Week 44: Another heat wave, a hurt knee, and an arch

August 31 – September 4 | Lake Patoka, IN → St. Louis, MO → Burlington, IA → Marseille, IL

Where We Stayed

• Hampton Inn, Wentzville, MO (Tuesday)

• Hampton Inn, Burlington, IA (Wednesday)

• Illini State Park, Marseille, IL (Thursday)

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St. Louis, Missouri

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We left French Lick after a final Harvest Host at Alcohol Acres in Patoka Lake, there is a brewery, winery, and distillery all within walking distance of each other. We made our way to St. Louis. Missouri is one of the last 4 of 48 contiguous states that we have left, so we needed to be there. And we encountered yet another brutal heat wave. We booked a co-working space in the city so Don could work, and I could check out the Gateway Arch National Park.

The co-working space was called Nebula, and it was a genuinely great find. Lucky behaved beautifully and stayed with Don in one of the phone booths, tiny private rooms designed for meetings, while I unloaded the bike and headed to the park.

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I'll say this about the Gateway Arch: the museum is free, well-organized, and has excellent air conditioning, all of which I appreciated. I spent a good hour inside, enjoyed the timeline exhibits, and bought a sticker and a Lewis and Clark walking stick medallion (they were out of the park's own medallion). But I'll also be honest: I'm not entirely sure why this is a national park in the same system as Yellowstone, Glacier, and the Redwoods. It is an urban monument in a city. There is nothing natural about it. I'm glad it was on our route for Missouri. I'm also glad to have it behind us.

After the museum, I biked around and found a really lovely trail along the Mississippi River.

I also biked the Mississippi in Baton Rouge earlier in the trip, and these are the threads that tie a year of travel together: the same river, a different city.

The bike ride back is where things fell apart. Google Maps rerouted me between the levee and the railroad tracks. It was hot. Over 100 degrees, with all the radiant heat of concrete and asphalt added on top. I had water, and I kept drinking it, but I could feel heat exhaustion beginning to settle in. I rode too close to the railroad tracks and went down. A very kind man in a truck stopped immediately, blocking traffic to help me get the bike up, check on me, and make sure I was steady before leaving. I should have asked him to help me get back to the main road. I let him go, and as soon as he did, I felt faint and thought I was going to be sick.

I leaned on the fence, drank water, found shade, and drank more. The road I needed was blocked by a freight train that wasn't moving. A group of graffiti artists had a tent set up nearby and shared a cold bottle of water with me while I waited. Once I felt well enough, I backtracked two miles on the electric bike (very grateful for the battery, because I did not have the energy to pedal) and eventually made it back to Nebula.

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I cleaned up my knees with the first aid kit. They were badly banged up. Don looked at me, looked at the knees, and booked a hotel. He said we were done for the day, and he was right.

Ten miles in that heat was not a smart choice. It was a hard afternoon.

Iowa

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Wednesday was a hotel morning in St. Louis, a drive to Burlington, Iowa, an Aldi run for dog food, salad, and beer, dinner at a Sports Bar and Grill, Food Network, and Harry Potter. That was Iowa.

Missouri and Iowa both join Oklahoma on the list of states we checked off but did not check out. Technically, Skuhlie was in both states. Technically, we were there. We are counting them and moving on without guilt.

Over dinner I told Don where I was: done with the heat, done with the uncertainty, ready to go home. He’s ready to finish the trip, and to finish it on his terms, which means the bus is still running, Lucky is healthy, and we visit all 48 contiguous states. We were finally in the same place at the same time, which made it easier.

Illinois: Another One Nighter

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Thursday, we drove from Burlington toward Michigan, stopping at Illini State Park in Marseille, Illinois, for the night. Illinois state parks don't take reservations within three days of arrival, so we drove and hoped. Labor Day weekend was starting, and most everything was booking up, but one night was easier to find.

My knee was still hurting significantly. Before leaving the hotel, I stopped at a Walgreens pharmacy and asked for guidance on bandaging it properly. A knee is a difficult thing to bandage because you keep bending it, and I had also made the not-brilliant mistake of applying Sting Relief to an open wound, thinking it said sting-free. The pharmacist confirmed it was a stupid mistake, also confirmed it wasn't dangerous, and helped me sort out the bandaging. She was matter-of-fact and kind, which is exactly what I needed. I warmed up leftovers at the campsite, sat at a picnic table that started in shade and ended in full sun, and went to bed early. The AC was already running in the bus. I was grateful for it.

Two States Left

We are two states away from completing our goal of visiting all 48 contiguous states in Skuhlie. Michigan and Ohio are next. Then we point Skuhlie home.

Next up: Michigan, Ohio, and the final stretch home.