I have resumed my swimming regimen, and have gained back most of the weight (and upper body strenghth) that I lost during the six weeks of riding. And I have easily readjusted to the many comforts of living at home. But literally thousands of memories and impressions from this trip are permanently etched in my mind.
This journey had far less to do with the physical aspects of the bicycle ride than it did with experiencing the cultural and geographical aspects of the Mississippi River Valley. I wanted to experience in an up close and personal manner the multiple cultures of the River and to observe the natural beauty of this segment of middle America. While I enjoy exercise and riding, the bicycle was just a fun way to make me slow down and appreciate the world around me.
What I did not fully appreciate was that not only would I see the world differently from a bicycle, but that the world would see me differently, as well. People who would never have had an interest in meeting me went out of their way to approach me because they were curious about what I was doing. Almost without exception, the thousands of people I met over the course of this journey were both curious and kind. They seemed to sense the dangers inherent in my trip and my vulnerability as a cyclist, and many expressed sincere concern for my safety.
Undoubtedly the most dangerous part of my trip was the very real risk that every road cyclist takes of getting hit accidentally by a motorist. As I look back on it, I consider myself to have been incredibly fortunate. I can count on one hand the number of motorists who made derogatory remarks or gestures as they passed me on the road. Over 99.9% of the motorists I saw were courteous and went out of their way to assure my safety as they passed. Several stopped their vehicles to meet me and find out where I was from and where I was going. I will be eternally grateful to the thousands of people whose courteous and attentive driving kept me safe. Over the course of 2,400 miles I did not have a single near accident with a passing motorist.
What I experienced on this trip far exceeded in every respect the high expectations I had for it at the outset. The history of the River region dating back to Native Americans is rich and diverse. The ever changing River and the recreational, agricultural and industrial uses of the River are remarkable; and the beauty of much of this region is stunning. Of greatest interest to me were the scores of diverse and fascinating American towns that have grown up along the River over the past 250 years.
The recorded history of the River starts, of course, with the many Native American tribes that inhabited its shores for centuries before French explorers and fur traders began to explore this region. The entire River Valley is full of Indian burial mounds and other Native American points of interest, including sites of many battles between various tribes and French fur traders, American militia and early settlers.
Other historic highlights include the sites of the Lincoln-Douglas debates, the Lewis and Clark sites commemorating their preparations and initiation of their expedition near the confluence of the Missouri and the Mississippi Rivers, the battlefields of Vicksburg and sites of other Civil War Battles on and along the River, the Mississippi Delta region where the globally popular form of music known as the Blues was founded, the sites of the intriguing and controversial incidents surrounding early Mormon settlements along the River, the sites of many old forts that were built along the banks of the River over the past 300 years, and the famous Shawmut Battlefield where the Battle of New Orleans was waged during the War of 1812.
The changes I observed in The River itself were fascinating. North of the Twin Cities it is one of thousands of beautiful lakes and rivers that make that area a resort destination for countless cottagers and tourists. I saw my first of several large scale hydrolectric power plants on the River near St. Cloud, Minnesota; and further south in St. Paul the River becomes a major source of commercial barge transportation. The River maintains its recreational character south of the Twin Cities in little resort towns like Pepin and Trempeleau, Wisconsin, Lansing, Iowa and Lake City, Minnesota (the birthplace of waterskiing). The last of 29 lock and dams in the northern part of the River is in St. Louis. St. Louis is somewhat of a line of demarcation in the character of the River.
The tiny little creek that starts in the Headwaters in northern Minnesota can be a raging beast south of St. Louis. Flooding is controlled, to the extent possible, by a vast levee system that extends the length of the River south of St. Louis. Fed by major tributaries, such as the Missouri, the Ohio, the Arkansas and the Illinois Rivers, the river widens to over a mile in width and is up to 200 feet deep in places. People who live near the River know well the springs of major flooding (such as 1927, 1937, 1973 and 2011)and the devastation wrought by floods.
I witnessed myself the devastation occasioned by 2011 floods. The River level rose by more than 60 feet in parts of Mississippi and Arkansas. The levees sustained some damage from water seepage but generally held well. A lot of work was being done to repair and fortify parts of the levees and the roads on top of the levees as I rode through Mississippi. And the few campgrounds and resorts that were located inside the levee were completely destroyed by flood waters this spring.
