I read up on the Mormon history here in Nauvoo last night after watching the pageant down by the river where the original settlement of Nauvoo was located. I would have liked to see the inside of their elaborate temple, but only Mormons are allowed inside, to make their covenants, or something like that.
So instead I rode my bicycle all around the original settlement this morning. There were a lot of tours going on, some walking, some by bus, and some by horse and buggy. I was the only one who signed up for the bicycle tour I guess. It was pretty interesting, but I kept running into guys in kilts playing bagpipes, so I decided to hit the road south with my new best buddy "HOPPY".
I found "HOPPY" on the side of the road yesterday. It was one of those long, straight, god-forsaken hot roads thru never-ending farms of dried up corn and beans that just kept going and going and going. "HOPPY" was just sitting in the grass along the side of the road, and I think he called out "STOP, or I'll put a stick in your spokes". Or something like that.
Anyway, me and "HOPPY" are now best friends, and we tell stories and song songs as we ride down the road. It is kind of funny though - in the morning, "HOPPY" just sits there like a stupid stuffed animal toy. But after we've been riding for 4-5 hours and the temperature goes above 100, he'll start jumping up and talking and doing all kinds of crazy stuff !!
You can see "HOPPY" in many of the photos today. He's the green guy.
The road out of Nauvoo, Hwy 96, was the prettiest road I've ridden since leaving RAGBRAI. It was right along the Mississippi, winding and climbing along the river. It only lasted about 12 miles, until we reached Hamilton. There the road went right thru the middle of a big concrete plant.
The next 6 miles to Warsaw was thru woods and farms, nothing fancy until we saw a sign that said "Warsaw Brewery". We pulled in and it was an old brewery that has been made into a bar and restaurant. The had lots of neat memorabilia on the walls from all the brands of brew they used to make, like "Burgemeister".
They don't make beer anymore, but they had Guinness on tap, so I had one with a delicious cheeseburger. I ate lunch with Mark and Sandy, who had passed me twice on the road today. They are finishing up a 3 week vacation, with bicycles on the back of their car. They told me how much fun they had on the bike trails in Sioux Falls SD and in Davenport IA. They also have me directions to some nice B&Bs and some fun things to do. Thanks, Mark and Sandy !
After leaving the brewery it was over 30 miles to the next town of Quincy IL. It was sooo hot !! There was black asphalt on the road that was melted. In some places, it was bubbling up, and when you rode over it, the bubbles would pop, just like squeezing bubble wrap.
A couple of times I ran off the road (while talking to "HOPPY") and my bicycle tires were so coated with melted asphalt that the sand and gravel stuck to the tread like it was glue. It was so desolate that I just stopped in the middle of the road, parked my bike on it's kickstand, and walked back to take a photo. I also stopped and pee'd while straddling my bike on the road. There was nobody on this road.
I think the road started out as Ziegler Road, then Hwy 420E, then 480E, then 500E, then 603E, then 503E in to Quincy. It was all the same road, with only one or two turns. You couldn't see the river, just endless miles and miles of dried up corn and beans.
I kind of screwed up when I got to Quincy. It is a large town of about 42,000 people. The roads I followed went along the river thru some pretty run down neighborhoods. Before I knew it I was through town, on my way south towards Hannibal. I decided to stop and check on where I could stay tonight. I decided it was too far to Hannibal, about 20 miles and it was almost 7:00.
Since I couldn't find any campgrounds nearby, I opted for a motel again. I had good phone service so I tried checking for good deals, but all the cheap motels were too far away or had reviews talking about bedbugs. The cheapest nearby motels were from $82 to $99, so I had to pay big bucks for tonight's room. I was really hoping someone would see me on the side of the road, looking at my maps, and ask me to come stay with them - Ha !
