St Louis, to Pevely, MO

Thursday, September 25, 2003
Distance Cycled: 51 miles
Total elevation gain: 1,740 feet
Our Total Flat Tires on trip to date: 1

We left the motel and headed east on Dunn Road, which should have been called up and down road because from the time we left the motel until we reached the end of the road, we did nothing but go up and down hills. In addition, the road paralleled interstate highway 70 its entire length so we had to stop on several up hills to let cars exit the interstate highway. We reached the end of Dunn Road and stopped at a Missouri Welcome center where we found out that the motel we had reserved in Cape Girardeau was not a place we wanted to stay at.

Becky and Mary Kay cancelled our reservations and made new reservations at another motel. We also found out how to get on the bicycle path going south to the Gateway Arch. We left the Welcome Center and headed for the bicycle path. As we traveled south, Mary Kay spotted the bicycle path so we stopped, crossed the road and took our bicycle down a grassy hill and across some railroad tracks to the bicycle path. From there to the Gateway Arch we had a very pleasant ride. The bike path wandered on and off the levee that protects St Louis from Mississippi River floodwaters. At one point we saw a couple of houses that were built on barges sitting on the land. One was tied to very tall poles so it could rise as floodwaters floated the barge off the ground.

We finally came to the Gateway Arch. When you get close it is almost impossible to really get a picture of the Arch. We stayed near the Arch for about a ½ hour and then headed south. For the next 35 miles we traveled most of the time on city streets, sometimes with bicycle lanes and sometimes without any shoulders. When we entered Pevely we turned on highway Z to our motel the Gateway Inn. We later walked into town for dinner.