Ezra On A Bike

I got up around 7:30 and made my way across the street to Bob Evens for some breakfast.

I took some time to work on my blogs and then figure out the bus and train routes to down town. It happened to be that I was on a direct path to down town.
I left the restaurant around 9:15 and found a bus stop at the end of the parking lot.
The bus arrived at 9:30ish. There were only a couple people on the bus so I started talking to one guy next to me. He was in construction so we talked about projects and then about what I was doing. Soon everyone was in on the conversation including the bus driver. As the others got off at their stops I continued talking with the bus driver till I had to get off and catch the train.
I waited at the train station for about 20 minutes before it arrived.

Once I was on it took me all the way to the Archway Park. The entire ride was about an hour or so. I got there around 11.
I walked around the park for a while and down to the water front where I talked to a couple local bikers for a while who were resting in the shade.

Then, I walked back up the steps to the park again.
I had noticed earlier that there was a group of ladies with cameras and poster boards taking pictures and other things so I went over and asked what they were doing. They explained that they were participating in a Guinness world record scavenger hunt that you can do on line. On of the things they had to do was take pictures hugging strangers… Well?…
For those of you who don’t think I exist…

I decided to take in the whole experience, so I went into the Archway Museum under the Arch and walked the history exhibit on American history and the Mississippi River. I then bought a ticket to the Lewis and Clark history movie and lift ticket for the arch.
After the movie I got into the claustrophobic space pod and rode to the top.

It was actually quite an amazing view of town and the river.

After I made my way back down, I went over a block and visited the old court house museum. This is the place where the Dread- Scott case was heard…

By the time I was done it was about 3:30. There really wasn’t much to do in St Louis…
I decided to go a couple blocks over and see Bush Stadium and see if there was a game.

There was a game at 7… Do I stay or do I go… Well, I had nothing better to do so I bought a $15 ticket and walked around wasting time.

After talking with my parents for a bit on the phone, I started waling around the stadium waiting for the gate to open at 5:30.
When I got to the west side there was a hotdog cart on the other side of the road. I didn’t have lunch so I went over and got a couple of Nathan’s dogs. I stuck up a conversation with the woman running the cart with her daughter and I shared what I was doing. I enjoyed taking with them. I hung out there for about an hour till the gates finally opened.
It was a good thing I got my food outside the stadium because hotdogs inside where like $12 and drinks were $11. I got my dogs at 2 for $5.
If you ever find your way to a Cardinal game, look for the only food cart outside the stadium on the east side!

I stayed at the game till the 5th inning and then left so I could make the hour ride back to the hotel at a decent hour.
I got to my room around 10 and went to bed.

Today was the day I planned on getting to St. Louis. I had been looking for a couch surf for my two night in town but had no responses yet. It was looking like rain for the day so I looked up hotels and found a cheap one near the airport. I didn’t book it in case something came through. The hotel was near St Charles and right of a direct route to down town.

I headed out around 8. It was hills again today. I was also on 61 most of the way which did not have much of a shoulder to ride after a while.
There really wasn’t much to see other than more hills so I didn’t take any pictures.
As I neared the city I left 61 and followed 231 along the south of St. Louis till I picked up a rail trail. It started to rain at this point and I packed away my computer. I ran into a local biker and we road and chatted all the way to the end of the trail. After waiting out the rain a while under a gazebo, He left and I continued on. The trail took me half way through town north past the Bush ranch. Then I road all the way up to Bridgeton parallel to 61 which took me past some of the most amazing old and new mansions I’ve seen.
I got to the hotel around 7 and checked in for two nights. This was by far the dumpiest hotel yet… the sign said under renovation but I think the place should be torn down….
Tomorrow was my day off so after unloading, I road my bike half a mile down the road to Target and bought a cheap backpack day bag and some food for supper then went back to the room for the night.
Went to bed around 11.

I got up around 6 again and packed my stuff then walked next door to the Park-Et restaurant for breakfast.

I was not really motivated to climb hills today so I lingered at leaving till about 9. I knew I need to get going so I went back and checked out. I got on the road around 9:15.

The hills were long and steady but I was making progress. When I passed through St Mary I passed a side road with a welcome to Illinois sign in view. So I figured why not…

I was on the edge of the river flat now so there were cliffs on the right and flat on the left. The road I was on traveled on both.

