Walking Cincinnati

 Cincinnati, OH

Guess what city I am in?  :)

Walking US 27 Truck Route

Today I did a 7 mile walk around Cincinnati.  I wanted to get some more of the numbered highways we haven't been on so I walked them.  It was a very urban walk but I saw some cool stuff.

I recorded my walking route.

I saw The Heidelberg Beer Distribution Center.

This is the Train Station (we will go here soon).

The highway takes you underneath it.

Roadside thistle and roadside bumble bee

An old Button Copy I-75 sign with demountable elements (sign nerd stuff).

I walked out on the Clay Wade Bailey Bridge until I entered Kentucky and then turned around.

On the way back I watched this GPS guided Turf Tank stripe the Bengal's practice field.

Since I was down there I walked the John A Roebling Suspension Bridge.  It isn't a numbered highway but it is a cool old bridge.

Walking by the Sheriff's office I saw this.  

I swung by Hark Rock Cincinnati to take a look.  It's nothing special IMHO and the poker room was large but not full on a Sunday.

I have seen this mural walking around but decided to document it today.

That was my adventure for today.  It was a fun walk with some cool discoveries.  I also filled in some more numbered highways in the area without having to drive.  If you missed Driving from Ohio to Switzerland check it out.  You probably already guessed that it isn't the Switzerland you originally think of when you read Switzerland.

Walking From Illinois to Missouri and Back on Route 66

 Granite City, IL & St. Louis, MO

Route 66 Selfie

Old Chain of Rocks Bridge

Today Donna and I drove across the Mississippi to Illinois and then walked back to Missouri on The Old Chain of Rocks Bridge.  This bridge crosses the Mississippi just north of St. Louis and gets its name from the multiple rock ledges just under the surface of the water that made passage dangerous before the Chain of Rocks Canal was created.  Now barges bypass these shallow waters using the canal.

It's a really pretty place with a lot of trees and birds.  There is free parking on the Illinois side.  We were told there were a lot of car break-ins on the St. Louis side by different people so we decided to park on the Illinois side.

If you go, and you should, make note that there is a one way bridge leading to Chouteau Island.  There is a stoplight at either end that lets cars pass.  We were a little confused when we first pulled up and when we left we saw people turning around because they thought the light was never going to change.  Give it time, it will change.

The road to the parking lot is an Historic Route 66 highway and the bridge used extend this section of Route 66 across The Mississippi River.

There are also a few miles of nature trails on Chouteau Island, the island that we are on.

This is one of the two Water Intake Towers (Tower 1 built in 1894 and still in use) that bring water from the Mississippi River into the Water Treatment Plant and makes the water clean enough to brew Budweiser Beer.

There was info about The Mississippi River but now info on when you crossed the state line or about the Water Intake Towers.

Another shot of Tower #1

The Famous 30 degree bend.  This was created so they could firmly plant the pylons of the bridge in solid rock.

Old Chain of Rocks Bridge was on our St. Louis list for quite a while and we were looking forward to it but it ended up being way better than we expected.  

If you missed my previous post, We're Talking Baseball, check it out.  We saw The Cardinals stomp The Diamondbacks.

Walking to Arkansas

 Memphis, TN

I'm in Arkansas and Donna and Francis are in Tennessee!

Big River Crossing

Today we took advantage of the weather (it got up to 61 degrees and not much wind) to walk the Big River Crossing.  This is the longest footbridge crossing the Mississippi River.  It's exactly what you would expect but somehow cooler.  It opened in 2016 so it is fairly new as far as bridges are concerned. It's attached to an older rail bridge that keeps its character and patina so the juxtaposition of the footbridge and the rail bridge is pretty cool.  

We parked in Martyr Park and walked to the bridge.

The state line is down the middle of The Mississippi River unless the river shifts

They are doing a pretty good job of keeping locks off the bridge.  There are currently a few.

We watched a riverboat ride with the current under the bridge and then turn around.  It was going to have to work much harder to return up the river.  More info here about the Riverboat Cruises.

@BigRiverX #BigRiverCrossing

The Big River Crossing was a great activity for a nice day.  I am looking forward to more river crossings in the coming months.  I know there are at least a couple walking bridges coming up.  If you missed the previous post you can find it here.