Day 60: South of Hannibal, MO

Another day and another state visited - Missouri.  A cooling trend has resulted in a tailwind for most of today: a classic case of mixed blessings.  It was a relatively short day today (42 miles), though I can't help wish that the morning and afternoon had been reversed.  It was mainly flat in the morning when it was cool and sunny, and plenty of roller coaster hills in the afternoon when it started to heat up.  Fortunately, the clouds starting rolling in, and thus kept things from heating up even more.

Schizophrenic freeway signs - you can't ride your bicycle here...

Or can you?

We passed through Hannibal, MO around noon and had thought about seeing some sights.  But the main street was being paved today, cutting traffic down to one lane and making parking next to impossible.  We also considered seeing the Mark Twain Caverns, but nearly $40 for a one hour tour seemed a bit steep.  So we pressed on after getting restocked on groceries.

Entering Missouri, with Mark Twain landscaping on the left.

Thus far I haven't commented on gasoline prices, which more often than not are higher in Boise than most of the rest of the country (except California, with their stricter emission standards).  But we purchased gas for $2.06 per gallon today, which I believe is the lowest we've seen.  It could be that the seasonal decrease in traffic once school starts is creating another glut of available fuel.

Today was my second riding day in a row where I had a puncture (while riding just south of Quincy), which was once again on the (new) rear wheel.  Whatever caused the hole stayed on the road, but it caused the tire to go flat very quickly.  I was in the process of getting things put back together when Alea caught up with me in the van.  That was fortuitous, as it saved me from having to use a CO2 cartridge, and enabled me to use one of the spares in the van's drawer pedestal, so that I still had a spare with me for the remainder of the ride.

At least the sun was shining when my tire went flat!

One of the interesting sights today was a collection of wind mills along I-72.  I'm guessing these were pumping windmills and not the electricity generating kind.  At least most of the latter that I've seen were made by AeroMotor.  They were the chief electric power source for rural farms prior to the New Deal's Rural Electrification program.  They generated 32 volts DC, and 32 volt appliances were becoming fairly common prior to Rural Electrification.

An interesting collection of windmills.

We are camping for free tonight along the Mississippi River at Dupont Conservation Area.  The only amenities are the campsites themselves and some new vault toilets.  It has been overcast and windy, with the wind signaling a coming change in the weather.  The lows should dip into the upper 40s tomorrow and will top out in the upper 60s.