Up early, good breakfast with "Egg McMuffin," fruit, juice, etc , Fond farewells to Becky and Glen. Hoping that when the Convention is in Louisville in 2014 that Becky might be able to attend.

Got back on the I-24 into Kentucky. Caught the I-64 just East of Paducah. Wished we could have stopped in Paducah and gone to the Quilt Museum there (like I did in 1999). Right after Paducah, we exited the I-64 and took US 60 West towards Cairo IL, at the southern tip of Illinois. I don't think we actually went into Illinois, although we were close. Crossed the Mississippi River which had all sorts of barges on it. Got on the I-57 for a bit, then transitioned to the I-55 which paralled the Mississippi River North towards St.Louis.

We didn't go into downtown St. Louis, so we didn't see the Gateway Arch, the Chain of Rocks Bridge, etc. We took the outer beltway around St. Louis (the I-155) to the I-70, and then West. As I look at the map now, I realize we could have avoided the terrible traffic jam on the I-70 by taking US 50 right into Jefferson City. Exited the I-70 in Columbia, and headed South to Jefferson City.

Our hostess for this evening, Denise Ziegelbein, suggested that we tour the State Capitol building, since we were a bit early and she was still at work. Sounded like a good idea so we parked right near the State Capitol (typical domed edifice) and toured a bit before suddenly, without warning, the lights were turned out and we had to leave. There was no security to speak of at the Missouri State Capitol, as compared to the State Capitol in Baton Rouge, where it was like airport security. Different state, different way!

Denise met us outside the State Capitol. She is one of the daughters of Art and Del Ehrhardt whom we first met in 1999 on the first "Bike for the Cure" ride across America. Del and Art are busy folks, despite being in their 80's, and they have been out of town the last two times we have come through the Jefferson City area, so the baton was passed to Denise and her husband Keith. Lovely folks. Denise led us to their home on farm acreage in a small town called Lohman, about 10 miles from Jefferson City.

Denise's daughter-in-law and two little grandsons dropped in to visit. Precious! Also, Denise's niece Kelly brought over some freshly picked blueberries and some eggs to hardboil for sandwiches tomorrow. Denise made a great chicken casserole, combining two recipes. We had fresh blueberries for dessert. I helped chop some of the veggies while Sherri visited.

The construction of the Ziegelbein's house is unique, as it is set into a hillside. There are three bedrooms and a Jack and Jill bathroom downstairs (besides the kitchen, family room, and laundry area) so later on it could be converted into a bed and breakfast.

Another great day on the road, over halfway back to Grand Junction. Drove 508 miles today, through parts of Tennessee, Kentucky, and Missouri.

With love from the road, in Lohman MO,
Marie