Coffee and PopTarts at the community center with a nice visit with some local people, I’m now ready to go. I plan to stop in a town to get something better for breakfast.
8:19 AM
At the start of the Katy trail.
10:31 AM
Now I’m in Windsor. I just ate yogurt with a bottle of gatorade. I’m back riding towards Sedalia.
1:07 PM
I’m at the State Fairground Campground in Sedalia Missouri. This is where I’ll spend the night.
3:10 PM
I ordered a pizza with salad delivery. I’m hungry and hoping it will be here soon. The food was very good. It’s a luxury to sit in a campground and have dinner delivered.
I’m in the shade and it’s hot, 92° at 4:43 PM. There is a nice breeze, I hope it cools when the sun goes down.
Nancy just dropped me off at the Clinton Community Center. I’ll spend the night here and then start the Katy Trail tomorrow morning.
6:30 PM
A cyclist came in for the night, Bill. He is touring to Kansas to pick up the TransAm. Astoria is his goal.
The pool hall across the street came up when I searched Google for food. The reviews were promising so I called and placed an order for chicken quesadillas. I walked over to pick up the order and had a nice visit with the owners. The food was very good.
Having breakfast at the Marshall Family Restaurant.
7:00 PM
We arrive at Harry S. Truman State Park Warsaw, Missouri hungry and tired.
July 1, 2025
9:34 AM
Getting ready for breakfast, our day begins. This campground has a laundry so I’ll wash the two loads of dirt clothes while Nancy goes food shopping.
4:51 PM
Planning the route upto Lake Michigan in Wisconsin from Elden Hazlet State Park. I will ride the Katy Trail from Clinton to Machens, the end of the Trail in St. Charles, Missouri. Nancy will pick me up there on her way to the State Park Campground. We plan to spend four days there exploring the area.
8:29 PM
Today was spent doing laundry, food shopping and getting myself ready to head out to Clinton to begin riding the Katy Trail.
Hiking the SandFord Trail with thunder in the distance.
1:41 PM
We got back to the car as the rain began. Back at the campsite sitting under the canopy listening to rain. It’s not cooling off much.
The rain stops and we move our chairs out from under the awning. After dinner, spaghetti with locally grown sausage, we cleaned up and built a fire. Tonight is the first time Moe didn’t run into the camper to hide from the flames. We all enjoyed the campfire together. As the fire began to lessen light rain dampened the leaves above. We ended the day as it began with rain.
Change of plans. I am now going with Nancy to Harry S. Truman State Park in Missouri.
From there I will ride over to Clinton and ride the Katy Trail east to Booneville, Missouri. Nancy has a Campground there, she will visit the Budweiser Clydesdale Breeding Farm. I will continue to ride the Katy Trail east to Machens, MO. Plans to go to Omaha, Nebraska and visit a friend of Nancy have been cancelled. The lemons have turned into lemonade, I now get to ride the full length of the Katy Trail.
3:21 PM
We just got back from hiking the Beech Tree Trail.
Coffee and a pastry for breakfast. I’m not cooking anything here but I’ll make coffee. There are some places to stop along the way so I’ll nibble calories as I ride. It’s only a twenty mile day so hopefully I’ll get to Lincoln Trails before the thunder showers come.
10:14 AM
I’m back on my route, riding the trail system out of the city.
11:52 AM
Crossing into Illinois. It’s another hot and humid day.
12:02 PM
In Marshall, Illinois. I stop at a Convenience Store located at the intersection where I leave my route for Lincoln Trails. I gulp a large Gatorade and eat a cherry pie before riding Route 1 to Lincoln Trails campground.
12:47 PM
I’m now at Nancy’s campground. I am hot and tired but find the energy to strip the gear off my bike and store it in the back of the car. I cover the bike and hang my sweat-soaked bedding on a line to dry. Now sitting in a chair enjoying the cool air blowing while listening to thunder following this breeze that feels so good. The chairs are under the camper awning that catch the first drops of rain before the downpour.
