Biking into St. Louis

Yesterday Eric and I crossed the McKinnley Bridge into St. Louis. At the Illinois/Missouri state line, we were in much better spirits than in Granite City, where we stopped at a station, terribly hot, and the people running the store wouldn't fill Eric's waterbottles, even after he bought a soda and a bag of chips. But at the top of the bridge, with downtown St. Louis in sight, we were feeling like we had just accomplished something to be remembered: we had rode our bikes across Illinois, from Chicago to St. Louis. How many grown men can say they have, according to Eric's mileage log, biked 372 miles together? All I can say is that I couldn't ask for a better biking partner. At the top of the bridge, on the state line, we took one last picture of our bikes, and Eric took one of me straddling the state line. We then went our separate ways. Eric bikes alone to Kirkwood, passing a flooded section of downtown St. Louis, while I biked up from the river into downtown, further up to Olive, and still further up to Grand and Lindel, and finally up to Skinker, with a flat stretch almost to home, with a final climb up to Shaftsbury, and, at last, a fast downhill to Drexel, the garage, and home.

Hot as Hell

'nuf said. But you should see Eric!

From Litchfield to Edwardsville

What started out as a pleasant morning ride is quickly turning into a scorcher, especially after the worse climb of trip into Edwardsville. Outside of Litchfield we had a shady rest at an antique Shell Station in Mt. Olive. The next leg into The Hare Stop in Stauntom was as nice. At the Hare Shop I got a RTE 66 pin and Hare patch for my work bag. The Stonehenge of cars an interesting sight! By now the day has heated up, the stop in Halem wasna welcome relief. The last leg to Edwardsville was bad. 10 miles of no shade and a a killer hill on 157 into town. I lost my do-rag and sweat was dropping in my eyes and I took the hill blind and finally arrived in ill humor here at Wasabi where Eric was sitting in the shade! But we are both cooled off and Eric has had his sushi and now we're committed to the home stretch.  

Nearing the End of a Hard Day

Here is Eric resting under the overpass into Waggoner. You catch shade wherever it is! Later, further down the road, Eric will see something flash in the tall grass. He thinks it's a police officer's badge. A good find on a road trip. He stops to walk back for his prize. It will be just a crushed can. But for the moment the hallucination is worth the hard day on the bike.

The Tar and Gravel Road

I've been on a lot of bad roads. The road from the state line of Missouri to Syracuse, Kansas, for instance, and the long death ride of a road from La Junta to Walsenberg, Colorado. But S Pawnee road in Illinois is the worse. It's a long road through corn fields, with just one tree along the way for shade. It's uphill. But worse it's tar and gravel. It was so hot today the tar was bubbling and popping under our tires like snap crackers on the fourth of July. Our tires sank into the tar which coated the tires and acted as glue for gravel. We had to stop and peel it off, and it looks like the blown tires of interstate semis. We quickly used our phones to find another route. We were on the wrong road anyway. 

Eating in Pawnee

According to our maps, there are no services between Pawnee and
Litchfield. That's 35 miles of cornfields. Could be soy. So we have
stopped at the Pawnee Family Restuarant to eat and drink water and to
fill our water bottles. I'm having a hot open-faced turkey sandwich.
Eric is eating some great looking fried walleye. Then we'll be back in
the heat!

Finding Pawnee

I have stopped here on the road to Pawnee to wait for Eric, who
earlier stopped to take a call. A few miles back I came to a road
closed sign but biked through. Up the road some guys were rebuilding a
bridge but let me bike over. I am now waiting for Eric. Here he comes!
He will tell me the Illinois trolls charged him $5 to cross because
they had charged me 10.

Lincoln, IL

Yesterday Eric and I stopped for lunch in Lincoln. Afterwards, while Eric blogged, I took a nap on the covered sidewalk of the townsquare. In front of me is the Logan Courthouse; behind me was Dickson's Tacos and More. Wayne Dickson, along with his wife, were the owners. Mr. Dickson was a talker. He's been in the Mexican food business for years. He's proud of his 59-cents taco. 

Atlanta and Eric

Eric is a great bike partner. We ride well together, and we don't mind
splitting up and meeting somewhere down the road. Over the years of
biking together, we've never lost one another. Eric does have a unique
quality. Though he's very leisurely in the morning, once he's on his
bike he likes to get to the next point fast. We were coming up to
Atlanta yesterday and Eric was wanting to take a short cut bypass, but
i said the purpose of the trip was to follow 66, which he admitted to,
and so we passed through Atlanta, with the unique signage below. Even
Eric was happy with pictures that he took.

Signage

For the most part the route home is marked with signage that says
Historic Route 66 or Old Route 66. At times we've bikes for miles
without seeing a sign, and once yesterday we thought we we were on 66
when in fact we were on a parallel road about a half mile west. Thank
goodness for iPhones and Google maps. But the sign below is the only
one I've seen that designates 66 as a bike route. The sign is in
McLean, IL.

In Springfield

It's Thursday morning and I just used my Store Locater to find a
Starbucks. Good fortune! The store is smack on the route home to St.
Louis. I'm sitting here drinking a tall coffee, waiting for Eric, who
was still packing when I left him. He has his phone, which I just
called with directions. He'll eventually come biking in.

Love the Land of Lincoln

Eric and I had an easy time getting through Normal/Bloomington this
morning. The WALK view of Google maps gives great directions for
bikers because the map keeps you off interstates and other super major
highways, though at times you do have to be comfortable with heavy,
fast traffic. The picture below is a plaque in downtown Bloomington.
Lincoln is everywhere in Illinois, whose motto, if can visualize the
signs correctly, is "Love the Land of Lincoln." All those Ls!

Trek Goes Internation

This is a group of tourists from Belgium, France, and Switzerland.
Eric and I met them in McLean. I was able to talk with them using
Spanish! They're heading to STL on Cavallo bus. And I think we all
agreed to meet under the Arch. I hope they don't wait too long!

Leaving Normal

It looks like the rain of yesterday is gone and the sun is out in
Normal, Illinois. Eric is being lazy, I'm waiting. It would be nice if
the weather stayed as good as it is now, but sense says the closer we
getbto St. Louis, the hotter it will get.

Luck Never Lasts

Eric and I are resting at a Fast Stop in Towanda, Illinois. We have
been biking through a storm since leaving Lexinton. Except for a
trucker who didn't want to swing left and slow down, the ride has been
most refreshing.

Wayne Field

Wayne is an apiarist in Pontiac, Illinois. He keeps 19 bee hives and
collects enough honey to pay the bills.

Another Station

Too bad you no longer find stations like this.

Technology

On such an old road the present intrudes.

Flashback

This is old gas station outside of Dwight. It reminds me of trips as a
child to Little Rock. The family, along with the dog, would load into
the Corvair and my father would drive until late night when he would
stop at a station like this and we would sleep under the Texaco Star.

Dwight, Illinois

Eric and I camped last night in Garret Park in Dwight, Illinois. A
couple of weeks ago a tornado touches down in the park and moved
through the nearby neighborhood. A dude in a bar last night where we
had wings told us about a trestle, it wasn't his, that came through
his roof. A woman we saw walking told us about her roof that was blown
away.

Yesterday Eric and I passed the Riviera, a 66 attraction, that was
burned down. A man here at Casey's where we've stopped for coffee and
a phone charge told us the rumor or arson. Sad to think someone would
destroy a bit of history for a little money.