2026 Natchez Trace ride - Day 20 - St Louis'ish

Finally got a sunrise photo - over the McDonalds

I woke up at 4:30.  I took my time showering and packing, then reheated my breakfast burrito from Buc-ee's. Then I loaded the bike and went over to gas it up and grab a few drinks. At the end of all of that I didn't get away till we'll after 6:00. Even then I wasted about 15 minutes trying to find some place to get a picture of the sunrise.

I was heading for the Missouri museum of the Civil War in St Louis , and Google wanted to take me right through the heart of Nashville . There were other routes, but Google said they would all take 2 hours longer than the Nashville route .

I finally let Google had its way and I headed up the freeway. The day started warmer than I had expected, it was in the upper 70s. 

After an hour as on the outskirts of Nashville and hit stop and go traffic. Google assured me that it was only a 20 minute delay and that I was still on the fastest route. An hour later I didn't feel that much closer to Nashville and Google was still assuring me it was only a 20-minute delay and that I was still on the fastest route . On top of that the temperature had risen to 90°. 

I finally got fed up and pulled off. I spent several minutes trying to get Google to route me around downtown but everything I tried would just put me right back over to another freeway headed right back to downtown. I finally picked a steakhouse that was on the west side of Nashville and put that as my destination. It took me 20 minutes to get over there and I figured once I was on the west side Google would route me up the west side, but no right back to the heart of nashville.

I finally gave up and got back on the freeway and again hit stop and go traffic, but this time it was 6 minutes. After 15 minutes I finally cleared the traffic and was routed back out of the heart of Nashville with open roads. I don't think I'll ever want to go near Nashville again.

It took me 3 hours to do what Google originally claimed would take an hour. And to make matters worse the temperatures were up into the hundreds by 10:30 and I was sweating pretty bad.

I pulled off at a rest stop and then Googled for a super Walmart along my route . There is one about 10 miles ahead so I set that as my waypoint. When I got there I went in to their camping section and bought a small ice chest. Then I bought a bag of ice and a couple of bottles of water.

I dumped the ice in the water in the ice chest then took my evaporative vest and dunked it in. When I put it on it felt wonderful.

From then on I stopped about every 45 minutes to dunk my vest. I stopped for lunch at an Arby's , and after I drink my soda I filled the cup with water a couple of times and dumped it into the ice chest. My vest was soaking water up faster than the ice was melting.

It didn't make the heat go away but it helps me survive it.

When I was about an hour away from St Louis I noticed black clouds on the horizon. There was no rain whatsoever in the forecast but we all know how that works.   I was riding along from the rain hit out of nowhere. Within seconds I was soaked to the skin. I had about another mile to go to get to an exit with a gas station and by the time I pulled under the awning, I was thoroughly soaked.

I gassed up and went inside to use the bathroom. The rain was coming down steady but nothing unusual. As I walked out to get back on the bike there's 78 absolute massive downpour and what looked like gusts of wind coming straight down out of the sky.

I was parked well underneath the awning, but the wind was whipping every direction and there was nowhere to stand that wasn't getting soaked. More and more cars kept coming off the freeway and trying to get under the awning.

I looked on my weather app and there is a storm with bright red Center passing straight over the top of us. I stayed for nearly half an hour as rain banned after rain band kept passing by. One time the sun even came out for a few minutes and most of the cars left just to have it all hit again.

I thought I was safe under the gas station roof

I was drenched and tired, so I looked up a nearby hotel and booked it. Finally when the sun came out and there were no more dark clouds I got on the bike and rode the 15 minutes over to my hotel. It was just a cheap Super 8 but it will do.

At least there was a much better selection of food nearby than last night. I went and got a Korean rice bowl with bulgogi and kimchi. It wasn't the best I've had but it sure hit the spot tonight.

Bulgogi rice bowl with kimchi

I got quarters from the lady up front and ran all my wet clothes through the dryer. Mostly because I don't want to pack them in airtight bags and have them go moldy on me.

I also set my shoes and helmet over the air conditioner to dry out. I'd turn on the heat up to 74, then the AC down to about 65 and back and forth. AC still helps dry clothes because it pulls all the moisture out of the air.

Drying my shoes on the AC.  It worked

I'm not going to repeat this morning's mistake tomorrow. I will have everything packed and ready so when I get up I just take it out to the bike and get going. I want to be on the other side of St Louis long before rush hour starts. 

One last note.  I had planned to ride to Chillicothe tomorrow to see my grandkids, but there is some big quilt thing going on in Hamilton Missouri, and it sold out the hotels in Chillicothe.  So I've changed plans to head straight for home.  It will probably take 2 days rather than the 3 I'd planned by going to Chillicothe.