Trying to beat the heat, I was up and ready to go by 7am, Brian was gone painting when I woke up but came back to the house right as I was leaving.
The first 21 miles to Hannibal, Missouri, (new state!) were pretty uneventful, but what followed made this the hardest day of my trip so far.
The 33 mile route from Hannibal to Louisiana, along Route 79, consists of "steep, roller coaster hills" (says the ACA map) with no towns or stores along the way. Throw in a sunny day with 100+ degree heat and I really started to worry I wasn't going to be able to make it.
About half way through while stopped at the bottom of another steep climb and under a rare tree for shade I saw a gravel road to the right and pulled out the phone to see where it went. Google maps showed it hooking back up with 79, effectively a shortcut around the current monster hill staring me down. I was pretty exhausted at that point and decided to take it.
Well, the gravel road eventually turned into double track... the road less traveled for sure. Then it pitched up steep enough that I had to get off the bike and push it up (Cliff and Ed, think the Trail of Tears from the GAP trip.) I then came to a very remote house/cabin, where a golden retriever came out and greeted me. I pet him for a minute and continued on.
The trail went up again and then into the woods with some thick tree cover. I had to constantly stop and catch my breathe as sweat just rolled down my face. A little ways farther and I came to a gate across the road. On the far side it was covered with "No Trespassing" signs. Wooooonderful. But it was unlocked so I opened it up and kept going. Eventually the tree cover cleared and I found my way back to 79 on the other side of the hill. After all that, I figured I would just stay on the official route.
But, I was now out of water! I had burned through 3 water bottles and a 32oz gator-aid. With still more hills to climb, I made my first house call when I passed an farm house up a long driveway. The guy who answered the door was... interesting... but he directed me to an outdoor spigot and I gleefully refilled my water bottles after drinking one straight down.
I continued on and eventually the hills faded away and I made it to Louisiana, MO. I sought refuge inside the air-conditioned library for a couple hours to recoup. I grabbed some well earned dinner and then went back to the library until it closed at 8pm.
I then called the local police to inform them I would be camping in the park, as my ACA map said to do. But, the police dispatcher told me that I needed permission from the town clerk first (something not on the ACA map), but she only worked normal business hours and was long gone for the day. When I ask him if there was anything he could do, he pretty much said nope and that I couldn't camp there without the clerk's permission. Thanks guy!
Legs still sore from the day's climbing, I used Google maps' satellite view to look for someplace to stealth camp for the night, and found what looked like an old, overgrown housing track that had roads laid but was never developed. I cycled a little out of town to where this was and it turned out to be a jackpot!
The road was broken with small plants and trees growing everywhere and long weeds and large trees covered the area. I walked my bike to the back of the area, and set up my tent, without the rain fly, next to a fallen tree. I jumped inside, and just laid on my ground mat, as the temperature was still in the high 80's. I just laid there as the sun went down and eventually fell asleep without even worrying about getting out my sleeping bag.
Start: Quincy, IL
End: Louisiana, MO
Distance: 59.28 miles
you will have to define "interesting" when you get back
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