The "Holy" Bike Trip: Muscatine to Des Peres , the Wisdom of Mark Twain, Stan from Oregon , and Iowa's Hills

Last winter,  my younger sister Mary Ellen invited me to join her on a May '24  bike trip along the Mississippi Great River Road. Considering that  at the age of Seventy -Five was daunting to me. The last time I had attempted a multi-day ride was our "Tour De Thumb" five years ago. Prior to that , I had ridden 250+ miles on  the DalMac in 2011 from Lansing to Mackinac City. Several questions roiled around my brain ....  

Could I ride a bicycle 300+ miles?

Would I have the stamina to make it?

What preparations were needed?

Was this just a crazy notion?

Am I in denial about the limitations faced by this old baby boomer?

May 10, 2024 found Cathe and me camping in Muscatine Iowa awaiting the arrival of my sister , Mary Ellen during the middle of her "Holy Ride" from St. Paul , Minnesota to St. Louis Missouri. We celebrated

with wine and chili around the campfire with her lifelong friend Mary Lou from Oakland,  our sister Kathy and our part-time Sag Driver, Cathe. Mary Ellen and Mary Lou had been riding The River Road since May 2 , facing assorted flats, semi-trucks, bike breakdowns and long Wisconsin inclines. 

The actual Ride for me began the morning of Sunday May12 as we left downtown Muscatine along a beautiful Mississippi River bike trail.  The  rural landscape was sunny, flat and devoid of lots of traffic....A wonderful start . Semi Trucks were rare at the start of our trip, as were significant hills. My plan was to   

 ride 306 miles  to Des Peres, Missouri, camping along the way until Hannibal, then staying in motels after Cathe  headed to Des Peres,  lured by grandkids and our daughter  Molly's legendary hospitality.

Burlington, Navoo, Hannibal, Troy, Louisiana, Paynesville, St. Charles, Des Peres...hills , dales, water, gator aid, sore butt muscles and sweaty palms......

MARK TWAIN'S WISDOM.

BROUGHT THIS GUY SAFELY ACROSS A STATE HIGHWAY IN MISSOURI

We encountered phenomenal people along the way that renewed my faith  in people from all walks of life.....old or young, city or rural, red or blue..

*Semi truck drivers who would carefully slow down when approaching us bikers on two lane tracks.

*The 80 something angel who stopped her lawn mowing in Northern Missouri ,  told us to "rest on her wooden swing" and  fetched cold water prior to our tackling biggest hill we had yet climbed.

*Stan, the rural Oregonian at breakfast in  Troy who was visiting a midwest conference on sustainable living... concerned about his home town which was devolving away from community and toward isolation  unlike the potlucks and prayer meetings he had known in past years...FEAR OVER FAITH was how he described this wrongheaded approach...

As the miles piled up, I found myself stronger in body and in spirit. Long rides over flatlands and river cliffs generated a serenity not known otherwise.

The last two days were extremely hot and humid and challenged our resolve.

Crossing the Missouri River near the famous KATY TRAIL was certainly a Milestone.

ARRIVING IN DES PERES WAS MONUMENTAL!

THANKS, M. E.  !!