Day 7: 6/1/2022: Meramec State Park to Tebbetts, MO

I had a super restful night's sleep last night.  I woke up at some point to use the bathroom.  I have no clue what time it was, but it was pitch dark.  I went back to sleep and it seemed almost immediately the birds started to chirp.  The birds are my alarm clock when I'm on a bike trip because they really get loud about daybreak.  This morning I thought to myself these birds are nuts because it can't be 5 a.m. yet.  Once again the birds were right.  It was 5:15.  I got up and packed everything just before a thunderstorm hit.

This morning the hill climb out of the campground didn't seem bad.  I guess I was just exhausted when I hit it yesterday.  I suppose as Jackson Browne sang, I was "Running on Empty," which was playing when I stopped by Walmart this morning.

It rained on me almost the entire morning, so I was not able to take any pictures.  Pics below were similar to most of my views today.

While pedaling uphills I have plenty of time to enjoy the roadside beauties such as those pictured below.

I was on a dirt/gravel road for about 5 miles today.  I enjoyed it, but I'm not sure my duck did.  It took the brunt of the abuse (pic below).  I also got behind the machinery pictured below.  It has been awhile since I saw one of those guys at work on a gravel road.

A couple of pics below of Stormy Hill, which is another little community whose small economy appears to have taken a hit.

Hermann, MO, on the other hand, seems to be holding its own.  It appears to be a historic tourist destination.  See pics below around town.

Pics below of Missouri River and pedestrian bridge crossing the river in Hermann.

After Hermann, I got on the Katy Trail, which is about a 260-mile trail that runs across a portion of Missouri (pics below).  I rode 30 miles on the trail to get to Tebbetts, MO, my stopping place for the night.

Total miles today: 92.2