We left our cottage at about 7:15 this morning and immediately crossed the Mississippi on the beautiful Bill Emerson bridge, named after a long time congressman from the area. It was the third time (I think) we've crossed it on the trip, but notable because we will not see the Mississippi again until we reach … Continue reading Day Thirteen: Cape Girardeau to Golconda, Illinois

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 ended yesterday by showering and walking across a busy highway to a Mexican restaurant where margaritas were half price. Strangely, given all the calories we are burning - about 4,000 during the biking portion of the day - our appetites aren’t great. We had good meals but didn’t finish them and I didn’t finish … Continue reading Day Eleven: Troy to St. Louis (but not by bike)

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

This will be short and uninteresting. We woke up refreshed after our day off and started packing up. As I brought our bags out on the porch, I suddenly realized that Lisa's back tire was flat again - for the fourth time in seven days. (Don't worry, I didn't swear - or cry.) I got … Continue reading Day Nine: Hannibal, redux

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