I managed to make it to Sainte Genevieve around lunch time. I stopped at Hardees for a burger.
While I was sitting there a guy asks me if i knew where the festival was in town… I said what festival?… Turns out there was a huge art and craft festival not far away.
I decided I should check it out so I road down town to see what was going on. I tied my horse to the railing of an old church and started to walk. Right away I struck up a conversation with man from the church. They had a free water stand out front. We chatted about what I was doing and he gave me some history of the town. He introduced me to a few other people as they came by as well.
After a bit, I left and walked around the fair for a while, It was much like the Uptown Art Fair back home.

Lots of old history here and cool old buildings.

I eventually made my way back to my bike and started talking to the same group of people again. Got some more history on the town and then made my way inside the church where there was a bake sale. Bought a giant brownie for 50 cense.
As I was leaving, I gave out my info to the people I had been talking to and one person gave me a donation toward the cause. I enjoyed my time here.
I knew there was a car show somewhere and was told it was up the road. I road over to check it out.

It was at this old Mansion.

Not bad for a small town… I also ran into some of the same people who had been at the tractor show the day before and chatted again. It is a small world…
I needed to get going again… after all, it was now 3:30 and i had 38 miles to go.
I headed off again and was hit right away with a hill that was about 2 miles long. I thought I was going to die!… I was hoping it was not going to be this way for long. Fortunately it was the only hill like that. Great view from the top though.

I stopped to rest at an old wayside stop from when 61 was the main road before the interstate. It had a scenic overlook and some picnic tables. There was an elevation marking here as well.

There was a couple on motorcycle there as well and we chatted for a few minutes. Then, it was down the road again.
The remaining ride was very scenic with all the hilltops. I rolled into Festus around 6pm. There were only two or three big hotels in town and no local hotels. I rode around for a while trying to find a someplace cheap but eventually found myself at the the Best Western. Good for me, a friend offered to sponsor my hotel today! How cool is that!
I checked in, took a shower then went across the street to the grocery store and got some fruit and chicken for diner. I ended late so the evening went by fast.
Went to bed around 11.

Got up around 6 and packed my stuff then went and had breakfast in the lobby cafe. They had decent food here… probably ate to much…

My body was really sore today and I was not looking forward to riding. After packing my bike I rode out around 9am. I was back on 61 again heading north. The sun was out today but it was only in the 80’s and the humidity was low. Even so, it was getting really hilly now. Some of the hills were over a mile long and steep. On top of that, I was chased by dogs at least three times today…
There was not much to see today.
I rolled into Perryville around 1pm and started looking for a hotel or place to camp. There was a tractor show going on at the local farm store so I stopped in to see what was going on. I chatted with some of the owners of the tractors and some locals for a while.
I inquired about cheap places to stay or camp and they pointed me to a small hotel in town.
I made my way to the hotel and got a room. I was tired so I took a nap for about an hour.
It was early but I made way next door to the Park-Et restaurant and had some dinner. Couldn’t pass up beef tips and fried pickle wedges.

Then went back to the room and worked on some planning before heading to bed around 10.

Day 11: Fri. Aug. 9

I woke up around 6 and grabbed some hotel breakfast. I knew that today would be the start of my hill rides. My body was tired from the long day yesterday but I had to keep going.
I left the hotel around 8:15 and headed out on 61north then onto 77 north.
Today the rain seemed eminent. The clouds were dark so I checked my weather map often.
The clouds were nice though… it was not to hot to ride.
I made it to Chaffee at about 11 and stopped at the gas station for a rest. The hills where starting to wear me down already. After 20 minutes or so I jumped back on my bike and headed out again. But, as I looked west I saw wall of rain headed across the corn fields… I turned around and went back. There was an eating area at the gas station so I decided to just wait it out.

As soon as I pulled up under the canopy, it started to rain. I got a cup of coffee and started working on my next few days of ride planning. I talked to one of the managers for a bit and she said to stay as long as nesesary… That ended up being around 2 hrs. or more.
I kept watching the radar and it looked like it would pass and clear up which it started to do around 1pm. Jumped back on the bike and headed out. I was only half way to my destination.
The sun started to pop out and that made it get hot and humid. But after a long break I was feeling much better.
There wasn’t much to see today except a few lonely ghost towns and farm fields.

