For our last day in St. Louis, Bill and I planned a ride in Madison County, Illinois, which is just across the McKinley bridge and later dinner with Sarah and Brad.
We started our day with breakfast sandwiches at the trailer. Then we made the short drive across the Mississippi to Madison, IL. Today Madison county has a network of bike trails that run along the paths of the former East St. Louis and Suburban Railway, as well as other regional rails.
Today, we rode a part of that network.
Our route was 35.88 miles along the outer most red line trail, encompassing the Schoolhouse, Goshen, Nature and Nickel Plate Trails. The trails were totally protected from traffic and ran through parklands, rural and suburban areas.
Our first stop was at Horseshoe Lake, which is a remnant of a Mississippi River meander. The lake is very shallow and is drained annually to provide habitat for shorebirds. Over 287 different species are known to inhabit the area.
Because the trails are former rail beds, they are gently sloped and either straight or slightly curved.
We stopped in Edwardsville for an early lunch and then finished the ride. We were back to the car by 1pm, making this a very quick ride with an average speed of 12 mph.
After spending the afternoon relaxing , we drove to Olive + Oak in Webster Groves, Sarah and Brad joined us and we had a fun time. Food was great, service by our waiter, Brian, was perfect and the company the best.
After sharing desserts, we were done. The good news is we will see Brad and Sarah in a couple of days in Milwaukee.
Tomorrow is a travel day. By tomorrow afternoon, we will be set up at the RV Park at the Wisconsin State Fairgrounds, the only Rv park in Milwaukee.
John and William- On the Road Again 