Day 2: Alton, IL, to Augusta, MO
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Day 2: Wednesday

Tm: 7:01:18
Dst: 89.41
Avg: 12.7
Mx: 33.7
Weather: "crummy"

The weather was crummy.  This morning when I got up and headed to breakfast at the Super-8, I felt like just giving up the idea of taking this trip.  It was cold, foggy, and raining.  But I started riding West out of Alton anyhow.  Soon, it felt o.k. as I warmed up, but it was still gloomy and wet.

I came upon Piasa Park (pictured above), just outside of town.  A "piasa" is a legendary man-eating bird that was frequently painted on cliffs by Native Americans.  There is a huge painting (a modern imitation) of one on the cliffs overlooking the Mississippi in this park.  There are also impressive caves there that make a biker feel very tiny.

As I arrived in Grafton (home of Raging Rivers Waterpark) the sun came out and the gloom departed.  It was as if the landscape changed from a dull black and white scene to one of vivid color.  Eagles or Hawks were soaring overhead, catching the updraft over the cliffs in the suddenly blue sky.  My mood followed the weather, and soon I was enjoying the ride.

All along the road here there are either bike lanes or separate paved paths, which is nice.  But it's early, and the paths are covered in mud, branches, and leaves.  As I cruised along, I pondered what I would do if I caught a branch in my spokes and had an accident.  Thankfully, it never happened.

In Grafton the Mississippi gave me some trouble.  The bike path in town, and a lot of the town itself, actually, is under water.  In this area three big rivers meet: The Illinois, Mississippi, and the Missouri.  With all the rain we've been having, that means flooding.  That flooding was to make the rest of my day problematic as well.

Soon I approached Pierre Marquette State Park, where I saw an interesting monument and stopped to snap some photos.  As I was taking pictures, some tourists  walked up and we chatted.

After the park, I arrived at the ferry docks where my map indicated I was to catch a ferry across the river.  After noticing a sign indicating the ferry was closed due to high water, I visited with the employees and figured out another route.  It turned out that I could take a ferry across the Illinois river into Calhoun County (which is the land point between these rivers, where they meet), as my map indicated I should.  But the Golden Eagle ferry across the Mississippi that would take me from Calhoun County into St Charles, to the South, was closed, so I would have to ride northwest through Calhoun County to catch the Winfield ferry and then ride south on highway 79 (hopefully with shoulders and light traffic) down to Saint Peters, MO, where I could (I assumed) keep going south through the mess of suburbia and eventually encounter the Katy trail, though I wasn't sure exactly how to get there.  Having devised that crazy plan, complete with pencil-drawn maps, I hopped on the ferry to Calhoun County.

The plan worked, except that highway 79 to O'Fallon and Saint Peters was quite busy.  I also had to stop at a gas station to buy a very detailed map of the suburban streets in the area to figure out which roads would take me south to the Katy trail, and thus reconnect me with my intended route.

But back up a bit.  Calhoun county is beautiful!  Rolling hills, agriculture (mature wheat already?) to the north, wetlands to the south.  The towns in Calhoun County were beautiful, and full of helpful locals who helped me draw maps and navigate my way to the Winfield ferry.  Soon I arrived at the ferry ($3 to cross on a bicycle, so have cash ready if you're biking).  As we crossed I saw a huge barge about to enter a set of locks -- I didn't know there were locks here.  The Mississippi is full of barges and lined with industry, I am noticing.

After crossing on the Winfield ferry, I stopped for a sub sandwich and a root beer at a gas station in Winfield, took a few snapshots, and then headed down busy highway 79, as I mentioned already.  Soon I was navigating crazy rush-hour traffic, a stark contrast from the peaceful roads I was on just a few hours earlier.  And then, suddenly, there it was!  The Katy Trail.  The trail, while not paved, is smoother than much of the pavement I've been riding on, it's flat, peaceful, quiet, and protected by trees (shade and no wind!). There was also an interesting railroad bridge.

Making it to the Katy trail made me happy, but I still didn't have time to waste.  It was almost 5:00 and I had a ways to go before reaching lodging and food.  I pedaled as fast I as could after 80 miles.  I was aiming for Defiance, though nobody was answering the phones in the various B&Bs there.  There was a restaurant open in Defiance, but I was worried about getting lodging.  So I continued on to Augusta, where I knew I could get some food (though they closed at 7, so I had to hurry) and lodging.  I hopped back on my bike and pedaled like mad for Augusta.  I checked into the beautiful Lindenhof B&B, showered, and made my way to Ashley's Rose Restaurant for some pork loin, potatoes, green beans, water, and coke.  Aaaah.  Delicious, and everything was reasonably priced, considering the quality.

After dinner I returned to the B&B and visited with three women who were staying there.  They all had many questions about my trip, about seminary, and about Catholicism.  We talked at length before I finally went to bed. 

Tomorrow I think I will do a shorter day, perhaps to Hermann.  Otherwise I need to do another 80 miles to find lodging.  But after today, I need a bit of a break.


©2009, Jason Signalness