The Google elevation diagram warned me that there was going to be a steep climb mid- way through today's ride:
What Google could not anticipate is: there was also a 10 mph headwind for most of the day... it was exhausting. Due to some personal business, I got a much later start than usual, setting off around 10am. The plus side of the wind is that the day wasn't too hot :-)
Lots of videos with commentary...
Snapshot: 45 miles, starting at 10am and ending at 4:30pm, with 4.5 hours of actual riding:
Mississippi River, we saw it a few minutes before landing at St Louis, haven’t found time to walk over to see it yet. We were stuck with a super long trail of carts train once when visiting Angela in CA, we were waiting and waiting, surprised to see train like that.
Those rolling hills and fields are just incredibly beautiful! I like seeing the flat with the peaks in the distance as you were saying... how cool that you have biked to the Mississippi! -Nof
If those trains are anything like the midwestern trains of my youth, they likely have you quite a breather - I remember their often taking 15-20 minutes to pass, with hundreds and hundreds of cars. Been thinking of you as we get ready to head to Maine. Lots of love, Deb