Day 3

September 1, 2023

Portland - Defiance

Many downed trees throughout the trail, but trail maintenance was good.

Not all of the trail is a canopy of trees.

New hostel in town. Was not yet completed.

Only pleasure craft we saw. Everything else was commercial barge/dredging related.

Mural of sunflowers being worked on. The artist was working both times we passed by.

The hours of the Good News Brewing Co. seemed to cater to daylight activities. Closed at 8 pm. In another strange twist, the people working the counter were older than us!

Heavy dew and cooler temperatures required jackets this morning.

Trail is to the left, in the canopy of trees.

One more flat for Paul today, and additional Gorilla Tape on the saddle for Joe. we spent time in a limited shade area, patching two tubes, so we would be ready for the next one (which didn’t come).

Texted back and forth with The Bike Stop in St. Charles, and made sure we could find Joe a replacement saddle, and additional tubes for Paul, when we arrived on Day 4.

Breakfast was out of the grocery store on the highway to Hermann. Nothing special, just a resupply. Paul rolled over to the BP gas station and got a cup of “apparently coffee”. Needless to say, not a breakfast to remember.

Lunch in Treloar at the bar & grill. Best part of lunch was the ice cold air conditioning.

Our stop was Defiance, with camping at Beyond the Trail, and food from Good News Brewing Company. Finally, Joe & I found a pizza made with Udi’s gluten free crust. Besides local brews, they had an excellent cider on tap. The campground signup was online, and we shared the tent area with only one hiker who hung a hammock back in the most remote spot. The night would prove to be our coolest, with a temperature around 49-50, and the heaviest dew of the trip. Tent sites were lumpy and limited grass areas, with a restroom/ shower building and attached pavilion that was nice.

Today's ride: 60 miles (97 km)
Total: 196 miles (315 km)

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