GMRR Day 12 - Union City, TN to Cape Girardeau, MO

The link to today's route and ride statistics is here.

Today was a three state day.  We started in Tennessee, made a short trip through a corner of Kentucky, and spent the bulk of the day in Missouri.  It was a very challenging day, but the first part through Kentucky was pleasant farmland, and left us at the Dorena Hickman Ferry, for a nice trip across the Mississippi.  Here is the ferry loaded with our bikes.

The ferry was most interesting in that it is what is called a swing ferry.  Once we pulled out, the engine section rotated to push the other way.  Here it is mid-pivot.

I also want to show you the barge we met moving down the river.  Not an especially large load as these go, but interesting anyway.

Once we were in Missouri, the fun began.  While the route was relatively flat, there was a strong wind directly in our face.  Much of the crew did the ride in a paceline, and shared the pain, but they were just a tad more than I could keep up with, so I fought the wind alone.  My quote of the day is from Alice Campbell, who was saying at the second SAG, if you asked what she saw today, it was a wheel and a butt.  I think she was defining the effort to keep moving.  Had she looked up, the scenery was much like in Mississippi delta country, large fields of flat farmland, none of which I found photo worthy.
After the second SAG at about 70 miles, the land became more the way I remember Missouri, with a lot of rolling hills, some with substantial grades, but generally pretty short.
Once we reached Cape Girardeau, my good friends Al and Janell Miner picked me up and took me to dinner.  Here they are later on the deck overlooking there back yard.

After dinner, they took me on a quick tour of Cape Girardeau.  One of the unique things about it is the art on the flood wall by the waterfront. Here is an example from the history section.
There is also a terrific Missouri Wall of Fame, with many, many recognizable names and faces.

I was also happy to note that the downtown area in both Cape Girardeau and Jackson were thriving, as opposed to what I have seen in many of the towns we have been through.  My thanks to Al and Janell for making this part of the tour possible.