After breakfast I packed up all my gear. Today I will continue riding west. Nancy will also pack up and leave for Lincoln Trail H.S, a campground in Marshall, Illinois. I will join her there tomorrow.
10:04 AM
I am back on my route and heading for Terre Haute where I plan to camp tonight. The campground there will split the distance to Marshall, Illinois. It is already hot and humid. I’m riding in the sun, mostly. Route 42 rolls through farmlands without shade. Today I wish for a headwind to take away the heat.
11:50 AM
Nancy drove by with the window down and asked if I was ok. Moe was leaning out barking with excitement seeing me. He didn’t want me to leave this morning. Now see Nancy driving toward me, she signals that she is stopping so I turn back and follow her as she pulls off the road. She brought me a Dr Pepper and a couple of cookies. What an awesome treat! It’s hot out here at 94° with a heat index of 107. The Heat Advisory says to stay indoors with air conditioning. Umm?!?!
2:30 PM
I am now at Hawthorne Park Campground, right off my route, the National Road Heritage Trail in Terre Haute, Indiana. It is 94° and I am hiding from the sun under a canopy of leaves shading my site. My tent is under cover and I’m hoping this heat will continue to drop. At 4PM it has only done so by two degrees.
6:30 PM
Dinner is Mountain House meat lasagna and a lukewarm ice tea that I picked up along the way. I will also eat one of the cookies that Nancy handed me on the road. I am relaxing and visiting with people walking the camp trails. The sun is beginning to set at 7:45 and the temperature is 91°. I will try to sleep without the rain fly for maximum breeze but it is clipped onto the tent in case I need to roll it down if a thundershower comes through tonight.
I am taking a few days for rest and recovery. Since leaving Dillon State Park on June 13 I have steadily ridden up and down hills, endured the heat in the high 90’s, rain, and headwinds. To arrive in this campground in Lieber S.R.A. on June 20 meant riding ninety-four miles from Greenfield through Indianapolis and on small back roads to Nancy’s campsite.
Yesterday I ended my day at 6:00PM, tired and hungry. I surprised both Nancy and Moe when I rolled into camp. It was unclear whether I would make the trip in one or two days. The cell service here is nil so it was difficult to update my progress.
June 22.
Today we rested in the shade with the temperature reaching nearly 90° before noon. After lunch Nancy and Moe went kayaking in the lake. I stayed in the campsite to clean and check all the adjustments on the bike. I got carried away with the task and forgot to photograph my bike on the work stand. It is now ready to continue west.
Nancy and Moe returned for a late dinner. With the sun setting and the temperature in the night 80°, I walked to the shower then settled into a camp chair to welcome darkness as the sun set.
June 23.
With breakfast over we drove into town, Cloverdale, a fifteen minute drive. We stocked up on food, a few supplies at a hardware store, and the pharmacy. Not much else happened, the heat took our desire to explore the hiking trails.
June 24.
Another hot one. After breakfast we lazed around in the heat of the morning. We’ve been talking about seeing Cataract Falls so we got into the car and drove to the Park.
12:40 PM
We are at Cataract Falls parking lot ready to begin seeing the sights. Next to the entrance is the covered bridge that spans Mill Creek.
We begin walking to Upper Falls.
Heading to Lower Falls.
2:29 PM
Ice cream in the town of Cataract at the 1886 SchoolHouse, now the Community Building. As we drove up to the building with eager anticipation we noticed a closed sign hanging disappointingly on the front door. A man was walking from the building so I asked Nancy to stop. I lowered the window and as the hot humid air rushed into the air conditioned car I asked this man if the ice cream parlor was indeed closed. He told us that it was. The disappointment on our faces, Moe included, prompted him to say, “I’ll go ask Wendy to open and scoop you some ice cream”. This kind man’s name is David.
3:03 PM
Back at our campground and tired from the long hike in the heat, we settled into chairs placed in the shade.
