My rest day nearly turned to two when I awoke to heavy rain on Thursday. With the weather improved by mid-afternoon, I made a quick 25 mile run down the road to Vienna. My route was along a portion of the Trail of Tears, the path of the Cherokee people during their forced expulsion in 1838.
My route to Carbondale on Saturday was partly on the Tunnel Hill rail trail, a nice gentle break from the roads. I had a WS night reserved in Carbondale with Jack, a prolific host of TransAm cyclists. Cathy and Richard, my companions for several nights in Kentucky, caught up with me on my rest day and spent the night also. We celebrated by going out to a Chinese restaurant.
That's the quick update from Illinois. Tomorrow I cross the Mississippi into Missouri and on into the Ozarks. In other words, I'll be back in hill country. The past two days have been cool after the rains, but the heat and humidity are supposed to return tomorrow. Sigh. Such is the hot, sticky life of a bike-packer in July.
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Missive No. 5: Missouri
As the song goes, "I'm as corny as Kansas in August." Well, OK, I get ahead of myself. It's only July, and the story today is of the Maine Compromise of 1820 and the Ozark hills of Missouri. Still, that old song is what was playing in my mind as I flew into Pittsburg, KS, on the most exquisitely flat road I've experienced since Williamsburg, VA.
"Maine Compromise?" you ask? Not so many years ago at a trivia evening with David A, I humiliated myself by not knowing that Maine was the state that came into the Union together with Missouri in what is better known as the Missouri Compromise. Given that I adopted Maine as my home state as long ago as 2009, I knew there would be a price, a penance to pay in atonement for my lack of historical knowledge. I paid it this week by riding up and down every hill that the Ozarks were able to throw in my path.
No doubt about it, Missouri is a tough part of the TransAm. The Ozark hills are not as high as the Blue Ridge or the Appalachians of Kentucky, but they are relentless, a roller coaster that keeps on giving. I set a personal speed record of 45mph going down one of those hills only to struggle up the next one at 4-5 mph, scarcely faster than walking speed. And yes, I did push my bike, aka Woodswoman II, up a few of those hills.
I characterize last week's weather as tailor made for Happy Warriors in the mold of Hubert Horatio Humphrey. I've decided that the initials HHH must stand for something other than our one-time Vice President and long-serving progressive senator. They stand for Hot, Hilly, and Humid. I drank not quarts but gallons of water and sport drinks each day this week.
But there was also beauty, in particular in the heart of the Ozarks between Ellington and Eminence. At Johnson's Shut-Ins State Park, I took a break to put my feet in the marvelous cooling water of the river. I arrived in Pilot Knob on July 4 in time for fireworks and also to visit the Fort Davidson historic site. There I learned about the last major Civil War battle of 1864 in Missouri. Both there and through the week, I came to understand that Missouri had largely been Union territory throughout the Civil War despite having been admitted as a slave state in 1821.
Cathy and Richard continue to play leapfrog with me. We overnighted together at the hostel in Ellington. I pulled ahead of them after that, but I expect they will catch me again during this, my off day in Pittsburg. They could be pulling into town even as I write.
Amanda and her brother caught up with me in Marshfield. They then did an 83-mile day to Golden City, while I rode only 50 to the hostel in Ash Garden. The next day I caught up with and passed them on the road to Pittsburg. They were having technical issues, in particular with Amanda's totally worn out tires. I spent part of yesterday evening with them at the bike shop in Pittsburg as they got things in order. Amanda was a Peace Corps volunteer in Macedonia until Covid forced evacuation, and I think that brought out the instinctive "FSOs look out and care for PC volunteers" in me. I wanted to be sure they were OK to go on. Amanda starts graduate school at American University in DC at the end of August.
Other chance meetings along the way continue to restore my belief in the basic goodness of people. At a convenience store in Willard in a particularly HHH day, one gentleman whipped out $20 and insisted that I have a good dinner in Ash Grove. Then a local cyclist rode in pulling a trailer in which his little dog Jackson rode as if in a carriage. I must beg the indulgence of these two gentlemen (Eric and ???) for mixing up their names, but I will never forget Jackson, a dog who actually likes cyclists. Jackson and his owner led me a good way to Ash Grove on a back route only they know.
