Moonshine ride in and out.

[NoBull]

Ok since its closer than I think, I have been looking at routes from Colorado. To get there Im planning on taking Hwy 36 to Hannibal, south on 79 into St Louis and in on 70. The home trip maybe taking the Illinois side of the rivers, with Hwy 3 up to 100. home on 36 or 24. Any route suggestions would be welcome. I have spent very little time in Illinois or Missouri, really want to see the area around the river. For time management I need to know if these are 70mph roads or 35 mph. Help...

[dr1954]

Nick, I can,t tell you about the Mo side on 79 but 100 on the Il side is nice between Alton and north of Grafton. Road is right next to the river and Grafton is a big "cruiser" destination on the weekends. Best way off 270 is rt 3 to il 143 into Alton and 100 from there. North of Grafton 100 is mainly bluffs on one side and fields on the other. Still better than riding the slab. WHen you get to Kampsville take 96 and it is closer to the Mississippi river on into hanibal.

I am itching for a ride to test my new seat and when I get done with a small side job this morning I may "prerun" that route and let you know what to expect.

Will let you know if I can get loose today!

[Putt]

Ok since its closer than I think, I have been looking at routes from Colorado. To get there Im planning on taking Hwy 36 to Hannibal, south on 79 into St Louis and in on 70. The home trip maybe taking the Illinois side of the rivers, with Hwy 3 up to 100. home on 36 or 24. Any route suggestions would be welcome. I have spent very little time in Illinois or Missouri, really want to see the area around the river. For time management I need to know if these are 70mph roads or 35 mph. Help...

Illinois 2 lane roads are generally 55 mph.. town 25 to 35..
The North end of 79 up around Hannibal in not too bad.
Sometimes it is patrolled, sometimes not...

Another way home, if you want to stay off the Interstates,
might be "old" highway 40...



Putt..

[George]

Illinois/MO along the river is generally easy going. Okay 2-lane or old 4-lane thru agricultural and small town America all the way to St Louis. Lots of little side roads to explore but nothing marvelous in the way of twisty roads.

Head south and west of St Louis and the terrain changes into the Ozarks. If ya have time, MO/AR state line has a lot to choose from. Head a little farther south and it gets better as ya head west. Mena, Ar is a good overnight stop then into OK.

I've ridden 2-lane all over the middle of the country, from here thru TX, OK, MO, CO, IA, and KA. Beautiful country, loooooooooong days, light traffic, friendly small towns and local cafes. Camp at the side of the road or motel in mom 'n pop places. Takes time, tho.

I'll at Moonshine, then ShowMeSTOC, then head east for CampSTOC and FriendSTOC. Hope to get up east, then meander toward home with a stop for WeSTOC. Plan to be out at least 8 weeks, maybe 16,000 miles.

Plan on seeing a bunch of youse guys this summer. :D

[NoBull]

George, not really looking for twisties on this trip, looking more for scenic America. Ive crossed the Mississippi at St Louis and at Moline. No big rivers with history here in Colorado. Never been on a ferry either. Know what I mean..

Putt, Dr, would you recommend going thru the Pere Marquette park or stay on hwy 3 and go around?

Sorry Guys its snowing today and I plan trips on snow days....

[Putt]

George, not really looking for twisties on this trip, looking more for scenic America. Ive crossed the Mississippi at St Louis and at Moline. No big rivers with history here in Colorado. Never been on a ferry either. Know what I mean..

Putt, Dr, would you recommend going thru the Pere Marquette park or stay on hwy 3 and go around?

Sorry Guys its snowing today and I plan trips on snow days....

Nothing really special about the park.. there is a road that goes around the
East edge of the park that is kinda nice, nothing special, but it is a bit less
traveled than 100..
If you are coming across from Moonshine on the Interstate, I would take
IL 3 up to Alton, then catch 100.. 100 follows the river..

Ferrys... If you go far enough up rt 100 there are a couple of marked free ferrys across the Illinois river... I think there is one right close to Marquette park, if I remember correctly... Also a ferry that crosses the Mississippi,
same general area, it will take you over to Mo 79.
Have not been down in that area since last spring...
Another way to travel that area is to follow the "Great River Road" signs,
that will get you closest to the river...


Got to remember, some of these ferrys are seasonal...
One other thing, if you are going to be hitting that area on a Sunday,
I would suggest filling up in Alton, some of the small towns literally roll
up the streets on a Sunday afternoon...


Putt...

[George]

Nick, Colorado has the Colorado. It's got history. And it gets big if ya follow it far enuff. Same with the Rio Grande. :D

Scenic America is wherever ya happen to be, as long it's not the interstates.

[dr1954]

Nick, I wouldn't have done this for just anybody, but for you I took my ST for a ride today. Temp in the 70"s and my wife turned her back and I was gone!

