Day Fifteen (38.3 miles, 552.10 total): Popeye The Sailor Man!

RING! RING! RING! Alarm is ringing in my ears and I can't find my phone to shut it off. Ella is jumping up and down on my chest like I am some sort of trampoline. Time to wake up human! 6:00AM and I want to go back to sleep. Today is supposed to be a scorcher, so I pull myself off the comfy sheet and let the furry ball of energy outside. I bought some breakfast sandwiches from the grocery store the night before along with some chocolate milk. It was so much better than oatmeal or my hotel Frosted Flakes. With a full tummy and Ella in her basket, I set out for the mountains.

The road out of Carbondale, it's a slight uphill all the way to Murphysboro. Along both sides of the highway, are industrialized complexes of super centers and shops for just about everything. Once I got into Murphysboro, it was time for me to pull out the new map. I decided to take the Mississippi Alternate Route and follow along the levee of the river. Dropping down to the river, I had a few big rollers and then it started to flatten out again. On my left I saw the occasional peak of the river, but mostly overflow where it had flooded the day before. On my right was a bank dropping into the farmlands of Illinois. Miles upon miles of flat open space filled with dark green fields.

Winds were pounding away, trying to throw me off my bike, but I pushed on along the river. The heat had already risen into the 80's by mid morning and the humidity hung like a thick coat in the air. Occasionally, I would press into pockets of cool air. It was almost like popping into a bubble when I ran across these cool air pockets.

Fields and their little farm houses, were separated only by old dirt roads or flooded out ditches. The water along the flooded river had a strong current pulling along trees and other debris from last nights flood. Even in the dark brown murky waters, you could still pick out some pretty large fish swimming against the current. The road separated from the river for awhile and the sun was cooking me in my seat. Ella was panting trying to hide from the heat, so I poured some water on her. She hates bathes, but loves when I pour water on her. She shook out her fur and created a cool mist against the heat.

The roads led us back to Route 3 and joined up with the main trail again. We were stopped at a train track for twenty minutes as a train flew down the line. Car after car the train went on. It seemed like the giant steel centipede was never going to end! At last we were on our way again. Then an old 1970's Camaro flies by, followed by a 60's Mustang and a 1950's Ford truck. A few minutes later a whole caravan of classic cars in beautiful condition shot down the road past me. Mustangs, Camaros, Firebirds, Corvettes, the list goes on and on. Every year and model I could think of rolled on down the line. Color combinations flashed along making the rain forest birds look dull. Two Ford GT's even passed by! One GT was red and white and its counterpart blue and white. Shelby Cobras, Chevelles, Stingrays, Classic Rolls-Royces; if you can think of any rare classic car, it probably passed me.

Coal Trucks were trying push me off the narrow highway as I pushed on against the humidity. No pictures of the super car caravan, as a result to my safety on the busy roadway. The cars continued to pass me for miles on my way to Chester. Eventually the route pushed toward the river once again. Factories and process plants followed along the wide banks of the Mississippi. Two steep hills rushed up on me and I plowed up them. Legs burning, lungs about to explode, I arrived in Chester, The Home Of Popeye!

There was a pavilion right in front of me, that I parked my bike in and laid on the cement cooling down for a good thirty minutes or so. Ella was happy to stretch her legs and gulp down some water while we relaxed in the shade. We walked around the Popeye monuments and snapped a few pictures before heading into Spinach Collectibles, a store that was nothing but Popeye. If you can think of anything Popeye related, they definitely had it! The woman at the counter pointed me in the direction of the biker hostel, and I was off to find my home for the evening.

The Brotherhood of Eagles had a bunk house specifically for cyclists and a shower too. I turned on the air conditioning unit and headed off for the showers. When I got back, the little bunk house was like a refrigerator. I unloaded the gear off my bike and set off to find a library to update my GPS.
 
After a few hours trying, unsuccessfully, to get their computer system to work, I left to go get some food. I picked up a burger and went back to my frigid bunkhouse to chow down. Celia and a new rider showed up while I was eating to stay at the bunk house as well. They both decided to set up tents out front instead of enjoying the nice air conditioning. More for me!

Tomorrow is the first day of really hitting the mountains again, so I am off to eat a few more chocolate chip cookies and hit the hay! We hope you continue follow us as we journey into the Ozarks of Missouri!