Kansas City, MO, to O'Fallon, IL

Day Seven - 294 miles

What can I say about today, other than it sucked from the moment I left Kansas City.

The day started well enough. I got my laundry done. WOO HOO! CLEAN CLOTHES!!! There was a girl working at the laundromat who was very kind and helpful to me. She even gave me some free soap. People are genuinely nice and friendly in this town, and also pretty hip and cool. It's got a nice balance. People sometimes in the bigger cities think they're so incredibly cool and wonderful that they...oh well, let's not go there.

I met up with Marco again for lunch (thanks for that, Marco!). We parted ways again, and after packing up the bike in the SWELTERING heat (96F and very muggy) I was finally off again at about 2:30pm.

I found Hwy 50 again to continue the "backroads" odyssey. Getting further into Missouri, I was starting to get a bit fed up with the stop and start. The road was quite dangerous here, with two fast lanes in each direction, and a LOT of cross traffic. The landscape was "okay" but was sort of semi-rural industrial. Not particularly interesting, and well-nigh endless. We were really starting to slow down in the town of Sedalia, and it looked like the traffic was only going to get worse. A quick look at the map, and I could see I-70 was only about 30 miles north, and running parallel. I decided to make a break for it. I felt I hadn't been making great mileage the last couple of days, and a good belt along I-70 to beyond St. Louis, would make the afternoon worthwhile.

Then the rain came....

And boy, did it pour....

Later this night, after I'd finally found a motel to rest my weary bones, I watched the weather report and saw what I had just been through - the worst day of driving on a motorcycle (and probably a car too) in my life. I'll let the National Weather Service warning sum it up tonight:

THE FLOOD WARNING CONTINUES FOR

THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AT ST. LOUIS

* UNTIL THURSDAY EVENING.

* AT 8:00 PM FRIDAY THE STAGE WAS 30.4 FEET.

* FLOOD STAGE IS 30.0 FEET.

* MINOR FLOODING IS OCCURRING AND MINOR FLOODING IS FORECAST.

* FORECAST...THE RIVER WILL CONTINUE RISING TO NEAR 31.3 FEET BY

MONDAY EARLY AFTERNOON. THE RIVER WILL FALL BELOW FLOOD STAGE

WEDNESDAY EVENING.

Let's just say, it was very, very bad motorcycling weather. Extremely difficult driving conditions. I suppose I could have stopped, but I hoped it would pass. It didn't. It seems to have now, but more is on the way tomorrow. Don's "froggtoggs" raingear are coming in extremely handy.

Anyway, I have no pictures from the road today. I re-joined US-50 on the far side of St. Louis. I passed over the Mississippi River and Busch Stadium as a game was in progress. I could see the "Arch" of the Gateway to the West, but unfortunately I have no record of it, save that which is etched in my memory. I was more concerned with keeping my eyes on the road.

I'm going to try and get to West Virginia by tomorrow night. Then I might make Mat and Kelly's in Richmond by Sunday evening.

The battle continues.

Onwards!