The route I took was:

From Il 3 at I 270 went north to Il 143

Il 143 to Il 100 in Alton

Il 100 north through Grafton to Hardin

From Hardin north on Il 100 to Kampsville

from Kampsville west / north on Il 96 to Il 106

Il 106 to Hannabal Mo. Speed limits on these roads are 55, but I felt safe at 70 to 75 in most areas.

From Hannabal south on Mo 79 all the way to I 70 in St Peters

Mo 79 south of Louisiana Mo gets a little boring and congested with side roads and driveways. The speed limit is 60 but there are quite a few small towns. Also there is a county LEO near Elsberry that was sitting at the crest of a hill. Thankfully the cage ahead of me was a bigger target!

My suggestion would be to take Mo 79 south from Hannabal to Louisiana and then jump across the river on US 54 to Il 96. Then take Il 96 the opposite way that I went up to Hannabal.

You could even go south of Hardin Il on cr 1 and take the Brussels ferry across the river. It sets you off in between Pere Marquette park and Grafton on Il 100.

Hope this help you decide on a route.

[NoBull]

Dr, you are the man. The thought that someone went for a ride on a sunny day just for me, well Im just speechless. Hopefully we meet in Casey and I can thank you in person. Im getting out the map now to check it out..Thanks again.

[NoBull]

Ok one more question, for those more travelled then I am. Hwy 36 across Kansas, is lodging available? Im working Thursday, getting out of Denver about 5ish. I want to get 400 to 500 miles before we stop for the night. I wanna make sure there will be places along the way, according to Mapsource these are really small towns. No Motels shown on the GPS, not surprising just want to make sure.

Putt, the only "Old 40" I see is basically I 70, am I missing something or are you giving me ####?

[Putt]

"Old 40" generally runs parallel to I-70.. It may not show up as such
on a GPS.. There is quite a bit of it in Illinois.. A lot of the time it will run
along as I-70/US40 but from time to time, US 40 splits off on its own..
Same way in Mo and KS...


Putt...

[George]

Old 40 is business I-70 pretty much all across country. It'll take ya thru the old downtowns of all the small towns in the midwest. The old road still exists across most of Indiana. Haven't followed it as much in Illinois.

[NoBull]

Ok makes sense now, Colfax street thru Denver is Old I40....

[Putt]

And Davies Chuckwagon Diner is on Colfax :)

Putt...

[NoBull]

Why yes it is...Favorite spot for Steak and Eggs with Biscuits and Gravy..

[Putt]

Why yes it is...Favorite spot for Steak and Eggs with Biscuits and Gravy..

If I am in Denver, I stop at Davies..... Almost as important as riding to the
top of Evans... almost...

Putt...

[BridgeMan]

Colfax St.--isn't that where all of the "ladies of the night" hang out??

[NoBull]

One and the same, you can get a date and then have breakfast. Isnt that what youre thinking when you go on a date, what are we having for breakfast?:lol:

[George]

One and the same, you can get a date and then have breakfast. Isnt that what youre thinking when you go on a date, what are we having for breakfast?:lol:
"Breakfast tomorrow? Should I call ya or nudge ya?" :D

[NoBull]

George, I dont even wanna go there. However if you come thru Denver I would be happy to pick up breakfast at Davies...

[gryzz1325]

Ok one more question, for those more travelled then I am. Hwy 36 across Kansas, is lodging available? Im working Thursday, getting out of Denver about 5ish. I want to get 400 to 500 miles before we stop for the night. I wanna make sure there will be places along the way, according to Mapsource these are really small towns. No Motels shown on the GPS, not surprising just want to make sure.

Putt, the only "Old 40" I see is basically I 70, am I missing something or are you giving me ####?

YES,,,,,Oberlin,Norton,Phillipsburg,Marysville all have mom and pop motels IIRC. Beware onUS36 in western Kansas about fuel,,,premium gas can be hard to find out there.

[BridgeMan]

Scenic America is wherever ya happen to be, as long it's not the interstates.

I'm not quite so sure of that, George--just came back up to the Willamette Valley from south of Roseburg today on I-5 in Oregon. There are enough long sweepers, spirited (6%) grades and beautiful forests surrounding the ride that I couldn't help but think what a nice piece of super slab this was. Granted, it's not the same as a "true twisty" but it sure beats droning along mile after mile with nary a twitch on the bars to change direction every 8 or 10 miles.

[George]

I'm not quite so sure of that, George--just came back up to the Willamette Valley from south of Roseburg today on I-5 in Oregon. There are enough long sweepers, spirited (6%) grades and beautiful forests surrounding the ride that I couldn't help but think what a nice piece of super slab this was. Granted, it's not the same as a "true twisty" but it sure beats droning along mile after mile with nary a twitch on the bars to change direction every 8 or 10 miles.

