Mood:  a-ok

As predicted, we all arose early. We had breakfast, loaded the bikes and were on the street by 7:30 AM.

I don't know what I expected at this point, but it sure wasn't what I saw.  Downtown St. Louis was wonderful!  The architecture was neat!  As I stopped at a stop light in front of Busch Stadium I listened to a tape of Hank Aaron getting a hit.  Seeing St. Louis made me want to come back again for a longer visit. 

There is a bike/pedestrian walkway on one side of the bridge.  It was a little narrow, and when I yelled "Wide Load coming" at two walkers, they had to sqeeze themselves to the wall to give me room.  Jim and Diana led me to almost the halfway point over the Mississippi River, then we took commemorative photos, said our farewells and parted.  They were a wonderful host and hostess.

It was going to be a long day today if I rode all the way to Mt. Vernon, Illinois.  It was about 85 miles, not a distance that I was excited about, but I was excited about meeting up with Karen's cousin, Jack Ingersol. 

Jack, a retired commercial airplane pilot, had been following my trip through my journal, and he decided that he would like to be a small part of it.  So, leaving his home in Bloomington, MN, he drove all the way to Mt. Vernon, IL.  He will drive along my route as a support vehicle, carrying my gear, scouting out good eats, providing cold water and treats for breaks, and just being good company.  He will start his return to Minnesota late Sunday afternoon.  You just can't imagine how grateful I am for his driving all of the way down here.

There is one highway that starts just after the Eads Bridge, and goes all the way to Mt. Vernon.  As long as I watched the highway signs, it would be hard to get lost (though past experience has determined that a certain amount of awareness is helpful).  Around 9 AM I found a Denny's, and had breakfast #2.  Lunch, around 2:15 PM, was in Nashville.  Yes, weight is slowly starting to come back on.

I was expecting very hilly country in southern Illinois, and was pleased to find it relatively level.  Southern Indiana has much hillier terrain than this, but I am grateful for the difference.  The hills will come soon, certainly in Kentucky.  This terrain reminds me of northern Indiana, where I was born and raised.  Lush fertile soil.  Corn well over 8' high.  It is a gorgeous sight.

Finally, I entered the Mt. Vernon city limits.  I got here before Jack.  My odometer confirmed that I had traveled 85 miles.  Since several interstate highways bisect this town, there were lots of housing options.  We got adjoining rooms at the Quality Inn.  My motel choices seemed to have gotten a little classier (This is a relative term.  Those that have been following my journal know that I know motels in low places) but I'm sure that will change once I am in rural Kentucky. 

Tomorrow, we will set off early for Shawneetown.  It is a small town close to the Kentucky state line (I guess it's also the Illinois state line).  Isn't it interesting that I can traverse Illinois in two days.  Kentucky will take well over a week.

Will McMahan