Gateway to...

Where to begin... We have ridden a total of roughly 1,284 miles in 15 days plus a few rest days here and there. We have entered our 7th state and crossed our 8th north-south interstate. We are on the other side of the Mighty Mississippi River. We have crossed the Gateway to the West.

Recent mileage...
5/28 to Lawrenceville, IL 89 miles
5/29 to Salem, IL 79 miles
5/30 to St Louis, MO 98 miles (Luke's first flat)

If ever in doubt, ask a fireman. We crossed paths with the first cross country cyclist we've seen this trip in front of the courthouse in Salem, IL. The crazy Canadian was doing a crazy figure-8 route across the US and was drinking Diet Dr. Pepper out of a 2-liter. Back to the firemen... so Lee rolled up to the station and asked if they ahd any ideas of where we might camp. After a quick call, we were informed that Terry would escort us to the fairgrounds. Well, Terry apparently has some kind of ownership or power over that land because he called the Sheriff to let the department know that we were camping there and not to bother us. Clean restrooms, running water, electricity.. what more could you ask for? Well, we did go to Dairy Queen that night. I still have ice cream on my fenders from that cone melting while I was riding with it in my hand.

If you'll notice from the pictures, we have adopted the new radio as our mascot. Lee hasn't named it yet, but I'm sure it'll come in time.

We were somewhat nervous approaching St. Louis seeing as how we've heard how dangerous of a city it is and that we had no place to stay. We had some possibilities but they all fell through at the last minute. Don't worry, we didn't go through E St Louis. We went through Troy, IL, along a greenway to the river, over the McKinley bridge and into Missouri. While we had already passed thru a somewhat slummy area in IL, what was to come was shocking. We followed another greenway alongside the river next to the levys. The greenway ended where a future proposed trail started. We instinctively followed the gravel which seemed our best option. We suddenly came upon a slew of tents with a sign at the entrance reading "Hopeville USA." Out of desperation for still not having a place to stay that night, Lee said, "We could camp here if we need to." Well, I'm sure we could have but it had not yet dawned on us what we were looking at. I saw a couple bickering about something as we strolled by. When we were clear of the tent town, we shared our shock with eachother. Well, Lee claimed not to be so shocked. But I just could not believe what I had just seen. I felt like I was looking at a 3rd world country. These people have been given tents, no doubt for free, to live in a secluded area where no one else goes so as to not bother anyone. They sleep next to the levys. Not even a quarter of a mile later, we rode right through the middle of a wedding photo shoot. On one side of the street were the grrom and groom's men and the bride along with her maid's on the other side. The all look so lovely and well kept. Brand new expensive suits and dresses topped with gallons of hair gel and hair spray. The juxtaposition was startling. The road we were on led on straight to the arch. We took some pictures, got disgusted by the tourism, finally landed a place to stay that night, and left. We got a hold of our friend Drew's mother and she met us in the city and drove us out to the 'burbs for the night.

We decided we'd stay a day, see St. Louis, and hope to see Drew. Well, Drew should be here late tonight, bonus! And St Louis was a lot of fun. However, it is empty... amazingly empty. We rode up and down Olive St (a main street right to the arch) both today and yesterday with almost no cars at all on the street. St Louis seems to be a bit of a dead city. That aside, this city does have some pretty unique things about it. Apparently it has the longest graffiti wall in the world. Saw it. The St Louis Zoo is FREE, that's right, FREE. Amazing. Saw it. Saw lions, tigers, and bears... OH MY! We actually only spent 33 minutes in there as we were on a bit of a time crunch and actually jog through the last bit searching for the polar bears and elephants. And lastly, the CITY MUSEUM is phenomenal; well worth the $12. It is like a playgrounf for adults. Not only is it fun, but it's smart. Every city should have one. It's a great way to reuse construction material that would have likely otherwise been wasted as well as utilize the labor of skilled workers. Win win. Plus, it is a space where families or any groups (there was a wedding party in there while we were there) can go rain or shine and get some energy out and have some fun. So much for our "rest day." By the way, what is the deal with everyone getting married this weekend? Seriously, I think we saw at least 10 weddings.

Maybe it's about time to report my condition. Well, I'd say that all systems are normal. I will now admit that I had a nasty cough when we left Asheville that lasted till about Bloomington but has since passed. No biggie. Unfortunately, saddle sores are real people. Lee seems to be immune; I guess his ass is made of leather. I, on the other hand, have had developments since the first week. Any how, suffice it to say that this is about to get serious. Bag Balm and Vaseline, here I come.