What's Fred Up To Now?: Day 4 - Wednesday May 23; Hannibal, MO to Louisiana, MO (34 miles)

I slept much better last night. It got down to 50 degrees again so I was inside my sleeping bag. I was on the road by 8:00 AM. The first few miles were along the Mississippi River next to limestone bluffs - really pretty. The next 20 miles were very hilly starting with one long, not terribly steep hill. A black lab with no collar followed me up the hill and probably for two miles before he stopped at a farm house where other people were outside. He never barked and a couple of times traffic had to slow for the dog - so maybe he was my guardian. Then there were two "killer" hills; relatively long and very steep. I made it up the first one without stopping, but the second one was a "two-stopper", but I did pedal all the way. There were a number of scenic viewpoint turnouts at the top of these climbs. I stopped at them to rest, snack and take in the serenity. There was not much traffic going my direction, but a lot of semi/dump truck traffic going the other direction. Following the hills the road was flat along farm country for about 12 miles. I thought it would be flat all the way to Louisiana since it is on the river - but no-o-o. There was one fairly short but very steep hill then another long but not terribly steep hill to get over before descending into town. My quads were burning by the time I arrived. Louisiana was my goal for the day and I arrived here by 12:00 noon. While eating lunch at a Dairy Queen I called to check the rates at the Rivers Edge Motel. I'd read several other blogs that recommended it as a clean and inexpensive place to stay. Given the time of day, I considered going on to Clarksville, MO but the only place to stay there is at a wildlife preserve about six miles away. The preserve has no amenities at all; no water, no showers, etc.. After lunch I rode around a parking area/boat ramp next to the river, mulled it over, considered the condition of my legs then made the decision to stay at the Rivers Edge (this is not a race). After checking in, I showered then walked about a mile through downtown to a laundromat and washed my clothes. On the way back I spotted a good place for breakfast on my way out of town tomorrow. I also noticed some murals painted on building walls. I ate an early dinner at a restaurant downtown. On my way back to the motel after dinner, I picked up some Gatorade and peanut butter for tomorrow. There is supposed to be a grocery store in Clarksville, but some of these small towns no longer have stores. Clarksville is the only town between here and the Cuivre River State Park where I am planning to camp tomorrow night. The weather today was a little windy on the flat areas with a high in the 80s and low humidity. The next several days are supposed to be hot with highs in the upper 90s in a couple of days. I'll need to slow down and hydrate. A few photos follow.