Chester, IL

Cycled 53 miles from Columbia to Chester. I took a slightly longer route to avoid a busy road and go Mississippi spotting. Sunny but with a breeze to keep me cool. I rescued one turtle on the road who was trying to cross and in danger of getting squished.

One of the best things about this trip is the pleasing random element. Chester is the home of Popeye - who knew I would go there! There are lots of signs with Popeye on.

A lot of the towns round here and the suburbs of St. Louis are influenced by the French colonial past. Below are a couple of pictures of a town called Red Bud so you can see the style of buildings. Also snapped a church in Chester and a rather cool barbers shop! There are several forts along the Mississippi which were held by the French and then usually the British in various skirmishes. The one I popped in on had only mounds of earth left.

You can see my luxury 'motel' for the night. It is owned by a charitable organisation called the 'Fraternal Order of Eagles'. Not to be confused with the Order of the Moose which is also a thing. The charity let hikers and cyclists stay for free in a little cabin. No one has tried to initiate me into a cult yet so I think it's alright. There is also a bar so I'm enjoying Mountain Dew and a book in the sunshine after an early start to beat the heat - though mid 20s today, very pleasant.

Grant's Farm

Myself, Corrie and Dana took a bike ride on a cycle path up to Grant's Farm. It was a treat to cycle without hauling all my luggage along with me. It's hot here though!

Grant's farm is the former home of president Ulysses S Grant and his family. There was a good museum and you could go round the site of the family home, kitchens and outbuildings. Grant served under Lincoln in the Civil War and became the 18th president. He championed civil rights for African Americans and Native Americans.

Alongside the historical site there is also an animal park and farm owned by the Busch family who own the Budweiser brewery of St. Louis. The farm has goats to feed (which made me very happy) plus animals such as parrots, camels and the Clydesdale horses which pull the Budweiser wagon. There were also some historic carriages and vehicles - I've included a picture of an 1887 fire engine for Dad!

It's been a great few days to recharge and plan ahead and I'm back on the bike tomorrow for some touring. First stop I'll cycle from Corrie & Dana's house to Chester, Illinois (home of Popeye) and then cross the Mississippi River into Missouri. If you want to follow the GPS tracker you can find the link to it on the blog under April. Thanks to everyone who has said they are enjoying the blog. It's going to be a great diary for me to look back on and if anyone else likes it that's a bonus. Please do keep in touch by email, it's great to hear from folks back home.

Turtle on bike path.

St. Louis

Myself and Corrie took a trip to the Gateway Arch in St. Louis. This monument was built to celebrate St. Louis' role as the 'Gateway to the West'. Lewis and Clark stayed here a while to prepare and supply before adventuring into the west.

There was an interesting museum in the old courthouse (the building with the dome on top). After looking round we walked down to the Mississippi and then took a ride to the top of the arch in a little tiny carriage. Not recommended if you are claustrophobic!

From the top there were great views of the city and the barges coming down the Mississippi.

Columbia, IL

Thanks to Corrie and Dana for letting me stay, making me feel so welcome and showing me around. I've had a great few days in Columbia, just across the Mississippi River from St. Louis. It's also been a lot of fun to play with Iris, the adorable golden doodle (not a retrive-a-poo as I would have imagined a golden retriever / poodle cross to be called).

I have been embracing the American mid-western lifestyle by:-

-eating breakfast pizza

-watching sand volleyball
-Eating frozen custard at Ted Drews by the old Route 66 

And most excitingly shooting some revolvers and shotguns. I've never fired a gun before and it's not something I thought I would ever do but it was really fun, and turns out I'm not such a bad shot!

Indiana

Yesterday I passed through Indiana on the way to Corrie's house in Illinois (just across the Mississippi from St. Louis).

Every state in America has a motto e.g. West Virginia - Wild and Wonderful or Kentucky- unbridled spirit. Indiana's motto is 'The Crossroads of America' which doesn't sound too inspiring. Indiana also observes both Eastern and Central time which confused me as I never knew what time zone I was in!

I passed lots of show caves but they didn't seem any prettier than Yorkshire caves so instead I stopped off at the site where Abraham Lincoln grew up.

Lincoln lived as a pioneer in a small settlement in Indiana from ages 7 - 21. Below is the outline of the log cabin the family lived in as well as some reconstructed buildings. There was an interesting film about his time in Indiana, bizarrely narrated by Leonard Nimoy aka Captain Spock.

Lincoln helped his father build their cabin and scratch out a living from the woods cutting firewood and rowing folks across the Ohio river. At the time there were bears and panthers in the woods though they are gone now. It was certainly a humble beginning and I imagine one room at the White House would have had more floor space than the tiny cabin the family lived in.

Kentucky

I whizzed through Kentucky on 4 wheels but will have to put Mammoth Caves, one of the largest cave systems in the world, on my bucket list to go back to. Unfortunately I was too far north to pay a visit.

I camped by the Kentucky river (two kayakers, no rowers). It was extremely hot and humid as I pitched my tent and I was glad I was not cycling in the humidity. As soon as dusk fell however, the temperature was perfect and hundreds of fireflies danced across the meadow like little sparklers. Some were orange, some white and some green. I've seen the odd firefly before but nothing like this - it was quite magical.

With the fireflies and the sounds of the river, crickets, frogs and toads it was a great campground. There were also lots of bunny rabbits around.

Natural Bridge

Adventures on four wheels today. Visited Natural Bridge State park. So called due to the natural limestone arch. Here are some fun facts:-

The arch is 66m high
George Washington surveyed the arch as a young man and apparently climbed 22 feet up and carved his initials on the rock. I couldn't spot them.
Thomas Jefferson purchased the rock from King George III in 1774 for 20 shillings which equates to around $160 in today's money. Bargain.
No one was abseiling down from the top, though I'm sure that would be a few cavers' first thoughts.

There was a pretty walk through the park with woods, waterfalls plus one water snake. There was also an exhibition on the Monacan Native Americans showing their traditional dwellings.

On the way back I drove another section of the blue ridge parkway to the South of where I cycled.  Cycling it was much more fun and a much better way to experience the views!