Day 3 - Tuesday May 22; Hamilton, IL to Hannibal, MO (64 miles)

I slept so-so last night. It was very quite, but being the first night in the tent made it a bit difficult to fall asleep. The temperature got down to below 50 degrees so it was a little chilly. I used both my liner and 40 deg down sleeping bag. I left Hamilton about 8:00 AM. The first 7 miles to Dallas City had several hills but not too bad. In Dallas City, I was unsure of a route change. I rode to about a block from the river where I thought the map and directions were telling me to go, but it was a very steel hill down to the river and I couldn't tell if there was a road at the bottom. I turned around and asked a lady sitting in front of a cafe and she said that the road I was looking for was in fact at the bottom of the hill. I just didn't want to go down only to have to turn around and ride back up. Once at the bottom, the first couple of miles were right next to the river. The road then diverged from the river and I rode most of the rest of the morning through prime Mississippi River bottom land. The corn was already knee high in most places ("knee high by the fourth of July") and it not yet June. I reached Quincy (40 miles) by 12:00 noon and had lunch at a bar & grill near one of the bridges over the Mississippi. After lunch I headed for Hannibal. South Quincy is pretty heavily industrialized and traffic volume was a bit high on the Gardner Expressway. However there was a shoulder on most of it and drivers were very considerate. I entered Missouri over the I-72 bridge in Hannibal - the only Interstate riding I'll do on this trip. Once over the bridge I stopped at a convenience store and had a soft drink. It was getting a little warm by mid-afternoon, though not as bad as it is going to get the next few days!!! I made it out of Hannibal and to the Mark Twain Cave Campground by 3:30 PM. After pitching my tent and cleaning up I rode across the highway to the only restaurant that is nearby and had my fill of their special; chicken Alfredo with salad. That'll have to get me the 31 very hilly miles to Louisianna, MO in the morning. Not knowing how bad the hills are (though I've heard stories), I'm planning to stop for the night in Louisianna. If I'm still feeling good, I'll continue on to a campground north of Clarksville, MO - another 7 or 8 miles down the road. There really isn't anything within reach after Clarksville. A few photos follow.



Unique home entering Dallas City, IL (could not find any info on it's history)



Riding along the Mississippi after Dallas City, IL

View from the bar and grill in Quincy where I ate lunch



Entering Missouri at Hannibal