Day 15 - ending at Granite City, IL - Downstate Illinois

July 21, 2025

Day 15 - ending at Granite City, IL

At 12:58am this morning a breeze picked up. It felt wonderful! At 1:32am there were sprinkles that turned into rain with wind. Some lightening and thunder later on. It rained all night! The tent performed well. I didn't have to attend to any leaks.

Checking the weather radar this morning, it looked to me that there might be a break, then more for the rest of today. That break arrived at 7:40am, so I packed up, then covered the rear cargo with plastic. I had all the other rain gear (rain coat, rubber boots, and front basket plastic bag) handy for when it did start again.

I filled my gallon water jug from the camp's five gallon cooler, then sent a text to Ryan thanking him for his hospitality. He'd even texted me last night asking if I'd like a chair. I was enjoying sitting on the nearby farm trailer, so told him not to bother.

I was on my way at 9:28am. Just 37 miles to my destination today: the KOA in Granite City. The first morning riding would be country roads, then city roads including some riding on IL-3. I was on the MRT some today, but did divert later to try riding on a levee close to the river.

I got to see a bald eagle this morning, sitting high in a long-dead tree. That was cool.

Soon I was at a Shell station in Columbia buying Gatorade. When I left I had to pay close attention to both my GPS units to get through on the highway roads. The restaurant I'd hoped to eat at in Dupo was closed, so I continued on.

Noon arrived just as I pulled into the picnic table area for Sawmill BBQ Restaurant on IL-3 in Cahokia Heights. 19.2 miles done.

I went inside to eat. Their special on Mondays is Philly Brisket. So I went with that along with baked beans and potato salad. It was a very good meal, but there was so much, it took me a while to eat. I was at a table with an outlet and they also have wifi, but I didn't have anything ready to upload. But, I was able to check the weather radar. I was wondering where the rain was. None around here at the moment!

It wasn't too long after I left that I detoured to get close to the river. That brought me to the Mississippi River Overlook structure. I wasn't planning to walk to the top, but I did. Pretty nice view from there of the Arch in St Louis. After that I followed a bike trail on the east side of a road, then turned left to get on the levee. That worked out well for a while, then I got to a section where the road was so rough with washboard bumps, I was thinking I should have just stayed with the MRT routing. However, I got through OK, and saw lots of river activity along the way.

I was now on a Madison County Transit (MCT) trail at 2:47pm, but only for a while. I needed to detour on other roads to get to the KOA.

At 4:05pm, I was taking a break under the shade of a tree on the side of Century Road at its intersection with 27th Place. After a car passed, $5 bills were flying all over the place! I picked up five of them before I realized what they were - fake money used in the movie business, at least that's what's printed on them.

I arrived at the KOA after 4:30pm. The check-in employees said they had 3 inches of rain here last night, and some of the tent camping sites are soggy. They recommended I select a site in one of the drier areas. I liked site T2, and would like it even more if they'd allow me to set up my tent under the nearby pavilion. They said sure. There's only a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms overnight, but last night was enough for me, for a while, anyway.

I'm surprised how many other tent campers are here. Of course they all arrived in vehicles, but still, it's so hot.

I used my early arrival to get the tent and ground cloth dried out some, then took a shower. It's cooling down a little now. I'll be able to sleep soundly, rain or no rain.

Jeff

They're pumping out this flooded road. Not too deep to bicycle through.

I was going to check out McKinley Bridge Roadside Park, but this was the way to it.

Today's ride: 36 miles (58 km)
Total: 628 miles (1,011 km)

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