Yes, there are some pretty nice pieces of I-state. There's a thread here somewhere. But, if the I-state is nice, there's prolly a nicer two lane nearby. I-15 through Virgin River Gorge is an exception. Almost no other way to get thru there.

[Putt]

I-70 from Denver to Grand Junction is good... Once you get over
Loveland Pass on Rt.6, from there to Grand Junction your pretty much
limited to the Interstate, and a scenic route it is...


Putt...

[killingbugs]

Great route DR pre-ran for you! I would cross on the Brussels Ferry and do the loop through Calhoun County. Stop at the Red and White Store in Brussels IL or have a bite to eat at the Witmond Hotel. They have fried apples to die for, and locally made sausage UMMMmm!!

When you leave Brussels go about 1 mile and take the right turn. That will take you to Hardin, IL and you can check out the Joe Page bridge. If you time it right, they will raise the center section to let a barge pass!

We do this loop alot. Great River Fish available year round at any of the Bar/Restaurants in this area.:biker:

[George]

US Route 34 is pretty good all the way across. On the east end, it's Ogden Ave, from the lake shore all the way thru Naperville, IL. Then New York St. thru Aurora, IL. Rolls thru the prairie states pretty straight but _not_ level. The twisties tend to be vertical instead of horizontal.

On the west end, it's the main road thru Rocky Mountain National Park, a nice ride if ya like that sort of thing. :D

[NoBull]

Ok looks like 100 is closed at Grafton, according to channel 5 news it will remain closed until Friday. Thanks Rick....I will change my course..

[mstgsaly269]

WOW you guys really know your roads, next trip I plan to take, I will just ask you guy which way to go, heck who needs garmin when we got you's LOL

[silverbub]

unless you have major preference for going from hannibal down to st louis, may i suggest that "if i were the rider...", i would get off bike at hannibal downtown area(close to boat dock)...which is very easy from elevated US36 four lane through hannibal...just take last exit right(south) before going over mighty mississippi...then, i would "commune" with the river at along the boat docks, gambling boat area, etc...watch a push boat with barges going past hannibal...hang around there for an hour or so...then, continue on US36 east over river until i came to Illinois route 104 just southeast of Jacksonville, IL...follow IL104 south to Taylorville...then, you have a number of choices...personally, i would take IL29 south to Pana, then pick up UL16 east to IL128(south) a couple miles west of Shelbyville(unless you wanted to first go to visitor center of Shelbyville Lake to see more water, etc)...back to taking IL128 south past Cowden until it intersects with IL33 east to Beecher City...then just stay on IL33 until you get to Effingham...stop there & see the very big museum of Corvettes...& then make your last little leg of trip up Interstate 70east, or go more enjoyably on old US40 to Casey!...that is how i would go through IL from Hannibal...then, on your way back to Colorado, make use of Interstate70 to St. Louis & take in your route from their back up to Hannibal, or perhaps...slab it on interstate 70 through KS...of course, as anyone of us should say: "Your trip choice might vary!"...but, i wanted to share with you how I would do the Hannibal to Casey leg of your trip...may your journey be safe!:03biker: :)

[NoBull]

I appreciate it Silverbub, I will look at your route and have a look...Always open for better suggestions..

[NoBull]

Watched snow fall all day, snow stopped roads cleared. I got ready to head out. Then I 70 closed. Hwy 50 is closed as well. Starting to snow again in some areas. Im going to watch closely. If possible I will head out really early and see what happens. My wife, and crew headed out earlier. They should be around Hays somewhere, maybe as far as Junction City. Say hello if you see Colorado plates....Hope to see you all there...

[NoBull]

Well folks I made it home. Awesome couple days of riding. I regret not making the Friday dinner, and meeting more people. I looked for familiar faces, however most of your faces arent familiar to me. I was only in town for 12 hrs and slept 6 of them...Really enjoyed myself..Thanks Terry...

[Kempo-STer]

Just so the gang knows..I've got my good buddy Greg "GRN" from NH tucked in safe and sound here at my house in CT...

Bad news weatherwise up north so he decided to call it quits at my shack and I honered him with a nice big juicy steak, some cold beer and playoff hockey...

How could you go wrong?????


Consider it an open invite for all my ST brother who want the same treatment..Safe travels to all Moonshiners..maybe next year...

[Putt]

Well folks I made it home. Awesome couple days of riding. I regret not making the Friday dinner, and meeting more people. I looked for familiar faces, however most of your faces arent familiar to me. I was only in town for 12 hrs and slept 6 of them...Really enjoyed myself..Thanks Terry...

Doggone...
Sorry I missed you Nick...

Putt...

[NoBull]

Putt, I looked for the new silver bike of yours. There however seemed to be more then one in the parking lot, imagine that.