State no 4, with photos to prove it!
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| Missouri welcomes you. State no 4! |
Crossing the Mississippi was quite a landmark for me, as I am now officially in the Mid West. Like the Ohio River, it's a grand sight. And here in Missouri there are reminders that this area was once colonised by the French - county names like Ste Genevieve and St Francois.
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| The Mississippi, between Illinois and Missouri |
Oddly, some of their roads here are identified by letters not numbers. In quick succession I met Route M and Route C, so inevitably the Bond theme started going round and round in my brain (it's not easy to cycle to!).....
Illinois, with only 3 days of riding was a lot shorter than Virginia (11 days) and Kentucky (9), and Missouri will be only 6 - then I will be on the flatlands of Kansas (for 9 days) before getting to Colorado. So there is a sense of progress. I am about a third of the way across this great country (1378 miles out of 4000, and 25 riding days out of about 70). As for climbing, I have a new unit of measurement, an 'Everest'. With over 66,000 feet climbed I have done more than two Everests, out of a probable five or six to complete.
Two days ago I had my first serious RAIN, a (to me) big thunderstorm. I realised I had never before been out on my bike in a thunderstorm. It was a bit scary, in truth. At times the lightning and thunder were almost simultaneous; the wind and rain were lashing; and it was incredibly dark. I kept remembering warnings not to shelter under a tree - and I mused idly as to whether the rubber in my tyres would insulate me from a lightning strike. Happily it only lasted about 45 minutes. (I said above that this was a big thunderstorm 'to me'. That's because a local guy in the convenience store where I drippingly had a warming cup of coffee told me that was a "light" storm. Inevitably, when you are having a slightly tough time, there's always someone around to make you feel worse!).
Soon after that, at my next convenience store stop, I fell into conversation by chance with a guy who turned out to be Amish. (He was driving a tractor that day, hauling rocks in a trailer for a wall he was building - but usually he would use a buggy for transport.) He was very friendly, and even said 'yes' when I asked if exceptionally I could take his picture. As for testing my previous expectations of the Amish, I noticed he had a slightly Germanic accent. Also he has 5 children, confirming the point I made in an earlier Post about their large families. All in all, it was an unexpected and happy encounter.
Have also begun to encounter eastbound TransAm cyclists (who can't really start from the west coast until mid- to late-April because of the weather. It is always cheering to meet them, as I am reminded it is actually possible to cycle the whole way (you discern lingering self-doubt in me...).
Yesterday turned out to be a hard day for cycling - no obvious reason (apart from a steady headwind), but a reminder that when you're cycling there are days when it does all seem hard-going. Still, it was the only one in 25 days to date, so I mustn't complain.
Maybe it's just those States that I have been in, but I observe that forest is never far away from the roads I am on. And this is pretty virgin forest, a reminder that lots of this country is still essentially wilderness, in a way that Europe - at least those parts that I know, like Britain and France - simply aren't. For example, I am sure that the woodland I am looking out on now has never ever been cleared.
Other nature notes. I observe new species of birds, as I get further west (if I can find a small guide to American birds, I shall buy it). Honeysuckle hardly seen here, but other lovely wildflowers on the roadside. Fewer turtles (though sadly I pass some that haven't made it across the road). A deer let me photograph it on a cycle track today....
More names too. Today I passed huge heaps of iron ore waiting to be loaded onto the railroad. This was in a place called Iron Mountain, in Iron County (subtle naming there!)...... A few days ago I spotted a sign saying "Turkey Run Estates". Very puzzling. Do the turkeys manage the estates? Or do they have a free run in them? Or what? I still haven't worked it out two days later.... You see how profoundly I reflect on big philosophical questions while I am cycling.
More news in a couple of days. Till then, thanks for following these musings and for all your support.
All best wishes, Ken
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