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 […]
SP2M – Visiting Nauvoo, IL
I spent a rest day in Nauvoo, IL. I had hoped to learn some about Mormonism and about history. There seem to be at least two parts of the town, Historic Nauvoo and the actual modern city. I think that Historic Nauvoo would be a magical place to visit, if you are a Mormon. There […]
SP2M Day 3 – Quincy, IL to Nauvoo, IL
Imagine traveling north on one road for three hours and not passing through a single town. Sounds like something from the lightly populated ranchland of the West or some foreign country, right? I just did that in western Illinois, riding north out of Quincy to Warsaw. Intellectually, I knew that there were no services in […]
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 […]
Revised Route – Skipping Madison
I have revised my bike tour route, following the Mississippi River Trail (MRT) all the way to Rosemont, MN and skipping Madison, WI. I had been planning to swing northeast from Galena, IL and visit my cousin in Madison. From there, I wanted to visit Devil’s Lake State Park and then follow some gorgeous bike […]
Replacing Parts
I gave my bike a pre-tour exam and found that the chain was near the end of its life at 0.7% worn out. In English, that means that the chain is 0.7% longer than it was when it was new. This “stretch” happens because the rivets and rollers wear so each connection gets a little […]
Last Bits of Preparation for My Bike Tour
I am into the last few bits of preparation for my bike tour from St. Peters, MO to Minneapolis, MN. I took a long WINDY ride today, with breaks similar to what I plan while on tour. First was a 21 mile ride to Clayton for lunch with friends. Then an 11 mile ride to […]
Safety on My Bike Tour
“You’re meshuga!” Stan proclaimed the other morning as I was describing my upcoming bike tour to Minneapolis. I had just explained to him that I, a 64 year old retiree who only started biking seriously two years ago, am truly planning to ride my bicycle from Saint Peters, MO to Minneapolis… solo… unsupported… camping much […]
Planning a Bike Tour from St. Peters to Minneapolis
Just over a year ago, I bought my Masi Giramondo touring bicycle. I have clocked over 2200 miles on it, mostly doing errands around town and using it for local transportation when I am going somewhere alone. I did manage a couple of short trips last year including an overnight to Robertsville State Park (temperatures […]
Cycling Power with the Velocomp PowerPod
I am cycling through data nerd heaven. Winter weather “forced” me to buy a Zwift Hub indoor bike trainer so that I could ride in icy, wet weather that normally keep me out of the saddle. The trainer tells me how much power I am pumping through the pedals, info that I have never had […]
Clean Bicycle Chain
Do you remember the good ol’ days of childhood biking when the chain was something you didn’t want to touch cuz it was a greasy mess? Me too. Life was simpler back then. I have 350 miles on my “new” Masi Giramondo bike. I’m a smart guy and I’ve been washing my bike and cleaning […]
My Bicycle Evolution
I have had four bicycles over the last year. It is kind of surprising because, a year ago, I would definitely not have considered myself a serious cyclist nor would I have anticipated buying multiple bikes. This is my journey. Bike #1: Trek Verve+ 2 A year ago today, I bought my first bicycle in […]
Finding the Good: Autumn Mornings
I woke up this morning to delightful chilliness. The low last night was in the mid-50s, quite a change from the 70s (and occasional 80s) that we have had through much of the summer. I parked by the Katy Trail and rode my bike past St. Charles, across the 370 bridge, and down into Earth […]
154 Miles Biking the Katy Trail
What do you do when you want to travel, want to avoid COVID-19, and have a bicycle? How about trying a four-day bike tour? Never mind that I had never done a bike tour. Never mind that I am 63 years old. Never mind that I had not camped much in decades. Never mind that […]
500 Miles on My Trek Verve+ 2
Lord I’m one, Lord I’m two, Lord I’m three, Lord I’m four,Lord I’m 500 miles from my home.500 miles, 500 miles, 500 miles, 500 milesLord I’m five hundred miles from my home. Traditional On Sunday morning, I passed 500 miles on my new Trek Verve+ 2 bike. I guess that means it is no longer […]
Trek Verve+ 2 Electric Bicycle
I took the plunge and bought an electric bicycle a/k/a e-bike and holy cow am I delighted. I had forgotten how much I enjoy being outside on a bike. Having an electric motor to help me up the hills vanquishes all of the pain so all I have now is the fun and the aerobic […]
Ban the Bikes!
St. Charles County, MO, will try to ban bicyclists from using some state highways, as reported in the Suburban Journals, Bill would ban bicycles from some highways in St. Charles County. How wrong can you get? In the year 2010, amidst all the hue and cry about poor health, obesity, and greenhouse gases from automobiles, Councilman […]
