THE MEANDERING MISSISSIPPI

Segment III: Upper Mississippi

Long before the Mississippi River empties into the Gulf of Mexico, it travels 2,500 miles through the heartland of America. Join us as we follow this river across the country. This segment of the tour will meander from the Gateway City of St. Louis to the headwaters of the Mississippi deep in Minnesota.

Day 1: We meet in the heart of St. Louis. Our hotel is across the street from the Gateway Arch and Riverview Park. We will start our tour at 5:00pm with an orientation, followed by a dinner with our guides at 6:00pm. 0 miles.

Day 2: You’ll meet some of the other women on the tour at breakfast before leaving St. Louis via a bike path. About 20 miles outside of town, you can stop at the Lewis & Clark Museum. Their Corps of Discovery left St. Louis to explore the wild, wild west 200 years ago. The bike path offers great views of the river with its intense shipping traffic. We’re reminded that the Mississippi has always been a “working river” – its seasonal flooding now controlled by a series of locks, dams and levees. We end our journeyon the other side of the river in Grafton, IL tonight. We’ll hold our first nightly map meeting at dinner. 42 miles.

Day 3: We’ll follow a scenic drive along the river today before we reach Hannibal, the boyhood home of Mark Twain. 94 miles.

Day 4: We’ll celebrate a couple state crossings tonight as our route takes us out of Missouri, into Illinois and ends in Iowa. 69 miles.

Day 5: We start the day with a bridge crossing over the Mississippi. Today’s relatively shorter ride should allow us some time to explore the historic town of Nauvoo. Mormons built a model city here before being forced to move and eventually settle in Salt Lake City. The well-preserved town still draws many visitors to its temple. We’ll overnight in Burlington, Iowa. 62 miles.

Day 6: Our first layover day in Burlington will allow us some much needed time for laundry, letter-writing and book reading. Or you can take the opportunity to explore the town, known for its annual Snake Alley bicycle race. Named for a steep cobblestone street with sharp turns, this harrowing race tests the courage and skills of local cyclists every summer. 0 miles.

Day 7: Our trip to Muscatine parallels the river today. You can learn how Muscatine was once the Button Capital of the World. In 1905, its factories produced 40% of the world’s buttons out of pearl mussel shells. Zippers and plastic buttons brought an end to the industry in the 1920s. 60 miles.

Day 8: We ride to Maquoketa, Iowa today, much of the time on the national Great River Road Scenic Byway. We’ll ride through gently rolling farmland, dotted with the occasional hog farm. 70 miles.

Day 9: The Heritage Bike Trail will lead us the last 7 miles into Dyersville, best known as the site for the filming of Field of Dreams. Nearly 1 million people have visited the infamous cornfield. 57 miles.

Day 10: Our shorter day today will give us time to check out Lock and Dam #10 in Guttenberg, Iowa. It is just one of the 27 locks and dams on the upper Mississippi River, effectively providing a channel 9’ deep for barge travel. The average surface speed of the water is only 1.2mph, but the river is more than 1.5 miles wide in some places. We’ll climb up the highest bluff overlooking the River as we ride by Pikes Peak State Park and then across the river into Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin. 42 miles.

Day 11: We can celebrate another state crossing as we make our way into LaCrosse, WI today. 62 miles.

Day 12: Enjoy our second layover day in this wonderful town. There’s lots to see and do, including the historic commercial district in downtown. Or you can just watch the paddlewheel cruise boats as they make their regular stops along the river. 0 miles.

Day 13: Follow the Great River Bicycle Trail out of LaCrosse, and then pick up the Great River Road to make your way to another state crossing into Wabasha, Minn. It is home to the National Eagle Center, but perhaps is better known as the filming site of the Grumpy Old Men movies. 60 miles.

Day 14: We’ll have some spectacular vistas as we ride the bluffs above the river today. We’ll climb a little to reach Lake City, where the river is at its widest and water skiing was invented. We’ll overnight in Red Wing, noted for its large winter concentration of the Bald Eagle, and for Red Wing shoes and boots. This area is hillier than most we’ve cycled through because it experienced four glacial advances. Our shorter day will make up for the more challenging terrain. 32 miles.

Day 15: Our overnight spot is the fascinating town of Stillwater, listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Some of the buildings are carved into the hillside while others sit perched on cliffs. 48 miles.

Day 16: During today’s ride, we’ll cross the St. Croix River twice as we ride away from the Mississippi. Once past Osceola, the terrain flattens and we see the oak woods give way to pine forests. We’ll call it a day in Cambridge. 51 miles.

Day 17: Our ride to Little Falls will cut westerly across Minnesota over lightly rolling back roads through cultivated farm land and grazing dairy cattle. The rural landscape makes you forget that we are but a few miles north of the Twin Cities. Little Falls is the boyhood home of the aviator Charles Lindberg. 77 miles.

Day 18: A layover day in Little Falls will give you time to explore this lovely town and discover if there are still any waterfalls here. 0 miles.

Day 19: We’ll make our way to Pine River on the Paul Bunyan State Trail built on the abandoned Burlington Northern Railway. We’ll ride through quaint towns with intriguing shops and references to the legendary Paul Bunyan and his blue ox Babe. 65 miles.

Day 20: We continue on the Paul Bunyan Trail for another 20 miles before riding on lightly rolling terrain through serene pine forests, until we pick up the bike path at Itasca State Park to the headwaters of the Mississippi. We’ll celebrate by walking across the river and taking a group photo before heading to our park cabins for dinner. 87 miles.

Day 21: Take the day to enjoy this lovely park. Its 32,000 acres encompass more than 100 lakes. Visit the Itasca Indian Cemetery, stand under the towering pines at Preacher’s Grove or sit and listen to the serenade of the Loon, the Minnesota state bird. 0 miles.

Day 22: After a farewell breakfast, we will shuttle everyone to the Minneapolis-St. Paul airport by 2:00pm.

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