Shaun Rides His Bike

I noticed this on my 2019 TransAm tour too: Illinois is flat, and Missouri is bumpy! It’s also less windy, though, so I like this tradeoff. With a constant headwind, there’s no downtime, but with hills, there is almost always a descent!

Also, it was a relief getting out of the city. Today’s roads often had no shoulders, and some were surprisingly busy, but I never felt unsafe, nor did I have any encounters with aggressive drivers.

I am disappointed that my route didn’t go past any Meramec Caverns barn advertisements, and I hope some still exist! As I got closer to the caverns, there were lots of billboards, though.