After dinner a young man of eleven came over to visit. He has been over a few times and always asks about my travels riding my bicycle. Tonight he asked many more questions that allow in depth responses.
It was getting dark as I walked to the water spigot that is next to the site where his family is camping. I filled my bottle and noticed the young man, Gage, sitting with his family. I walked over and offered him my traveling card with my contact and blog URL. His look did not conceal his excitement.
Experiences like this I find to be common while bicycle touring.
June 25
Today is laundry day, our last day here. Tomorrow we both will head to the next campground. We will both head to Lincoln Trail State Park in Marshall, Illinois.
I stayed last tonight in the first motel of this tour. Greenfield is where the sprawl of Indianapolis begins. I rode into the city on the Pennsy Trail which got me off of Route 40. Route 40 is also Bike Route 50, part of the National Bike Route system. All of yesterday I was riding in the sun on a four lane highway.
I am now packed and ready for a long miles day. I ride out of the Budget Motel, old and rundown but clean. I’m on Main Street, a strip mall, two blocks from the Pennsy Trail. Hardee’s is open so I stop for a breakfast sandwich and coffee before taking a side street back to the trail. I begin a twenty-four mile journey that is the end of the ACA Route Chicago to NYC.
10:15 AM
As I enter Indianapolis I merge on to Bike Route 35 which brings me right into the city center. I now switch to the ACA Eastern Express route. I deside to break today into two sections, I have 24.3 miles on my odometer and the Eastern Express route starts at 0 miles. This will make navigation out of the city so much easier.
I make my way on city streets with dedicated bike lanes to Washington Park. From here I ride a pedestrian bridge over the canal by the Zoo and turn onto a trail that follows the canal out of the city. In a quarter mile this trail goes under a highway bridge that is under repair, so the trail is closed. I turn back to the Zoo and stop a walker for suggestions. The only way to get back to the trail beyond the construction is to get onto the interstate and horseshoe back around to get to the exit beyond the construction. Or as a New Englander would say, “Ya can ain’t get there from here”. Well I did get there from here! I am now in an industrial area and I did find the trail. I am now back on route.
11:45 AM
I stop at a Marathon gas station to pick up some peanut butter crackers and iced tea. This is my lunch. I eat some and pack the rest. I am once again on my way. I’ll try to get as far as I can today. I have detours on the country roads from the tornado that went through two days ago. Roads closed, trees and power lines down. I make my way through. Everything is good for the rest of the way, I hope.
6:00 PM
I could not find any Warmshowers, campgrounds, nor motels in the sixty mile stretch so I continued to the Lieber S. R. A. where Nancy set up camp yesterday.
Today I’m riding strong and feel good. For the past three years I’ve been fussing with the way I pack and load the bike. I have finally hit the bullseye. I carry sixty pounds and this is the first tour that I can stand to climb and not fight the bike up the hill. When I was racing through hills I’d ride down as fast as I could then pedal hard until I slowed then stand and run on the pedals to the top. I can now do this with a fully loaded bike.
I am now in the campsite with Nancy. It has been eleven days riding without any rest days. I finished strong after a ninety-four mile day.
I cooked oatmeal for breakfast then packed and said my thank you and goodbyes. Jonnie directed me back on my route. The weather didn’t show any rain, just cloudy in the morning and clearing for the afternoon. I wasn’t a mile from leaving and the rain came. Thirty minutes later the rain was over.
12:54 PM
I stop in the town of Straughn to get a bite to eat and get out of the sun for a bit. I am sitting in the back of a small church with a nice breeze. We’ve had headwinds all day. Funny how the perspective of wind changes when not riding into it.
The headwind continues all day.
The last eight miles into Greenfield is on the Pennsy Trail.
4:00 PM
I ride to the Budget Motel and get a room for the night. After I shower I walk to Hardies for a chicken BLT for dinner then I cross the street to get a pint of ice cream to bring back to the motel.
Now I plan to find a place to sleep tomorrow night.