I made it to Jackson around 3:30.
I rode past a small diner and pulled in for a snack. I had a great time chatting about my trip with a local couple for about half an hour. He use to do a lot of biking but no longer could. He shared a few stories about his adventures.

After a while they left and I jumped back on the bike in search of a place to stay. There were only two hotel I could find so I spoke with the manager about my ride and was able to get a reduced rate for the night.
I settled in for the long evening and enjoyed the complimentary dinner in the lobby cafe.
I was able to talk to a few people about my trip and to one guy about my Tough Mudder experience… I was wearing my shirt… He was thinking about doing soon.
After dinner I did my laundry for the first time this week… it was in real need.
I went to bed around 10:30.

I got up around 6 and packed my stuff on my bike. Hotel breakfast. I wanted to get to Sikeston today which I estimated to be around 85 miles so I wanted to get an early start. I headed out around 8:00 and went north on 78. I was told it would get flat but early on the hills were hitting me hard. It was hot and humid and every hill got harder and harder. Started to wonder if I had set to big a goal. But, just like that, one last long coasting hill that was seriously about a mile or more long, and it was flat. Now came the Trudging… no more coasting… Not sure if I prefer the hills or the flat yet. I took a break at Tiptonville before heading on. Some you may not know this but one of the biggest earthquakes in US history was recorded in this area in the mid 1800s. It was so powerful it shifted the ground and th river causing it to change course momentarily. The river flooded its banks and formed what is now Reelfoot Lake. I made it to the Boarder at about 11am. The trudging continued… now on road 94. After what seemed like an eternity, and 48 miles, I finally made it to Hickman. I stopped at THE local diner and got the special. For only $5.69! It was homemade and good. After my rest, I headed to the Hickman Ferry at the edge of town. It was already pulled up and ready to go so I didn’t even need to wait. I just rode on, payed my $2 and away we went. It only took about 15 minutes to get across about a mile. I was told that had I been here a week ago, the river would have been about 20 feet higher. You could see the evidence of this along the shore. It is crazy how much water can flood the Mississippi. Once on the other side, I was in another state again. That makes three in one day… not bad! Now on hwy 77 north to 80 west. The roads in Missouri where newly paved but no shoulder which was fine since I didn’t see more than 5 or 6 cars in the next 30+ miles. Nobody lived out here, all the houses and buildings where empty for miles and it became clear that even though i was several miles from the river, this area had in recent years flooded to about 10 feet in places. I found out later that this was only a couple years earlier before the Corp. built a new levee. They also condemned living on the other side and forced everyone out. Those who still live there do so at their own risk. I made it to East Prairie at about 4:30 and stopped to take a break. I still had about 24 miles to go to reach Sikeston. I was informed that the PRCA rodeo was in town and the hotels may be full but because I had no reception to check around, I decided to go for it and figure it out there. For some reason I got a burst of energy as I pushed on. I was averaging almost 17mph for the last 20 miles. Heading north on Hwy 61, I made it to Sikeston at about 7pm and stopped t the hotel. They had plenty of rooms… Fri. night was full. I settled in, took a shower and headed the half mile down the road to where everyone has been telling me to go since I announced I would be in Sikeston. Lamberts Cafe. Home of the throwed role.  Why have I never been here before? This place is great! I went back to the room. My odometer said 99.7 miles… Not a bad day! Went to bed at about 10.

I got up around 6 and packed my gear. After saying goodbye, I headed off again around 7:30. I set my sights on Dyersburg as my destination for the day. Only 75 miles.
Headed up 51 again. Traffic was a little busy but there was a small shoulder to ride.
Made it to Covington for lunch without rain… its like I’m Moses parting the sea… it seems to keep raining on either side but not where I am…
After Covington the road opened up and for the first time on this trip I had a nice place to ride.

Took a DQ break in Ripley TN. Still no rain…

I pushed on and made it to Dyersburg around 7pm. I looked up and what is the first sight I see?… Yes!

Ate my diner and went a block down the road and got a room.
I was tired so I went bed around 10pm.

I left the hotel around 8:30 and once again made my way up 51. The traffic started to get a little heavier but still tolerable. I was only about 25 miles to Graceland.

