The Katy Trail and Great Rivers Route

 

 

 

A handful of days ago, after visiting with family in Oklahoma, we got things rolling again with a day and a half spent on the Katy Trail heading East across Missouri. It was nice to trade the road for a nature trail, if only for a short spell. The trail parallels the Missouri River, oftentimes through a green tunnel of thick vegetation, every ten miles or so passing through very small old towns dating back to the early 1800's.

Unfortunately, it had to be done sooner or later, we said our goodbyes to the Katy Trail and turned North to follow the Great Rivers route. After two days spent riding on an old flat railroad bed looking up at all the hills surrounding us we were introduced to the real Missouri....hills, hills, and more hills. Shorter climbs, but very steep and one right after the other. Turned out to be two of the most physical trying days of the trip thusfar, which involved actually walking our bicycles up one ridiculously steep hill late in the day, however, we did get our first look at the Mississippi River. 

Shortly thereafter, after first hanging out where Mark Twain spent his childhood, Hannibal, MO, we crossed the river and entered Illinois. No poses of excitement here, as the only way across was the expressway (don't worry parents it had a very wide shoulder as you can see).

 Since our first sighting of the Big Muddy heading north the river and surrounding landscape continues to become more and more beautiful. We've been alternating between riding right beside the river, literally, to turning just a bit inland to cruise through what appears to be very healthy and fertile farmland. Fields of corn and soybeans as far as the eye can see. Also, passing a handful of really cool ancient barns and old grain silos, still standing, which makes it easy to imagine the heartland of yesteryear. 

The first bit of our trip everything was so new, as neither of us had ever traveled by bicycle before...."We're riding our bikes across the country!" Hitting the two month point in our adventure days, or moreso parts of days, have the potential to become a tiring grind. However, we've found this to be the reaccuring case without fail....whenever either of our spirits start to get even the least bit downtrodden there's always something around the next corner to restoke the fire....a beautiful stretch of road, a great meal your body's starving for, that hour of perfect golden light late in the day, or a good laugh shared. Riding like we are is physically hard, however, it's definitely more of a mental thing; often a test of your frame of mind and patience. A large fraction of the time you're dealing with something whether it's the wind, rain, a soft sticky blacktop road late in the day, no shoulder with traffic, traveling without detailed maps for a week thanks to a certain company and a seemingly unintelligent sales manager....we won't name names (Patrick at Adventure Cycling Association). It's up to you how you deal with the little things. If it's windy you can think "THIS WIND SUCKS!" all day, or you can happily deal with it and be thankful it's not raining. 

But anyways, this time we leave you along the Mississippi in the small town of Nauvoo, IL. A land thought unsettleable by all in the 1800's due to swampy conditions....at least until Joseph Smith (the said prophet who founded the Mormon church) and his followers were chased out of Missouri. They created this settlement and town of Nauvoo along with a beautiful temple which was over population 15,000 at one time...that is until a certain group, again we won't name names, (Christians) killed Joseph and chased his people out of the area. One thing we're learning on this ride across the country is the Christians were a tough crowd to hang with back in the day. Today's our last day heading North along the Mississippi, then we shall turn East once again along the Northern Tier.