Day 20 - May 1 - Cape Girardeau, MO to Chester, IL - Crossing the T.....Part One

Day 20 - May 1 - Cape Girardeau, MO to Chester, IL

In the Eagle’s Nest

John’s Story

I finally got to sleep last night at 2:00 a.m. Something I ate disagreed with me and had my stomach tied up in knots. I was okay this morning, but now as I work on the journal in the late afternoon I’m trying not to fall asleep.

Judith and Heinzie fed us breakfast then sent us off. One of the last things she told us was that most people call her Judy. Well, too late. She’ll always be Judith to me. She invited us to come back anytime, even if we were driving. Bring our wives.

We spent most of the day in the almost flat floodplain of the river. After 22 miles of riding my GPS told me we had climbed 27’ of hills. The river bluffs were lurking in the distance, waiting for us.

Just as we left Judith told us that the locals never ride their bikes on Illinois Highway 3, but take back roads. Too late again. IL 3 was our route for most of the day.

We crossed the Mississippi River onto IL 146, and it has a nice wide shoulder. We turned north onto IL 3, which for the rest of the day had either no shoulder or a narrow shoulder separated from the traffic lane by deep rumble strips, which was not easily rideable. Traffic was heavy, and we were constantly moving from the traffic lane to the shoulder and back as vehicles approached from behind. Finally we decided to stay in the traffic lane unless vehicles were coming from both directions at once such that those approaching from behind couldn’t move over to pass. That worked best.

Perhaps 24” of shoulder between the rumble strip and the drop off to gravel. We found that vehicles moved all the way into the other lane when passing if we were in the traffic lane, but blew closely past us if we were on the narrow shoulder. It was safest to stake a claim to our lane.

There were many construction zones on the route today. The first few had flagmen at each end. We would pass all the waiting cars to go up to talk to the flagman so he knew we were there. Then we’d let all the cars pass us before we set out through the zone. If we didn’t make it to the other end before the opposing traffic was set loose, we either pulled off the road or rode in the lane being worked on.

Image not found :( — When we stopped to talk to this flagman Ed addressed him as sir. The indignant reply, “I’m not a sir, I’m a woman.” Oops. I guess Ed needs some remedial voice and body shape discrimination training. Flagman Shawna laughed it off. I told her once today’s journal was published she’d be famous.

To Ed’s credit he knew right off that this flagman was a guy. The beard gave him away I guess.

There were also several one lane construction zones with a traffic light at each end. They were easy to negotiate as they were each just the length of a bridge.

To get to the only store on the route today at Grand Tower we had to leave IL 3, head toward the river and ride along the top of the levee for a way. It was our first recognizable hill of the day. The store wasn’t much, but they did make sandwiches, so I had a chance to buy my lunch for later consumption.

Today’s token flora. These irises were growing in the ditch between the road and a railroad track for a distance of a quarter mile or so. I’m guessing they’re not wild but escaped from someone’s garden.

Backhoes and other construction equipment mounted on special rail cars. I’ve never seen such a thing. We were passing some sort of railway maintenance facility.

We passed the largest collection of spare construction equipment parts I’ve ever seen. This is about 10% of what was stored along the road.

Our route took another jaunt off of IL 3 on what looked like a short cut of a big curve in the highway. It may have cut a little distance, but the roads were rough and gravelly farm roads (I guess some of the back roads Judith talked about). We were glad to get back to IL 3.

When we finally found today’s hills that led us to Chester, I noted that the river bluffs here were not wind blown loess hills as farther south. Here the Mississippi River actually cut through older rock to form its river valley.

The rock waits patiently to devour the unwary passerby like a sandworm on Dune.

At the end of our day, at the top of the hills, we found the lodge of the Fraternal Order of Eagles in Chester. They host a hostel for cyclists. I had been wondering why there is a bike hostel here. I discovered that the Transamerica Trail, probably the most popular crosscountry bicycle route, crosses the Mississippi River at Chester. The Transamerica Trail is the successor to the route of the BikeCentennial in 1976, that really kicked off today’s bicycle tourism industry.

