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Thursday, June 18: Well, we made it to MO today, but not the way I’d wanted to. Got it rolling a bit on the late side this morning, and by the time we were where I finished yesterday, the bad weather - yea if it’s not been bad enough - was on the southwestern horizon, this being the remnants of Tropical Depression Bill blowing in from OK and TX. I tried to really push it from the beginning, and then, on Rt 100 south we start seeing signs saying Rt 100 south is closed. That had me concerned right off the bat. So next up was a Xing of the Illinois River via a big draw bridge. 


Now before I go further I had to say that just seeing the extent of the flooding of the Illinois was kind of stark and foreboding. This thing was flooded like a quarter mile on each side. Made me really wonder if the signs we saw were pretty much putting the kibosh on getting all the way down to the ferry crossing via 100. So I Xed the bridge by riding across, and on the other side was a county worker out doing something with some signage. So I asked him if 100 was closed due to flooding. The guy told me he wasn’t aware of any flooding right now. So off I went, climbing up out of the Illinois valley on this 2 mile climb on grassy berm. Topped out and got rolling on some great berm which was a paltry 2 feet wide, but flat, fast and well packed. And then I see the road closed sign again, with Judy driving back towards me. That didn’t look good. All I could think of was of all the riding I’d invested in 100. 


She told me there was a detour, and as we were discussing the detour a local lady was pulling out of the drive Judy was parked in. So I asked the local about the closure. She told me that a few bridges were out down the road, and that 100 was open, except we’d have to take the detour. So I was feeling pretty relieved and excepting of the fact that we’d do a short detour. That’s about the time Judy suggested that I ride down to where the bridge is out, then jump in the van, do the detour, and then get back on the bike on the other side of the bridge closure. “This could be a long detour,” she warned me. Perfect solution. We did just that, then got going on the detour, and going and going and going and going….for a 27 freaking mile loop! She was spot on with that hunch. Had I of done just 3 miles of that damned detour I’d have been committed to the loony bin. Totally amazing. Plus it was on all these winding roads and it ate up time as the weather was deteriorating. 


Got going again on the other side of the bridge closure and continued to ride this great berm on Rt 100 south towards the town of Hardin, IL. Now there were some crapass areas, but by and large this was fast. I was able to crank at warp speed - some 12-14 mph. Now part of this was the fact that I could see the sky in the far southwestern horizon, and it wasn’t looking good. So I kind of had this impending sense of doom hanging over me. The local forecast predicted the Tropical Depression Bill stuff would hit in the early afternoon, and it was looking like that was going to be a reality. I would keep waving Judy onward so we could me Hardin before the winds of fate caught up with us. 


And around us….ALL around us was the flooding of the Illinois River. It was lapping at the very base of Rt 100 in places. All the summer homes out here are build on stilts, and I see why, because most all of them had a good 3-5 feet of water surrounding them, with access only with a boat. So to my left was the river water lapping at the road’s foundation, and to my right were the buffs of the valley. More than a couple of times Judy frantically asked me if there was a chance that the road was just totally submerged up ahead. Yet we’d see traffic coming and going, so we assumed that all was good up in Hardin where there’s another drawbridge across the river. With about 10 miles to go I got caught in this wicked micro burst storm that was just like a mini hurricane for about 5 minutes. I just put the hammer down and rode right out of that puppy before I got totally soaked. From then onward I rode as if I was riding a 40K TT.


Told Judy to stay closer in case I hit another one of those pups. And as I ticked off each mile the skies to the southwest got darker and darker, and misty drizzle turned to just drizzle and then to light rain. With two miles to go the light rain got steady. At that point I was cursing to myself that I’d done nearly the whole stretch of ten miles and yet I was going to get crapped on in the last mile. But somehow, someway, I made it before the (&(*^*& hit the fan. Got the bike put in the van, and me in the passenger seat when the rain hit with full force. Judy had food and drink ready for me and I was able to enjoy a late lunch as the storm hit. 


So there we were, about 20 miles from the Golden Eagle Ferry Crossing of the Mississippi River to MO. We were in Hardin, IL, this little town that’s situated on a sliver of land that’s between both the Mississippi and Illinois rivers. The water of the Illinois River was about 6 feet from flooding out Rt 100 and Illinois River road. Two of the four ferry crossings were already closed due to flooding, but Golden Eagle was still open. And it’s raining like hell. The choices were not good. The ride would take me a good three hours due to us having to go up and over the bluff of the Illinois River Valley, and then back down to the Mississippi River Valley - all on grassy berm. So we decided then and there that we’d better high tail it to the ferry Xing before it either closed down, or before the weather just totally deteriorated into severe thunder storms with the chance of flash flooding. It could be our only chance to X for the next couple of days. 


And that was it. Judy put the pedal down and we zoomed down all these little side roads to the Golden Eagle Ferry Xing. I now have a 20-mile gap in the ride that I’ll likely not be able to make up due to the current weather forecast. But I do have to say that it was probably the ONLY decision at this point to make. Anything involving riding or waiting would have been foolhardy. The ferry down here is not what you’re envisioning, this is a flat little barge that holds about 6 cars at a time and it’s pushed by a tiny tug. As soon as we got there to the dock (no dock really, but just a road going into the water) it was unloading, so we were on within five minutes of pulling in. Outside, damn it looked like a scene from the Weather Channel with the wind gusting and the rain kind of blowing horizontal. 


The Mississippi River….CRAZY! That water was just hammering by with all this debris floating by us like little drag racers. Judy was a bit freaked by the whole situation, and I couldn’t do a thing to calm her down. I’d done this Xing last year on recon, and it was a breeze. Today, the river looked twice as big, and so swift it was scary. Couple this with the wind and rain, and it was pretty stupid. The captain piloted the little barge up river for a stretch so we could make the parallel when he slowed down to dock on the other side, knowing the current would take the barge downriver a bit. And the dock road on the other side in MO…well the one we docked on last year was now a quarter mile into the river! They had a temporary platform set up at the exit of the original road that’s now submerged. Once off the ferry we beat feet to St. Charles, MO, rented this cozy little cabin in a campground a mile outside of town, and that was the day. 


Ended up with 47 miles for the day. I feel guilty about that 20-mile section, and to be honest, what with the current forecast I just don’t see how we can get me back there to make it up. The St. Louis forecast is calling for a full on 36 hrs of storms tonight and tomorrow, with the main “guts” of this remnant tropical depression coming through late tonight. So I’m guessing, according to what the campground owner was telling us today, that the Golden Eagle would be closed for a few days with the river levels going even higher.


We had this little “eye of the storm” clearing pattern thing from about 5-7 PM, so I took Judy to the Trailhead Brewery and Restaurant in downtown St. Charles.  Enjoyed a great meal and had some awesome micro brews - quite a wonderful change from eating at some of the dives we’ve eaten at in the last 3 wks. So now we’re back at the cabin kind of waiting for the real “Motha” to blow through. Forecast is for Friday to be a total wash, and then for everything to be cleared out by Saturday morning. So my guess is that we’re here for the next 36 hrs, and then shove off on Saturday morning. I can have Judy drop me off at the ferry Xing on the MO side of the Mississippi and I can make that 12-mile stretch to St. Charles up in the morning of Saturday, and then that will put me on the Katy Trail where I can get the ball rolling. 


Let the tropical depression begin!