Made it over the border and to Graceland around noon. I locked up my bike and walked around a bit. Elvis weeks starts on Friday so there were already a lot of people around… especially foreigners from Germany… Stopped to eat… again…
Oh, look who just pulled in!… Limo went around back…

Haven’t seen or heard from Elvis though…
Got ahold of a friend of a friend in Memphis who agreed to let me stay the night. I couldn’t meet him till after work at 6 so I had time to wast.
I rode into Memphis and rode down to the river front. There was a park and history center there so I spent most of my time there.

There was even a full length miniature scale Mississippi River. I rode that in about 15 minutes.

After riding around a bit, I decided to head toward the house. About half a mile from the house I hit a pothole and blew a tire. Decided to just walk it there and fix it later.
I got there at 6 and we chatted for a while. He needed to go back to the hospital for a few hours but offered to drop me off down town.
I took a quick shower and took the ride. Decided to hit up some BBQ.

Hit up Rendezvous BBQ. Best in town according to the travel channel.
After I was done, I decided to try Gus’s Chicken only a few blocks away. Got there 5 minutes after close…
Went down to Beale St… Its kind of like Bourbon St in New Orleans…

Live music, street performers… Walked up and down the street for about an hour before getting picked back up.
My total ride for the day was about 55 miles.

Went to bed about 10:30.

After a week of testing my bodies ability to handle abuse, I decided to take a day off… well kind of… I had wanted to get to Memphis this week but it was still over 100 miles away. I didn’t think it wise to should push myself that far without taking a day to recover.
I did however want to make a little progress, so I booked a cheaper room 30 miles away in Grenada.
The breakfast offered at the Hotel was much like a gas station pit stop so I went next door again to the Huddle House and had a plate of Hash-browns with everything and coffee.

I packed my bike and headed out around 11:00. I couldn’t check in until 3pm so there was no need to rush.
I made good time stopping once for some fried chicken at a gas station around noon in Duck Hill. Two pieces of chicken and fresh honey glazed biscuit just $2.69!
The Main Street was mostly a ghost town, as many of the small towns i have ridden through have been. A sign of once thriving community now lost in time…

I made it to Grenada at 1:15 and dropped my bags at the front desk since my room was not available yet. I headed accross the road to Walmart to wast time for a while.
As soon as I walked into Walmart a realized I was now one of those “people of Walmart”… wearing my bike shorts, yellow jersey, and bike shoes. I had to laugh to myself as I kept catching old people just out of church for the morning and dressed to the 9s, starring at me when they didn’t think I could see. Apparently not a big biking crowd in this part of the world…
I got back to the Hotel and checked in. Spent about 2hrs just doing nothing and watching T.V. … Anchor Man was on…
Spent some time mapping out my next couple of days and then headed next door to a restaurant called the Lost Pizza. Probably now my favorite pizza place… I had their El Diablo pizza… BBQ chicken and jalapeño.

I got back to the room just in time to face time live with the Exchange service at church back home for a short interview.
Spent the rest of the evening relaxing and updating this blog! It has been an enjoyable day of rest. Tomorrow we continue onward and upward!

As morning rolled in, so did all the early morning fishermen. First boat went in around 5:30am.
I got up round 6 and packed my gear. I had determined that my best route would take me up the Natchez Trace about 40 miles to Kosciusko then onto Hwy 35 to Vaiden and Hwy 51 again.
The ride was nice, shaded, and flat all the way to Kosciusko and there really wasn’t much to see. The temp has been averaging in the mid 90’s and humid.

I stopped and ate fajitas at the Rodeo Family Mexican Restaurant before jumping off the Natches Trace onto 35.

The rest of the day was more rolling hills but not bad. I stopped in Vaiden for an AC break at a small Piggly Wiggly and talked to the clerk and one of the local football coaches for a minute. apparently school starts in a week here and the coaches just started football camp for 70+ boys. They where picking up a truck load of meat to feed them three meals a day… They take their football seriously down here!
I had booked a cheep room in Winona and I arrived there about 6:30 to check in.
It was a 77 mile day but I made good time.
Took a cold shower to cool me down and then walked next door to the Huddle House Restaurant… kind of like the Waffle House but a bigger menu… Had a mushroom swiss burger and a salad.
No pictures to show today… pretty boring.
Went to bed around 10:30 after finally figuring out word press and getting some posts updated.