Here's my bike and my truck at the end of the ride, in the Amtrak parking lot in Alton, IL.
I haven't done the ride yet, of course. I just redeployed my truck to the end location. From here, I rode to St. Louis. Tomorrow morning, I take the train to Kansas City, and there is where the actual ride begins.
The Alton Amtrak station is the closest secure parking to the end of the KATY trail in Machens, MO that is on the route between Machens and St. Louis. It's 14 miles from Machens and 28 miles from St. Louis. It's costs $8/day to park in Alton and I will be away for 10 days. But if you lose your ticket, it costs $35. I just know I'm gonna lose that ticket somehow.
I'm still pretty on the fence about spending $8/day to park. I must have ridden by 1000 free parking spaces in vast empty lots in parks by the Mississipi River on the way to St. Louis. I suppose it could flood, and $8/day is worth it to be on high ground.
Most of the 28 flat miles today was on top of the levee in Illinois.
The Mississippi River is actually just a barge canal here. You won't be seeing Huck and Jim on a raft. It's all heavy industry between the levee and the river. On the other side of the levee, there is a dirt road with occasional manufactured houses and small farms.
The donkey has character.
About 8 miles from my hotel by the train station I took a bridge over the river...
...and crossed into Missouri.
On the Missouri side, you are on a bike trail that winds through industrial parts of St. Louis.
Since I've ridden all over the industrial parts of Baltimore, I am right at home with this. I like it. But I was amazed to find this super cool art installation in the middle of the decayed wasteland!
I would love to know how this came to be. It took some effort to build. Was it a guerrilla project? Why is it here of all places?
A few miles later, I arrived at my hotel. Easy 28 mile ride, beautiful conditions, I couldn't possibly feel better.
A few miles later, I arrived at my hotel. Easy 28 mile ride, beautiful conditions, I couldn't possibly feel better.
The best ribs ever are the dry rub ones from that place in Memphis that is in a basement off an alley. My second favorite are my own, with my own weird sauces I make myself using homegrown peppers and reduction of failed batches of mead. And I have a special place in my heart for my mom's, which were just ribs with a bunch of Open Pit Hickory Smoke BBQ sauce dumped on top and thrown in the oven. I don't think you can get Open Pit any more, which is probably because it was mostly toxic artificial flavorings and food coloring chemicals and preservatives mixed with high fructose corn syrup. I've looked for it though.
Anyway the St. Louis ribs have globs of what sure tastes like Open Pit slathered on top. I was pretty happy with these.
That's a Guinness on the top left. It is an Irish bar after all.
My hotel is next to Energizer Park, which is a major league soccer arena. Despite this being in the middle of St. Louis, in a soulless and antiseptic area that has been afflicted with "urban renewal" to become as unwelcoming and inhospitable as possible, there are buns living in the landscaping around the stadium.
Anyway the St. Louis ribs have globs of what sure tastes like Open Pit slathered on top. I was pretty happy with these.
That's a Guinness on the top left. It is an Irish bar after all.
My hotel is next to Energizer Park, which is a major league soccer arena. Despite this being in the middle of St. Louis, in a soulless and antiseptic area that has been afflicted with "urban renewal" to become as unwelcoming and inhospitable as possible, there are buns living in the landscaping around the stadium.
Then I started noticing stuff. There are these blocks every 12 feet or so, with a plaque between each one with a number. They represent walls of row houses and street addresses.
Above that are these monoliths.
Hidden inside the monoliths are quotes.
And above that is a big block with people's names, ages, and occupations.
And then a block that explains it.
It's a memorial for the vanished African-American community that was cleared away for the stadium and the modern hotel where I'm staying. The quotes are reminiscences from people who grew up there, and the names are of people who were relocated. This is a very impressive work.
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