The lodge has a great bar and restaurant. No that’s not a Busch Light I’m drinking. I’m enjoying a nice IPA from Sierra Nevada.

The hostel is very basic. A small building with foam mattresses on wooden bunks. A separate little shower house. A key to the men’s room of the lodge’s picnic pavilion. A few notches above Stalag 13, but inside, dry, air conditioned, here and free, and it comes with company to talk to in the lodge.

Ed’s Story

Judith had breakfast ready when we got downstairs. She had coffee, oatmeal (although I ate my own since I’m not into 3 minute or instant), homemade bread and jelly.

She brought out a full size bike pump we were able to check our tires with. After our final goodbyes we headed to the bridge and Illinois again. The one ferry tugboat we saw from the bridge was working overtime.

Tug boat pushing large load up the Mississippi…taken from top of Mississippi River bridge at Cape Girardeau.

It looks like some body doesn’t like their Christmas decorations anymore.There were at least two of these.

I have noted that not all counties make their roads’ shoulders or rumble strips the same. Our first road today the rumble strip had no breaks in; another one had breaks; another road had no shoulder. Just gotta play it as you see it.

I always thought the Mississippi River was the Big Muddy. I guess I was mistaken. If this is the Big Muddy, where is the Little Muddy?

We had to ride 30 miles before we found any type of convenience store and it wasn’t even on the main road. The OJ tasted great. But it was the last….no more non water drinks until our celebratory arrival beer in Chester.

The town of Grand Tower had the only store during our 65 mile ride.

We opted to follow the route through Gorham vice staying on the nice Hwy IL-3. The smoothness of the road went away and even at times, the pavement. The one plus, however, was the track repair porta-potties. Why carry them on a truck when they can ride the rails.

Another large Illinois town… population 300.

The porta potties are built on a frame that will roll on railroad tracks. I would love to see them moving down the way.

We eventually made it back to IL-3 and a side of the road lunch. 20 miles to go still on a relatively flat road.

For the first half of the ride we had a nice tailwind. As the ride progressed I could feel it pushing in my side. When I finally looked at the weather, the wind had changed and was from the west-southwest and we were now headed northwest. We felt it for at least 25 miles.

We ran into rolling hills at about the 58 miles point. They got worse the closer we got to Chester. We climbed one 200+ feet high with grades up to 8%. Granny gear got its workout and there were several stops on the climb to recover my legs.

Most of Chester is hilly as we found out working our way to the Eagles club and the Shady Rest bike hostel.

The Eagles club had a large variety of beer (Bud, Miller, Busch, Stag, etc). They did have an IPA on tap for John though. Although they didn’t have the craft beer I am used too, we learned on our ride last year that beggars can’t be choosers and to accept graciously.

We were given 3 keys for the hostel. One key unlocked the sleeping area; one key unlocked the shower area, which is in a different location; and a third key to unlock the bathroom, which also separate. So confusing.

Our bunkhouse at the Shady Rest Bike Hostel supported by the Chester IL Fraternal Order of Eagles.

Todays Ride:

The ride was flat until the last 5 miles and then we had a significant amount of climbing.

We talked to the locals in the club about our plan for tomorrow to go to Cahokia IL for the night. We opted to reserve a room at a Hampton Inn in Columbia IL instead. Every once in a while we deserve a nicer stay.

Tomorrow’s ride will then be around 60 (vice 68) and Fridays ride to St. Charles, MO will be 47 (vice 39).

Some more hills await us tomorrow but most of the ride will be flatter, maybe even with a tail wind.

Until tomorrow, happy biking!

Today's ride: 65 miles (105 km)
Total: 977 miles (1,572 km)

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Jane ChimahuskyA Hampton Inn? Really splurging with my inheritance now!
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