Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Days 12 &13 - Loved Missouri and Crossed The Mighty Mississippi

My second day in Osage Beach, MO (Tues., Sept 15) was spent just loafing and studying maps.

Then today (Wed. Sept 16) I put on another 293 miles on some wonderfully fun backroads across the rest of Missouri. Roads were curvy and in excellent condition and the day stayed sunny and warm (70's and low 80's). I was surprised at the cheap gas prices in Missouri -- as low as I have seen them at about $2.30 -- some 60 cents less a gallon than at home. I'd love to know why the huge price differences in gas -- it can't all be tax differences -- though it did cross my mind that gas companies just know they can get more in Oregon/Washington than in Missouri.

I have still been able to avoid Interstate freeways for all but the short ride crossing the Columbia River my first day -- and today I was particularly pleased to have routed myself over a Mississippi River crossing that was not an Interstate. The bridge connected Missouri to Southern Illinois where I jumped on the Great River Road scenic route and rode parallel to the Mississippi
to the confluence of the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers and into Wickliffe, Kentucky. Interestingly, I am about 10 miles from the Kentucky town of "La Center" which I will pass through tomorrow.

Just before leaving Illinois, I went through a very depressing slum-like town called Cairo, IL that made me wonder what had caused the city and it's many business buildings to appear abandoned. In my internet search tonight I ran across another person's impressions that seemed to fit my feelings exactly when he/she wrote:

"Cairo Illinois is the strangest city on the river. It feels like you're visiting a motion picture set from the 1950s and all the actors, save a few strays, have cleared the streets to hide from some impending doom. You glance back over your shoulder expecting to see the alien spaceships begin their attack or a six story high praying mantis chewing on the power lines.

Cairo is a sad place. It really feels abandoned. The population is roughly 3000 which on face value seems like a healthy number, but the city was built to sustain a population five times larger. The buildings are still there, large stone banks, churches, and government buildings; grand in design, but with their promise unfulfilled. They look sad standing their abandoned."

More explanation and pictures are at the web site: -- it turns out that this once important city of 20,000 is now just a depressed slum in part because it is a "victim of the racial hatred its citizens could not overcome." The web site and wikipedia entry are interesting and sad. A sobering reminder that not all of the USA is scenic backroads and thriving communities with multiple Starbucks. Of course I knew that -- but this town is an "in-your-face" reminder.

All in all, another interesting day.

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