Alton, Illinois

Yesterday we rode 93 miles because we did not go past any places still open for food or lodging. So many of the towns along the river here are not really towns anymore. The farms are huge and the soybeans and corn look pretty good. Most of the houses right in town look the worse for wear but we saw some beautiful homes and gardens right on the farms. The locals seem to be doing pretty well and must head to bigger towns to shop and socialize. The town we ended up staying in supposedly had camping but nobody was there and the bathrooms were locked up. We rode to the city park which was a ball field and some picnic tables and a bathroom with running water. We ate some dinner and waited for dark to pitch our tent. We woke to a beautiful sunrise and four deer and a bunny to share it with. The town had a cafe open for breakfast and lunch so we went back and had a big breakfast. 

We were pleasantly surprised to see a corner store around noon and the owner made us some sandwiches with homegrown tomatoes.

The pictures are: one of many brick silos,

a typical town home, sunrise from our campsite, and a sign for the recently flooded MRT.

We finished today riding along the Illinois River and the confluence with the Mississippi. We were right by the river and saw lots of barges with grain and coal. On the other side were steep cliffs. It was a really beautiful ride and we only had to go 73 miles to find a motel with laundry. St Louis tomorrow!!