July 12: Finally I escape from Missouri!

Old fashioned gas pumps in Weston MO

Halladay Winery at Weston MO

Interesting stack of wine barrels

Kansas road sign - The Sunflower State

Platte River of Missouri

I’ve been in the state of Missouri since June 18. I usually visit my relatives in  St. Louis during the summer and typically after a few days I am happy to escape the heat and beat a hasty retreat back to Wisconsin. So after several weeks here, I am frankly looking forward to traveling to a different state.  Missouri is the southernmost state on the trip so moving on signifies beginning the process to travel to cooler regions. 

After crossing the Platte River of Missouri, (I should see the much larger Platte River of Nebraska in a few days.) I travel through my last community in Missouri which is Weston. Weston is a very scenic little community with many historical buildings along with the Halladay Winery. I’ve noticed in my travels that wineries usually mean steep hills! After stopping at a grocery store to stock up on liquids I left the hills of Weston behind and enjoyed some  flat riding for the last several Missouri miles before crossing the bridge to arrive at Atchison, KS. Railroad buffs will recognize the Atchison, Topeka, & Santa Fe. 

After lunch at Atchison, my route took me on Kansas 7, which is also known as the Glacial Hills Byway. Seems surprising that glaciers once covered Kansas. As they receded in this area they left behind a soil layer called loess, so this area is also known as the Loess Hills. 

By late afternoon I arrived at Troy, with no desire to bike any further. Troy is a small community of 1000 people but nevertheless is the county seat of Doniphan County. There are no larger towns around here, and I quickly determined there were no hotels or campgrounds. However, I was in luck, as I had a conversation with a guy who called himself Chuck. He told me I could put up my tent on the fairgrounds, and if anyone questioned me, I should just tell them Chuch said it was ok. So that was my free campsite for the night.  

Miles: 52

Elevations: High 1140 at Troy town square, Low 770 in Missouri.  Kansas Low Estimate 780

Max speed: 29.9