Biking: 61 miles.
Today was surprisingly good despite a few minor reroutes and berm issues. The weather is cooler, and today was overcast. It’s the first day that really felt like fall.
We started the day riding the last 15 miles of the Katy Trail from St. Charles to the end in Machens, MO. Our RWGPS told us to pass this last trailhead and continue onto the road. But, unfortunately, that led to private property. So after getting a picture and ringing the bell at the trailhead, we turned around and rode back down the trail about a mile to catch a road that circled back to today’s route.
St. Charles is just northwest of St. Louis. Riding north of the city, we crossed the Old Chain of Rocks Bridge over the Mississippi and into Illinois.
On the other side of the bridge we caught the first of many great commuter trails that run from St. Louis out to the northeast suburbs and beyond. It’s a well-maintained set of trails managed by Madison County.
We rode on the levy along the Mississippi for a while before taking a few roads and hopping back onto the trails near Edwardsville, where we stopped for wood-fired pizza for lunch. Delicious.
After lunch, we had just 20 more miles to go to Highland, and 12 of the miles were on the smooth commuter trails.
We were sad to get off the trail and back onto the road after a great experience traveling this way through the outskirts of St. Louis. We found the shoulders on the roads to be rough or non-existent for the last bit of our ride, and with traffic, including trucks, traveling by at high speeds, it was a nail biter.
But, we made it to Anita and Mark’s hotel. Brian met us there and drove me to the campground. Another great day on the bike seeing more the country and appreciating just how different the states can be.
Tomorrow we continue in Illinois, which I learned today is the second flattest state in the Union (after Florida). Loving those flat roads.
RWGPS for today:
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