Cross-country bicyclists are a common sight on the steep hills and scenic byways of Traveler Country. Many are heavily loaded with camping gear and supplies. Their itineraries are not for the weak-kneed or faint of heart.

Traveler encountered Charlie and Sue Johnson of Bettendorf, Iowa, taking a break from camping at the Madison Inn in Fredericktown. The couple is on a three-month ride from the Quad Cities in Iowa to Mobile, Ala., then to Owen Sound, Ontario, north of Toronto.

This is their fourth major summer ride. Previous trips took them from Washington to Maine, California to Florida and Oregon to Virginia.

The pair found some of Missouri’s highway signage confusing but the countryside beautiful.

They had overnighted in Lesterville, and came to Fredericktown on Missouri 72, which they planned to take to Cape Girardeau. They found Fredericktown appealing and decided to stay an extra night to take in the rodeo and attend church. Then it was off to Cape in hopes of finding a good bike shop before heading to Mobile.

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This entry was posted on Monday, June 18th, 2007 at 4:17 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.