We got a late start. Loading was complicated, I felt like I couldn't eat because my stomach was upset, we went over the beginning of the route before I took off which took awhile so I was almost an hour late getting on the road. It was frustrating but we managed to get going. As the miles rolled by, my mood improved.
Today was a lot of bike paths which, for safety reasons was wonderful, more complications for my chase driver. We spent far too long scanning the route on the phone to figure out where the path would end and she could meet up with me again. I would have finished at least an hour sooner if we could have gotten that part down quicker. But regardless of the prep time, once I got on the paths they were beautiful. I saw a ton of butterflies, including my dad's favorite, the monarch. Every time one flew near me I smiled. It was like having him right there with me. Most probably don't know but in a very real way my dad is on the trip with me. I believe he is watching out for me but I also carry a small memorial urn with some of his ashes in the bag on the top tube of my bike. He takes every ride with me.
I saw a snake, flocks of birds, even a deer grazing in a field. My mom also saw a few deer along the road she was driving while I was on one of the paths. We managed to meet up and tell each other about what we saw at the end of each path then began riding again. We had lunch in Edwardsville, IL in a charming pub where food for both of us cost less than $10. After that we quickly returned to the path and I was off again. Although before I mounted the bike we had a lovely gentleman come talk to us about the ride and my mom was able to hand him a postcard with information about what I am doing.
As I made my way along the second part of that cycleway I came around a corner and looked out over the trees. Rising above them, off in the distance, was the Gateway Arch in St. Louis. I was almost across the state line. With a renewed energy I pushed on and soon there was only one major hinderance to St. Louis, my massive fear of bridges over water and the McKinley Bridge that spans the Mississippi River. I took several deep breaths and rode on. When I reached the tresses at the center of the bridge there was a section off to the side for walkers and riders and I made it to the middle and tried to stop, put my bike up against a railing to get a picture with the skyline in the background but my phone was overheating from being in the sun for too long and the camera wouldn't work. Shaking from fear I got back on and finished riding across to the other side.
Once I was off the bridge and up a hill at a gas station I had to stop for a moment to get myself back under control. When I regained my composure I climbed back on the bike and made my way to my mom at my next rest stop where I grabbed a snack and enjoyed the shade. The last two stops of the day were not far but the sun was setting and as I headed directly west a couple drivers nearly ran into me because my bright yellow jersey is nearly impossible to see with the sun in their eyes. I posted the pictures of our adventures and am excited for more to come.
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