Going from Vandalia to Alton Illinois, 76 miles and 1600 ft of elevation gain. Another great day, similar to yesterday- started off cool and warmed to the low 70s, nice tailwind breeze, sunny skies and not much up and down. Mostly flat terrain, the same as yesterday with large farms and small towns here and there. The towns are convenient for rest stops. I stopped at Greenville for a cup of coffee, then treated myself to a cheesesteak and waffle fries at the halfway point at Alhambra. There we picked up a nice bike trail which took us off and on all the way to Alton. It was something to see the mighty Mississippi, about 5 miles before we reached Alton. There was a HUGE barge being pushed upriver by a tugboat near the Melvin Price Locks and Dam, one of the largest locks on the Mississippi River. Quite something. The bike trail went along the river North to Alton, where we had to bike through some sketchy neighborhoods to get to our Super 8 Motel. Yes, we are staying at a Motel tonight! No need to pitch tents. Always nice to have a bed to sleep in once in a while- haha.
Here are the RidewithGPS stats:
Biking across the USA with Mike 
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