In Louisiana, the Army Corps of Engineers has constructed enormous dams in an attempt to make sure that no more than 30% of the River's voluminous waterflow is diverted to the Achafalaya River bed. This is necessary to assure that major communities like New Orleans and Baton Rouge that rely on the River for commerce, water supply, electrical power, tourism and transportation are protected. Left to its own devices, the River would divert itself into the Achafalaya River bed in order to follow its more direct route to the Gulf of Mexico.
Even the abundant wildlife in and along the River evolved as I traveled southward. As I mentioned in this blog, the predominant roadkill changed from raccoon to armadillos. Bears are present in many areas along the River, but I have to admit that I never saw one (although I did see from a distance what could have been a black bear lumber across a remote region of the Paul Bunyan Trail south of Bemidji - of course, it could also have been a large raccoon). I also did not see an alligator in the southern bayous, but I know they were there along with wild boars, water moccasins and other interesting creatures foreign to Minnesota. Throughout the ride I chose my campsites carefully and kept food away from my tent!
The towns along the River are what initially drew me to want explore the entire River Valley on bicycle. I moved to the Twin Cities over twenty years ago and became fascinated with the little River towns of Minnesota and Wisconsin on the Upper Mississippi like Little Falls, Hastings, Pepin, Red Wing, Trempeleau, Winona, Wabasha and Onalaska. I decided about ten years ago that I wanted to visit these and the scores of other small towns along the entire length of the River on a bicycle. These diverse River towns and their residents were the essence of my trip.
Many towns along the River still celebrate their most famous citizens ranging in notoriety from Mark Twain in Hannibal, Missouri to E.C. Segar, the Chester, Illinois cartoonist who gave life to Popeye. And many like St. Genevieve, MO and Helena, AR seem on the surface to have changed relatively little since Mark Twain published "Life on the Mississippi" over 100 years ago.
But a lot has changed. Farming is and has for centuries been the predominant way of life in the fertile land along the River. Agricultural products grown in the River Valley range from corn, wheat and soybeans to cotton and sugar cane.
Farming in the River Valley has changed dramatically over the past 40 years. Family farms of 5,000 acres or less that each employed over 100 workers have largely disappeared. Large farming corporations are rapidly buying up farm land. Corporate farms today are often over 50,000 acres. These farms employ modern, efficient and expensive equipment that replaces much of the need for manual labor. No longer is there need for the tens of thousands of sharecroppers and hired hands that used to work the many small family farms along the River. Consequently, there has been a huge exodus of people from many of the small farming communities along the River. Some of these once flourishing communities are now little more than River ghost towns.
Ironically, at a time when prices for farm land and agricultural commodities are at or near an all time high, the poverty in the agricultural regions along the River is amazing. The large corporate farms are prospering, but many small towns along the River are dying. There are very few jobs for people who choose to stay in many of these towns. There are River towns like St. Genevieve, MO, Galena, IL, La Crosse, WI, Natchez, MS, Quincy, IL, New Roads, LA and Muscatine, IA that remain relatively prosperous; but they are the exception.
In many of the poorer small River towns, there are no expensive homes at all and unemployment is evidently the norm. There is an abundance of mobile homes, some of which are pretty dilapidated and, I am sure, are over 40 years old. They made me think of John Steinbeck's discussion about how impressed he was with the practicality and explosion in popularity of mobile homes in his classic book from the early 60s, "Travels with Charlie."
Many of these small towns have historic downtown districts that are almost completely boarded up. I was told by someone I met in a southern state that there were no longer any schools in the county, but there was still a school superintendent. The superintendent was well paid, but was responsible only for assuring that all of the children in that county were bused to schools in neighboring counties.
The major metropolitan areas along the River - the Twin Cities, the Quad Cities, St. Louis, Memphis and New Orleans - all seem to be doing reasonably well from an economic standpoint in view of the tough economic conditions that have gripped this country over the past five years. There appears to be somewhat of an industrial base remaining in all of these communities, much of which is directly or indirectly related to agriculture. All have undertaken great efforts to beautify their Riverfront and each has a very well developed bicycle trail system along the River.
