Day 21: crossing the Big Muddy

Mount Pleasant, iowa across the Mississippi to Pekin, Illinois

Close to the river, the Iowa terrain was broken up ravines - much less cropland, more forest and pasture. Then a steep drop down to the river, and suddenly we're in urban habitat: long towns along the river with old buildings presumably from days when river trade was more important than now. Presently, the riverside is developed into parks and the old buildings are being yuppified. And, of course, the floating casino.

Up the bluffs on the east side and onto near pancake flat cropland in Illinois until we hit a few drainages and then dropped down into the Illinois River Valley.

Quite a contrast with so many more small towns in Illinois than in Iowa.

Abe Lincoln memorabilia seems to be quite an industry: every little park seemed to have a plaque about a speech he gave here, or a still existing set of stairs that he climbed there, etc.

Pekin is known for the Pekin agreement where Lincoln and three other Republicans agreed to not compete, but to serially get themselves elected for one year terms (no viable opposition) to the Illinois House. Lincoln severed his year - his only "elected" office prior to being elected President. Presumably a low-life, smoke-filled room deal that would be condemned if perpetrated by some scoundrel rather than by such a heroic figure.

The bridge over the Big Muddy appears to be an old railroad bridge, with a car deck added over the rails as an afterthought.

Pleasant riding all day, light winds - sometimes helping, rarely hindering, broken clouds, pleasant temperatures.

We often were able to ride through detours on this trip (note the passage through the blockading backhoe). The last picture is the Illinois River.

Currently we've come 2445 miles out of 3415 - less than 1000 to go! In 9 days.

8.5 hours, 230 km (extra when we missed a turn) 139 miles (at least that's less than 140), 27.1 km/hr (16.8), 87 pulse, 137 watt average, 3728 joules, 852 meters climbing (2700 feet or so).