JULY 8 LAND OF LINCOLN

We rode out of Kirksville this morning with the town's newest celebrity. He was interviewed by the press last night at our hotel, and this morning the photographer showed up early to "shoot" action shots on the bike, and by the "Kirksville Welcomes You" sign. He even shaved for the occasion. It was Mason--and the press was interested in his charity bike ride for the Army Emergency Relief fund. Rightly so!

He and the rest of us quickly settled into the task at hand...a 97 mile ride to Quincy, Illinois through the "land of 1000 hills". We had all expected a flat day--only 660 feet of elevation gain we had been told. NOT SO, apparently that was last year's figure on the route. This year the route changed because the new bridge over the Mississippi River does not allow bicycle traffic. We were therefore diverted to different roads which added 25 miles to our trip and ran right through the 1000 hill country to the ferry crossing in Canton, MO. BIG DIFFERENCE-- We now had essentially a century ride with 50 miles of steep rolling hills. OH!, I forgot to mention that we had the wind in our face, it was raining, and much of the pavement was rough for a good period of time. We were not happy campers!

Our hilly route

Nine hours later we arrived in Quincy, Illinois ("The Gem City"), riding into town on historic Maine Street. Marvelous mansions on this tree lined street were built during the city's affluent period from 1850 to 1930, when Quincy was the most prominent river town in Illinois. A wide variety of architectural styles at 16th and Maine led the National Geographic Society to name it as one of the 10 most architecturally significant corners in America. Truly beautiful buildings.

Our rides and riding style have been a little different now that we are cycling during the Tour de France. We all watch what we can of the Tour on TV and talk about what they are doing. It makes our climbs a little more competitive. It makes getting passed a little harder to take. If a couple of people break out of our file formation or "peloton", it is usually not for long, as the peloton goes harder and eventually catches up. It is a little more competitive and a lot moe fun.

We stopped at a small feed store in Williamstown (at the 50 mile mark) tired and HUNGRY. They sell feed and seed and farm hardware, but we spotted a rack of candy bars while riding by. The store's sales figures soared today--and we got some helpful advice from a farmer. He told us about another road they all take to the ferry when transporting grain. With AbB's approval we had a quick route change--a few less hills, maybe a few more miles--to the river crossing. We will be riding 400 miles in 4 days, so a few less hills seemed important to us.

Crossing the Mississippi into Illinois

Crossing the Mississippi River into Illinois--our 7th state--was in many ways a milestone in our trip. We are in the midwest, moving fast, and with only 3 weeks remaining.

Dennis and Joyce crossing the Mississippi

With the bikes cleaned, a BIG Chinese buffet dinner under our belts, and a good night's rest, we'll be off in the morning for Springfield on another century ride.

         - Bill

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