Welcome to MO

Sunday, July 16. Carlinville, IL to St. Charles, MO. On a day we knew was going to be hot hot hot, we got an early start for a change. We were still a little unsure about how far we would actually have to go, but I was confident it was within our capabilities. We were actually on our way before 7 this morning, a bright and clear morning, already sweltering in the open sun but still cool in the plentiful shadows.

An interesting feature of Carlinville is the Standard Addition, a large collection of Sears homes dating from 1918. Back in the day, Sears sold ready-made homes (some assembly required) through their catalogs; Standard Oil, needing more coal than they could already get at available mines, opened two mines in southern Illinois, one near Carlinville, and ordered a number of Sears houses to make available for the miners. It raised the population of Carlinville by 50%. After about a decade, Standard Oil decided it could buy coal cheaper than it could mine it and closed the mines, and the miners moved on, leaving the houses to fall into disrepair.

Most of the houses have now been restored; all but 4 of the original 518 houses are still there. Riding through the neighborhood early in the morning, amidst the trees and quiet streets, was a really nice start to the day. The Sears houses are all two-story homes and have unique architectural details, especially in the roof eaves and front porches; we got some pictures of a few models and will post them soon.

We had been warned about the hills on Shipman Road, and they are hills worthy of the name. I was thankful for having them in the morning while it was still cool.

We had to stop at a sign that 5 will appreciate; it was a street sign denoting "Blues Lane". We got some pictures of that, too. It was near a cornfield, which raised a conversation we'd been having about the economics of corn farming (see what bicycle touring can do to a person?). So, we have a number of questions now.

For one, how many ears of corn grow on a stalk? And, how many stalks fit in an acre? How much of what we are seeing is "feed corn", intended for cattle feed, and how much is for human consumption (corn on the cob, canned corn, popcorn, and so on)? How much does the farmer make on the various kinds grown? There's more, but you get the picture. I shudder to think what will happen when we get to Kansas.

When we stopped for lunch, it was just before 11 and the temperature was 92. We had both sucked down lots of the water we had started the day with and gladly replenished it at Fran & Marilyn's in downtown Jerseyville. We stood out in sharp contrast to the vast majority of the client�le, dressed for church; but we had the conversation with many of the folks there. We also got some good recon on our intended route to Grafton, where we would take a ferry to Missouri. We were alerted to the fact that we had some more hills ahead and could not avoid them, and that they were more severe than the ones we had pedaled earlier today. Otterville Road, as it is known, was indeed a challenge, but we were able to find solace in the shade of a great tree along the way, cooling off a little in the breeze. The water in my squirt gun had gotten regrettably warm and wasn't helping Nancy cool off any, so I took a good long sip from the icy water in my Camelback and spit a long stream at her. It helped, but not before a moment wherein I feared for my life.

We had been alerted, also, to the fact that a long downhill would take us into Grafton. True; it took about five minutes to make the full descent, through trees and rocky bluffs, to the riverside town. This is the area where the Illinois River meets the Mississippi River, and a little ways down from here the Missouri River joins the other two. As we rolled into town, we needed directions to the ferry, so we stopped at a shop on the corner to ask. They happened to be selling fresh peaches; we got two and ate them right by the river. They were so juicy and sweet with a little tartness, Nancy said they were just about perfect.

We also got to dangle our feet in the water for a little bit; the water was pretty warm, but still a nice distraction from the now 100-degree-plus heat. There were dozens of people out on boats and jet-skis, and traffic in and out at the boat ramp was steady. We finally saw the ferry coming in - a barge, being pushed by another boat, open on both ends with a hinged ramp that slides up on a ramp on the shore, so cars can drive on. This arrangement leaves a gap between the ramp and the body of the barge - it will become important in a moment.

We rode down the short gravel road to the ferry and rolled on with five cars. We stood at the front to catch the breeze and see where we were going; and as I spoke with the driver of one of the cars, Nancy remained at the front. Just moments before, a jet-ski had passed in front of the barge and left large wake-waves; one of them hit under the front of the barge just right and sent a spray up through the gap at the hinge, half-drenching Nancy. After the shock passed, she realized she was disappointed at only being half-drenched. By the time we reached the Missouri side, she was almost dry; the ferry ride is less than ten minutes.

I was under the impression that we would be put ashore some ways up the Mississippi River, but in fact the ferry went pretty much straight across. In retrospect, that makes sense, but I still didn't know quite where we were. Ultimately, we found ourselves on route 94, and guessed we should go west. It was marked as the Lewis and Clark Historic Route, and we got a picture of the sign to post later. We had to ask directions but found we had chosen wisely, since west took us to St. Charles.

Tomorrow, we will begin riding the Katy Trail. Camping along the trail is not generally allowed, and the accommodations that are available seem to be B&B's - not sure why. We intend to get to McKittrick tomorrow, some 62 miles from here. We will again start early to beat the heat.

Tour de France note: the angel who helped us in Denver, PA, Sandy, sent us a note about Floyd Landis contending for the win in the Tour. He is from that area of Pennsylvania, raised a Mennonite; in fact, the very shop where Sandy took me to get Nancy's trailer tire fixed has several Floyd Landis items on their wall, and it turns out that early in his career he rode for the team at that shop. Thanks for the note, Sandy; we'll keep rooting for Floyd!