By the way, most Missourians I met didn't know that Maine became a state together with Missouri. Perhaps a few will, one day, have to ride our Maine Eastern Highlands the way I just rode through the Ozarks?
That's my missive for this rest day in Pittsburg, KS, on Sunday, July 11. Onward I go tomorrow, inexorably forward on the blissfully flat roads of Kansas.
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Daily Log
Tuesday, June 29, 2021 -- 16,965 km cum - 67 km/day
I'm in Illinois. Hurrah!
That said, the day was oppressive and hard even if a short 42 miles. The heat and humidity are back in spades, worse than yesterday.
I said goodbye to Joe in the morning. He'll get to Oregon well before me. Youth!
The ferry across the Ohio River and Cave-in-Rock were the highlights of the day. The latter was used for one of the early scenes in the 1962 movie How the West Was Won.
I arrived in Goloconda to find that I had mistakenly booked a B&B for July, not June. I'm in a cheap motel instead.
Tomorrow is my rest day, my zero day. Hurrah again!
Thursday, July 1, 2021 -- 17,007 km cum - 42 km/day
A very short 25 mile day, but at day's start I thought it would be zero. After a rest day in Goloconda, I awoke to heavy rain. From the forecast I thought it would last all day, but it let up around 2pm. I took the risk of riding to Vienna and got away with it for another cheap motel night.
Today's ride was along the Trail of Tears. In contrast to that somber aspect, the day's hightlight came with ice cream and chocolate in Dixon Springs.
In Goloconda I sent home some 3-4 lbs of excess "stuff." I also left my bear spray behind. I don't need it here and can but it again later. Losing that weight made a difference,
At the Goloconda motel I got to know the manager Leslie, her daughter Natalie, and their dog Tucker who liked to come into my room and lick my fragrant bicyclist feet.
Friday-Saturday, July 2-3, 2021 -- 17,147 km cum - 167 km over two days (~83 km/day)
These were basic back-to-back 50 mile days. On Friday I took the Tunnel Hill rail trail from Vienna to Tunnel Hill where I rejoined the AC route to Gorville and then Corbondale. I stopped at a bike store in Corbondale for a new water bottle and then enjoyed a malt at the nearby DQ.
Jack was my WS host in Carbondale on Friday night. To my surprise, Richard and Cathy caught up with me by riding 75+ miles from Elizabethtown. The four of us went out for Chinese food.
I got an early start this morning and indulged in breakfast in Murphysboro. Today's ride was wonderfully flat along the levee, and I arrived in Chester before 2 p.m. I could have gone further, but on the map I saw nowhere to stay in MO for another 50 miles. I had time to visit the Popeye museum on the way into town. Chester is the home of Popeye creator E. C. Segar, and it is said that many of the characters in the Popeye cartoons were based on town residents.
Tonight Cathy, Richard, and I are at the "Bike Shack" run by the Fraternal Order of Eagles. It's basic, even spare with bunks and a primitive shower. But it's free! The night's lodging reminds me of being in the Soviet Union in 1978. I say that with a sense of nostalgia for days of rough travel.
Sunday, July 4, 2021 -- 17,283 km cum - 109 km/day
A good 68 mile day from Chester across the Mississippi and on to Pilot Knob, MO, the site of an 1864 Civil War battle at Fort Davidson. The first kilometers were wonderfully flat, but then the hills began. I'm in the Ozarks! I managed well enough and only dismounted and pushed Woodswoman up hills a couple of times.
Cathy and Richard left before me. I didn't even reailze it was Cathy who yelled, "You go, girl!" from a gas station as I struggled up a hill. They are in Farmington for the night.
I'm worried about my right hand. The thumb and palm ached badly last night. I'm taking Ibuprofen and am doing my best to limit the time my right hand is on the drops. The ache has eased somewhat this evening.
