SP2M Days 1 & 2 – St. Peters, MO to Louisiana, MO to Quincy, IL

I am writing this in Quincy, IL, 114 miles into my bike tour from St. Peters, MO to Minneapolis, MN. So far, the trip has been almost all smiles. The roads have been smooth (except where they weren’t) and level (except for the hills). The drivers have been amazingly courteous, compared to the folks back home, except for the guy who pulled over to talk with me and would have spent all day chatting… talk about friendly! The wind has even been kind, giving me two days in a row of tailwinds.

Day 1 – St. Peters to Louisiana

On Wednesday morning, Candy was kind enough to drive me to Lone Wolf Park in old town St. Peters. That saved me negotiating the sidewalks and busy roads in town to get across to the north side of I-70. And no, in case you are wondering, I did not hear her exclaim, “I’ll drive you outa town!”

There really is only one way to bicycle north to Louisiana from St. Peters: up MO 79. It is pretty busy at the south end but has a good shoulder. On top of that, drivers were universally polite, giving me a wide berth as they passed. (Which is way better than the folks around St. Peters, St. Charles, and west St. Louis county.) The worst that I got on Wednesday was one truck that rolled coal as it passed me. I figure that my day was going way better than his was if that was what he needed to do to get his jollies.

I had thought of MO 79 as not very picturesque but clearly that was a mistaken impression that I got from driving it in a car, always in a hurry to get to my destination. (You can click on these photos to see them enlarged.)

For lunch, I stopped at Rachel’s Restaurant in Elsberry. Highly recommended! For just seven dollars and change, including tip and tax, I got a grilled cheese sandwich “like mother used to make,” a piece of pecan pie that was a slice of heaven, and friendly service.

North of Elsberry, I got to see just how swollen the Mississippi River was. Sure, the road ends in water but….

The rest of the ride into Louisiana was uneventful except for two steep hills. I got up the first climb but the 8% grade on the second one defeated me. I walked my bike up the last half of that mountain.

I went to The Arcade for dinner on Wednesday, another winner of a restaurant. Porter on tap. (I had to have two pints, just to confirm that the quality of the first wasn’t a fluke.) Good salad. Great blacked chicken pasta. Even better conversation. Peter and his wife just bought the place in December and I think that they will be very successful. Trish managed to be the attentive, friendly barkeep despite her five sons texting and calling non-stop. How she is managing to raise five boys is beyond me. She must be a saint.

I spent the night at the Noix Creek Campground. Troy and Zach were super helpful. The shower and bathroom worked and the water was hot. The campground is right between two sets of train tracks. I think we had about a half dozen trains overnight. I like trains so that was actually a bonus for me, not a negative at all.

Day 2 – Louisiana to Quincy

I crossed the Mississippi River on a cloudy Thursday morning. Temperatures in the 60s and clouds: perfect riding weather.

Once into Illinois, I found myself in a bowl surrounded by bluffs. I was off my bike, taking pictures, when a guy in a pickup truck stopped. I figured that he was concerned that I needed help. Nope; he just wanted to chat. I think that, had I made coffee, we could have talked all morning.

I would have gotten more photos but the buffalo gnats swarmed me any time I stopped. I’ll probably need to break out the DEET today. I have heard that vanilla works well, too, but I have DEET and I couldn’t find any vanilla spray last night.

I did visit the Kinderhook Post Office so now I understand why it is so unique. Check out this garden wall. And inside… they still have the good ol’ brass PO boxes.

Lunch was at The Hook, around the corner from the post office. Omelette, pancakes, and friendly service. The only thing that I’m not sure about is their attitude about men.

I stopped on the bridge over Mill Creek in Marblehead for a snack and sunscreen. (Mom, you should have told me to put it on earlier in the day.) I wonder what dented the railing. If someone was leaning on the railing while fishing, that was one helluva fish.

Riding into Quincy was easy, blissfully lacking steep climbs. IL 57 on the south side of town is completely industrial but I was again surprised at how polite all of the drivers were. Most of the time, there was a good shoulder for me to ride on. Despite that, folks passed me and gave me an extra wide berth. Very very nice.

Quincy has several parks along the Mississippi River and, thankfully, they seem to have banished the gnats. I was able to stop and enjoy the view and take a picture or two.

I stayed at the Driftwood Campground & RV Park which has absolutely superb showers. Talk about hot water and high pressure! What a great way to end a long ride. Don and Tricia were very accommodating, even letting me store my gear in their common room so that it wouldn’t get wet during the overnight rain.

While riding to dinner, I happened upon one last delight. This sculpture is called “Cosmic Clockwork.”

And now… it’s time to pack up my bike and ride to Nauvoo.

To be continued…