Pilot Knob, Missouri, to Chester, Illinois -- 67 miles

We woke at 5 am and got on the road at 5:45 am. Lorraine noticed immediately that her cyclo-computer (which measures speed and mileage) had been stolen off her bike. There were a lot of cars on the road - we were surprised, since it was Sunday. We stopped at gas station in Doe Run for orange juice and to fill our water bottles. As we rode through Farmington, we admired several pretty houses. Lorraine missed a turn in the route and we backtracked about 1/2 mile. Jason passed us after about 36 miles. 

The terrain turned back to rolling hills, and there were more dogs to deal with. We filled our water bottles at a water fountain outside a school in Ozora. Josh and John passed us on the road. The terrain became flat land and corn fields as we entered the flood plain of the Mississippi. We could see the bridge over the Mississippi, but it seemed to take forever to get to it. It was a 2-lane bridge with no shoulder, so we had to ride in the car lane and cross as quickly as we could. Crossing the Mississippi was an exciting and significant milestone – we had arrived in Illinois. 

There was a small park near the bridge with a statue of Popeye (the creator of Popeye was from Chester, Illinois). We checked into the Hi-3 Motel, but the proprietor still had to clean the room, so we ate at a restaurant next door. After we got settled in our room, Lenny made some phone calls and went to the grocery store. Lorraine became engrossed in watching “Anne of Green Gables...the Sequel” on TV. Later, we had take-out Pizza Hut for dinner.