Riding through St. Louis is such an experience. Three lanes widen to five and then to six and split, but all go the same direction. I had a little problem finding Left Bank Books, but finally found it. As it was about a hour after I had planned to be there, I didn’t have much time to look around and less still to write. I checked in with Mom by cell phone and she had gotten off work an hour early so she was an hour ahead of schedule. (Yea)Darn, no time to write.

Leaving St. Louis I got lost. Well, not lost, because I knew where I was, but just not which direction to go to get to Effingham the quickest, for you see, the sky was starting to get dark. 255, 270, 70, 40, 55–all these highways and I wasn’t sure how they split and which direction they went.

I stopped to ask for directions, but that didn’t help much. The directions they gave me were right into the storm. I stopped for gas and ask a guy in the truck next to me and he told me a different route. He sounded much more sure than the last person I asked. Note to self: buy a map and look for myself next time!

Thunder, lightening, and rain. More rain. Pulled off the road under a bridge and talked with a couple of Harley riders. After about 15 minutes the downpour lessened to a mere shower and so I decided to start out again towards Effingham. I rode out of it in 5-10 miles, but I was already soaked. I had put my raincoat on, but I was already wet underneath so it didn’t help much to keep me warm. Usually, when it’s hot out, riders will soak their underneath layer and it acts like an evaporated cooler to keep the body cool. So, since I was soaked, the raincoat was keeping me cool until my clothes dried out a bit from the sun. Another 30-40 miles go by before I finally start to feel a little warm.

I made it to Effingham last night. I was a little soggy, but I made it. But, then…
I jump in the shower to try and warm up and the hot water is almost non-existent. I’ve got the knob turned all the way to hot, but it’s not working. I go to the desk to inquire and they say since we’re in the back building the water has to travel a long distance so if you leave it running for 10 minutes, it will start to warm up. Not. I was in the shower for 10 minutes and time didn’t help things at all.

I guess the desk clerk, Prisilla, could tell that I was shivering for real, and she felt sorry for me. She upgraded us to a suite in the front building. How wonderful! Plenty of hot water. A queen and a king bed and a pull-out sofa, refrigerator, microwave, coffee pot, two tvs. Yeah, this will work. Thanks Prisilla. Thanks Ramada! Oh, and did I mention the free Wireless? This will work.

Mom and I are off to downtown Effingham. We’re going to see the old courthouse, check out the sidewalk sculptures, an art gallery, and maybe go to the winery. We’ll see how much we have time for today. Mom is making salads as I type. She brought lettuce and tomatos and cukes from her garden. Yum. Go Mom!

Later.