Day 24

Tough to get out of a great bed! But had to be done, so that we could get a good breakfast before starting to Ride East. We wanted to get onto the road by 8.30am., but as usual certain bodies were not ready! However we did get going and first thing first we drove through St Louis and before we realized we were going over the great Mississippi and into Illinois – our next State. Over the bridge and onto the bikes, except Felipe started to pump up his front wheel and bang, he broke the metal part that goes into the tyre and into inner tube!! So we find a bike shop in Columbia and he gets it fixed, what a start! We had gone maybe two miles when Jack gets a puncture again! So back to the bike shop, that’s after waiting 45 minutes by the side of the road for Andriy to come back! Finally we are set to go and go we do. Route 3 is pretty pleasant, it called the Great River Road, Illinois, and I guess that it kind of follows the Mississippi, although we cann’t see the river. The ride today is not long, in fact just over 50+ miles, so we are not in a rush, which is great.

Into Red Bud – no it’s not a red Budweiser – I’m guessing that at some point the trees have red buds on them, or maybe in the past? It’s a decent road, although some of the time the bike path is narrow and there are some big lorries (truck for Americans), that seem to get close, but then the path widens again.

We did the 10 mile system with the van waiting for us, this worked well today and before we knew it we were at our camp site Fort Kaskaskia – which had once been the gateway city to the West, but was no more as it had been flooded by the Mississippi as it changed it’s course in 1881. An historic site, and as you entered the site the old Fort was on your left. Not really a Fort as we would know it, more grassy mounds that made a square and I guess protected the garrison that once lived there. Kaskaskia had been given royal status by Louis 14th of France, and as I’ve said became an important city when traveling to the West. You could see the Mississippi once you were onto the site. It was huge and very broad, and in flood. With fields on either side under water. You could see a huge barge struggling against the flow, and it didn’t seem to be making any headway at all going up stream.

Tent up and we went into Chester, the town that was our stop for this leg. The only place open for food was a Mexican restaurant. We went in and tucked in to some good grub.
Matches were the order of the night as we left the Mexican – Felipe and Angel always have a fire going at night, to keep the bugs away.

Sadly on hotel tonight, it was the ground for us. Back to reality! Which was the way that it would be for the rest of the Ride.

Good night.
BP