People who live along the River, even in the poorest areas, appear to me to be very content and to lead happy lives. From the vantage point of a bicyclist, there seemed to be an inverse correlation between the amount of apparent wealth in a community and the amount of socializing people seemed to be doing. At least it seemed to me that there were a lot more casual parties and outdoor gatherings taking place in the less prosperous areas. There were a lot of beautiful neighborhoods I rode through without seeing a single resident outdoors.
I will close out this blog by answering by way of top ten lists the two most common questions I have been asked about my trip since I returned home.
The 10 "Coolest" Things I Experienced on My Trip
1. New Orleans (a world class tourist town with wonders that extend well beyond the French Quarter -- including great dining (Brunch at Court of Two Sisters), live music (Rebirth Brass Band at Tipatinos) and other things that I did on this trip such as the National WWII Museum, the Garden District, Shawmut Battlefield, the Riverfront (Jax Brewery, St Peter's Cathedral, Cafe du Monde, etc.) the magnificent Uptown district, the St Charles Trolley.... The City has made a remarkable recovery from Katrina!)
2. Memphis (Beale Street, Graceland, Stax Records, Sun Studios, the Lorraine Motel and a host of other interesting historic and modern attractions)
3. The King Biscuit Blues Festival in Helena, Arkansas (opened my eyes to the fascinating history and richness of this form of music -- I will return)
4. The Hot Air Balloon Festival in Natchez, Mississippi -- What a gorgeous town and fun filled festival!)
5. Paul Bunyan and Great Heartland Trails in Northern Minnesota -- over 100 miles of paved trail bicycling at its best!
6. Natchez Trace in Mississippi -- Road bicycling at its best!
7. Hannibal, Missouri -- If you like Mark Twain (and who doesn't?), this town is a must see.
8. Arts and Crafts Show in Reelfoot Lake, Tennessee -- If you think all arts and crafts shows are the same, you haven't been to this one.
9. Lake Pepin -- Close to home, but I never get tired of this beautiful, 20-mile long expansion of the River and the quaint Minnesota and Wisconsin towns that border it.
10. Nauvoo, Illinois -- Fascinating history behind this little known community and the geode festival south of Nauvoo was incredible.
10.A. The Vicksburg Battlefield -- Amazing statues, fascinating military history, and gorgeous, historic town.
The 10 Things That Surprised Me Most on My Trip:
1. That I actually completed the trip without any major physical or other problems of any kind!
2. The consistent courtesy and kindness shown to me by motorists and other people I met throughout the trip.
3. The natural beauty (and hills!) of northeast Iowa
4. The richness of the blues culture of the Mississippi Delta region
5. Seeing Davina and the Vagabonds, one of my favorite Twin Cities bands, at the Rum Boogie Cafe on Beale Street in Memphis
6. The ferociousness of the River and the vast wilderness bordering it south of St. Louis (flooding, deep forests and exotic wildlife)
7. The consistently beautiful weather I experienced - only 1.5 days of rain -- every other day was like a beautiful July day in Minnesota
8. That I encountered only one other long distance bicycle tourist on my entire ride
9. That I enjoyed the physical aspect of the trip as much as I did. This was supposed to be a once in a lifetime experience for me. I had contemplated selling my bicycle on consignment in New Orleans when I was finished; but I liked it so much that I am now planning other long distance bicycle tours in years to come. Bicycling is a great way to travel!
10. This is a tie among four things of which I had absolutely no knowledge despite living in the Midwest for most of my life: a) the fascinating Mormon history of Nauvoo, IL; b) the unique geode rich area near Hamilton, IL; c) the interesting story of the rise and fall of the pearl button industry in Muscatine, IA; and d) the gorgeous Munsinger Gardens in St. Cloud, MN.
I have visited all 50 states and dozens of countries all around the world. But I would have to say that my bicycle journey along the Mississippi River was the trip of a lifetime for me. One of the biggest life lessons I took away from this trip is that there is incredible beauty and fascinating history all around us. We just have to slow down and take note of all of the great things in our own backyard!
