We used this as a driving day to get back on course, and went from St. Louis to Cape Girardeau three times because of the absence of one-way car rental drop off options through Enterprise and seemingly all rental car companies in this state. (Again the car leapfrog: drive down in one car, rent a … Continue reading Day Twelve: St. Louis to Cape Girardeau (by car)

We were up early this morning and eager to get on the road...by 7:15 we were packed and ready and on our bikes, and rode downtown to drop off the key to our lovely little AirBNB at a shop owned by our hosts. It felt SO GOOD to be out in the cool morning air, … Continue reading Day Ten: Hannibal to Troy, MO

Today was a rest day for us, and it was a relief. We received many kind messages of support after Dan's post yesterday about how hard the day was...and he wasn't really looking for sympathy, just trying to be honest about this experience. (And I am grateful to you all for your concern, and lovely … Continue reading Day Eight: Hannibal, MO

We are in our tent and ready to sleep after a long day (85 miles) of biking through rural Illinois. My hands are starting to regain feeling after gripping handlebars for most of the afternoon's ride along county highways, with fewer than six inches of shoulder and tons of trucks and vacation bound RVs on … Continue reading Day Six: Muscatine, IA to Dallas City, IL

So we started today with breakfast and coffee in the lovely river town of Marquette and climbed on our bikes and pedaled hard up yet another hill. Our route was to take us from there to Dyersville, IA, with a stop for lunch in Elkader. There was a little rain, and a constant wind, and … Continue reading Day Four: Marquette to … Iowa City

So we are warm and dry now after a day of biking in the rain. And in a cheap hotel room ... with our bikes. "We are content, and not in a tent," per my traveling companion. A persistent drizzle in the morning turned into a steady rain in the afternoon and we were cold … Continue reading Day Two: Frontenac to Winona