Cape Girardeau to Metropolis, IL 65 Miles

After a day of rest in Cape Girardeau, to get legs back and erase the memory of that gawdawful picture of me, I was off to the next third of this trip. And what a wonderful day to ride. Warm, but not hot, the wind behind my back part of the way, just a couple of hills and then almost flat farmland up and around pasture, small country homes, yards filled with farm equipment I could not even begin to describe and as always, dogs who continue in the belief they own the road generally 50' on either side of the frontage of their yard.

Crossing over the Mississippi River on an interstate highway is always a liitle tricky. Although there is about a 6 foot shoulder, the bike is still smaller and slower than the trucks and cars which are wizzing by at 60 miles an hour! Trust in a higher being, trust in the other driver paying attention to the guy on the bike dressed in orange and yellow and concentration make for an interesting few minutes.



That is the approach to the bridge just east of the Cape. Notice the marked shoulder. It is that wide all the way across and beyond...

And just to make sure we all know I made the crossing, the Mississippi River looking south towards Memphis, New Orleans, Cuba and Venezuela. Sorta.



Just on the Illinois side of the river - can I EVER get out of Illinois? - is this prime piece of industrial real estate.



"Prime Industrial Site. Railroad siding sometimes doubles as a lake. Occasional increase of adjacent lake size".

Somewhere toward the end of the day, near Karnak, IL, where I intended to camp for the evening, I stopped in at Wilson's Food Mart to inquire about camping facilities. A very nice lady, Channie Anderson, listened patiently to what I needed, where I intended to go and how I was going to get there. Soon, I had my maps spread out all over their check-out counter and Channie had her mother, Peggy Wilson and another employee, Andra Jackson, all re-directing me to a different route for the next couple of day.

It would save me two days in the hills - thank God - and a bunch of miles. It did mean that I would have to pedal an additional 20 miles yesterday, but I would wind up in Metropolis, near an interstate crossing over the Ohio River and place me in Padukah, KY today.



Here's a picture of Peggy Wilson and her Food Mart, Pizza and Deli in downtown Karnak! Thank you Peggy, et al.

It was a day of meeting more wonderful folks along the way as I stopped occasionally and asked for directions. A really nice couple, he, now retired after 30 years working on the railroad and his wife, the daughter - as she said, "A railroad brat", of parents whose lives were tied to the iron horse. We talked as I rested in their driveway and later, an hour or so, met up with them again when we crossed at a country intersection on my way to Karnak.

I did have one of the more interesting lunches on this trip. Without naming the place, it was very likely one of the worst meals I've ever eaten. Ever. The pulled pork tasted like it had been "pulled" off the highway earlier in the day. Not to dismay. The Cole Slaw was worse and the french fries were almost not edible. It would not have surprised me after lunch as I rode away to see the local dog, "Lucky" get hit by a truck!

Outside of Wilson's Food Mart, I started talking with an older fellow, all dressed up in a pantssuit and fedora. He asked if he should "Get one of those things", referring to my bike. Seems he needs to get around as he shops for groceries and the like. He allowed as how he "Had just visited his wife down at the cemetary". When I asked how old he was, "89"! When I asked how long he and his wife had been married, "79 years. Pretty good, don't you think?". He still misses her so, and visits her everyday. Hang in there, sir, you are one of a kind!

Just a couple of other things this morning. I saw this and thought it would do well to reinforce my sense that red is the color of choice for pickup trucks.



A twofer...

For those who called or emailed alarmed at how awful I looked in that self portrait -there were many - below is how I look after I get a shower and some food.



You buy that? Naw, that's superman in the park in Metropolis, IL, watching out over the town square and seeing that evil is held in check.

I pedaled out of Metropolis this morning, across another interstate bridge, this time over the Ohio River, will finish this post and then head south and west over the Tennessee River and on to tonights stop in Kentucky. I am sure there are lyrics to some song familliar to Kentuckians, but the smell of honeysuckle fills the air outside. It is a beautiful smell, sweet and sticky in this heat. It reminds me of my home in Hollywood growing up as a kid, where my grandmother used honeysuckle on the fences around our yard. On warm spring nights I could lay in bed and smell a mixture of the honeysuckle and night blooming Jasmine. Heaven!