SP2M Days 4 & 5 – Nauvoo, IL to Oquawka, IL to Muscatine, IA

Day 4 – Nauvoo to Oquawka

Fun though Nauvoo was, I had to leave and head north or I would never find either Minneapolis or a third restaurant.

The day started cold, grey, and windy. Mother nature decided that three days of tailwinds was more than enough (thank you very much) and it was time for headwinds… all day… starting at 8 MPH and hitting 18 MPH when I checked the weather later in the afternoon. It took me almost six hours to cover the 54 mile route to Oquawka.

My high school mascot was a Viking (go Valpo!) so I just had to take a selfie with the Nauvoo-Colusa Viking statue.

I was riding past mile after mile of farm field when I stumbled across the Love Bug writ modern. I pulled over to take photos; a man and his adult son came out of the house looking curious/concerned. I got smiles all around when I explained that I was delighted to see the Love Bug and asked if it would be OK to take a picture with it. I learned that this is Mom’s second Beetle to be painted this way. The first was “the old kind.”

Throughout Illinois, I had ridden past several large galvanized steel structures at the edges of field. I finally discovered their purpose when I got to ride along a parked irrigation system. Those structures are stops which make the irrigator stop moving.

I spent awhile peering at the machine and figured out some of the basic elements. If you know more about these things, please add more info in the comments below. Each set of wheels seems to have it’s own GPS locator and is independently driven with electric motors. Each joint is also articulated so the system can change length, allowing it to irrigate in more patterns than just a simple arc.

The other end is connected to a water source and has a holding tank, presumably for mixing in chemicals. It also has the control panel and electrical connection.

I had the highlight of the day a few miles shy of Oquawka: a covered bridge. Unfortunately, there were stairs so I could not have gotten my bike into the bridge for a picture. Instead I took a shot with my bike on a modern bridge and the covered bridge in the background.

This was Mother’s Day and I had invited Candy to join me for dinner in Oquawka, only an 80 mile drive from home. She was supposed to just hop in the car and meet me at Auntie M’s Yum Yum Shop for dinner (the only restaurant in town). I pulled into the parking lot, tired, hungry, and… disappointed. For reasons which I cannot fathom, she declined my invitation and spent Mother’s Day with her daughters and their families instead of driving to and from Oquawka. Poor me. I ate my double cheeseburger and fries alone.

From there, I had just a 2.5 mile ride to the campground in Delabar State Park where I pitched my tent, crawled in, and fell asleep.

Day 5 – Oquawka to Muscatine

I left Delabar State Park to colder temps but less obnoxious winds. Instead of being dead on my nose, I had a quartering headwind. After the previous day, I sure appreciated even that much relief. I made better time, with my average speed up to 10.1 MPH from 9.4 MPH the previous day. (Don’t even think about the 12.6 MPH that I enjoyed on the Louisiana, MO to Quincy, IL leg.)

As if to make up for the bleak Sunday, the universe conspired to make Monday a delightful day. Eight miles from Oquawka, I ran across some indelible street art, like literally street art.

And then I rode through 15 miles of farm fields….

At 23 miles, I managed a lunch-on-the-hoof thanks to a produce stand that was not open. It blocked the wind completely so I unpacked my camp chair and spread my lunch of dried pineapple, jerky, trail mix, and an apple. I felt like king of the world with a feast.

Another 14 miles brought me to my second Mississippi River crossing, this time from east to west on the bridge into Muscatine, IA.

And then… ta dah!… it was just another mile to the Mississippi Brewing Co. for my first real beer since Louisiana. The service and food were great. Do stop here (even though they don’t actually brew their own beer). I highly recommend the Gold Coin beer.

Delabar State Park had not had showers so I had opted for a hotel in Muscatine. Four miles, two along the north (west) side of the river, brought me to indoor plumbing… cold and hot running water… and a bed in a heated room. Maybe there is a reason that western society moved beyond tents for shelter.

To be continued…