It's the 4th in this stuggling country of mine. Last year on the 4th I crossed from the Lower to the Upper Peninulas of MI by ferry via Mackinaw Island. I remember watching distant fireworks from my unofficial campsite in a the playground at a municipal park. Tonight I watched fireworks from the roadside outside my cheap motel, the only option available in Pilot Knob.
Monday, July 5, 2021 -- 17,360 km cum - 77 km/day
After a 68 mile day yesterday, I throttled back to 48 miles today. I have to keep reminding myself thta I'm in the roller coaster Ozark hills not on the flats of ND or the Highline of MT like last year. Consistent good mileage days just aren't going to happen for as long as I'm in the hills.
I'm staying the night at the hostel run by the Chamber of Commerce in Ellington. That's another rason for a short day. There is an NPS campground down the road, but it's 24 hilly miles from here. The hostel has AC, a good bathroom, and a wonderful shower. Cathy and Richard should show up soon.
I stopped at Johnson's Shut-Ins State Park along the way, a wonderful choice for a rest stop. I took my shoes off and cooled my feet in the water.
Tuesday, July 6, 2021 -- 17,439 km cum - 79 km/day
This was a Hubert H. Humphrey day -- HHH: hot, hilly, and humid. It may have been the toughest day since Williamsburg-Richmond, but at least I've learned my lessons from then. I seemingly drank **gallons** of fluid through the day even as my jersey and capris became soaked as though I had been swimming.
The Missouri Ozarks have earned their roller coaster reputation. That was the story of today's ride from Ellington to Sommersville. I am not embarrassed to say I pushed Woodswoman up several hills. In the afternoon I was taking hydration beaks every 2 km. I'm at the Rusty Gate motel in Sommersville with a $40 room and instructions to pay by leaving cash on the night stand.
I had a good break at the Dairy Shack in Eminence. While there I met Louis and his mom. Louis is himself an avid cyclist.
Cathy and Richard decided to overnight in Eminence. Tomorrow I'll do a low mileage, semi-rest day to Houston, all of 22 miles. I need the break, but it will also let me re-calibrate the following days based on where there are places to stay. Although I do hope to camp more, it's a last resort in this heat.
On a positive note, I started one month ago today from Newport News. As of today I am about 1/3 of the way through this trip. I may not be maintaining last year's pace, but given everything, I'm doing well.
Wednesday, July 6, 2021 -- 17,480 km cum - 41 km/day
As predicted, today's was an easy ride from Sommersville to Houston with hills that seemed modest compared with recent days. I visited the downtown on the way in. It's dead, a victim of the automobile. The Southern Inn Motel along with the Walmart and fast food restaurants are all on US 63.
My plan for the afternoon is to do as little as possible.
Thursday, July 8, 2021 -- 17,590 km cum - 110 km/day
An excellent riding day, 69 miles from Houston to a luxury hotel night at the Holiday Inn Express in Marshfield. I was up at 4:30 a.m., enjoyed a McD breakfast, got underway at 7:15 a.m., and pulled into Marshfield at 2:30 p.m.
Could the worst of the hills be behind me now? The morning ride to Bendavis was delightful with only modest hills. An overcast sky made for a pleasant, cool morning. Only after Bendavis did the hills return, the sun appear, and the afternoon heat up. Even so, this was nothing compared with the preceding days in the Ozarks.
On the road to Bendavis I met Patrick from San Francisco. He's riding the Western Express and TransAm to Yorktown.
I calculate 1485 miles since starting from Newport News. Progress!
Friday, July 9, 2021 -- 17,670 km cum - 80 km/days
This was a shorter but harder day than yesterday. The heat and humidity are back.
I'm in Ash Grove tonight at the town hostel for cyclists. It's an entire house. I have it to myself, but I will have to be up at 3:30 a.m. if I want to make it to Pittsburg before rains move in mid-day tomorrow. Yikes!
I detoured through Willard on the way to Ash Grive. At the gas station I met Richard, who insisted on giving me $20 for dinner. Then Eric, a cyclist, and his dog Jackson led me to a back route for the rest of the ride into Ash Grove.
