Mississippi

Today I rode along the banks of the mighty Mississippi!  I am in Chester, Illinois, and tomorrow I will cross the river and ride into Missouri.

It has been a couple of days since my last update, and I have lots of photos to load, although not today due to the computer not having a card reader.

For the last four days, I have been cycling with the Bike the US for MS group.  It has been great to have company, and there have been a number of entertaining evenings!  When riding with others, there is much more motivation (and a little competition), so you can easily get miles under the belt and tackle big hills.  Slipstreaming is also incredible!

On Sunday, I watched the Portugal/Netherland match in a Mexican restaurant and shop in Sebree, which was fantastic - good match and good atmosphere.  We then stayed in the town at a Baptist church which welcomes cyclists.  The facilities were better than a hotel, and the pastor and his wife were some of the nicest people I have ever met!  I was taught a game called 4 sqaure, which is an amazing sport which we do not seem to have in the UK.  The pastor provided a huge American BBQ meal, with burgers and hotdogs and more pudding than I have ever seen, and then we watched the NBA finals on a large TV - perfect.

Monday was an easy day cycling, although hot, and I crossed into Illinois by ferry over the Ohio River.  That was a great way to finish the day and then camp under the stars!

Yesterday was the longest day I have done so far - 80 miles!  Again, it was great to be cycling with the group, as when you feel exhausted, team spirit really helps.  A guy in the group lived just off the route, in Carbondale, so we all camped out at his house for the night.  His parents provided excellent hospitality, so big thanks to them.

Today I left the Bike the US for MS guys as they had a rest day and I carried on.  It is nice to experience being in a group and being on your own, as they are very different, and both have great advantages.  Sometimes you receive a lot more care when on your own, which is amazing.  Today I saw a number of cyclists going the other way.  A group cycling from Beijing to London for the Olympics, two Americans and a German.

I am staying in a bunkhouse tonight (with A/C!!) which is run by the Fraternity of Eagles club - a little bit like Rotary (I think?).  Chester is a nice place, and seems to have some connection with Popeye, as there are statues and pictures of him everywhere - maybe the creator was from here?!

On that note, the hospitality of the American people has been extrordinary, and I think it takes a cycle trip to truely experience it.  I have not paid for a nights accomodation now for a long time, and along the route there are churches, clubs, fire stations, individuals, etc, who welcome cyclists doing the Trans Am to stay.  I do not think this would be possible in Europe and it is a major part of this trip.  I guess by being on a bike you are vunerable, and naturally people may look out for you, but it is the BEST way to learn about a new culture.

Tomorrow I will make my way towards the Ozark mountains (which can be more accurately described as rolling hills).  After that - about 5/6 days time - I will hit the prairie of Kansas and there will be no more hills for a while!  I was told by the Eastbounders that they had headwinds the whole time, which is great for going West, but knowing my luck, it will have changed direction by the time I get there!

I will try and upload my photos asap.