Canal Bridge is gone

I rode my bike to the river and stopped a few feet into MO on the Old Chain of Rocks Bridge (historic Rt 66 for those of you not local). I was surprised to see how thoroughly the old I-270 canal bridge was removed. Here's a panoramic pic of the area. The arched line is power wires--a side effect from panos because it wasn't that windy. While the ride to the bridge was unremarkable, the ride home was not.

  1. On the mostly uninhabited Chouteau Island, I saw a brown tipped Siamese cat walking along the road.
  2. In the small town of Mitchell, IL, (pop. 1300) I saw 2 peacocks crossing the road and, further down the road, a yard lined with old tires containing bowling balls in the center.
  3. I saw a large (10-12"), wet, mossy backed turtle at the edge of the road moving too slowly to know if it was crossing or just sunning. I just thought it was interesting that it was covered in moss; granted, it has been really wet.
  4. Very near the Glen Carbon Sam's Club, there was an emu crossing the bike trail. I've seen deer in that area but an emu?! For those wondering, it is about 19 miles from Old Troy Rd/Mont Rd to the point where I turned around.