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Old 06-28-2017, 12:56 PM   #1
Don M
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Default Gliding the Mississippi

There are only a few bridges over the Mississippi River that you can walk, bike or glide across and there are two of them in St Louis

The Eads bridge goes between East St Louis Illinois and St Louis Missouri. The Jefferson National Expansion Memorial Park is located right at the end of the bridge on the Missouri side, so if you've never visited the Gateway Arch, there's no reason not to do so if you're gliding the bridge

We stayed at the Casino Queen Hotel on the Illinois side which is directly across the river from the Arch. A short glide across their parking lot will get you to the elevator which takes you up to the walkway on the bridge. There are four observation points on the bridge where you can stop and observe the river traffic and take pictures. There's a cement wall about 3 feet high which separates you from the bridge traffic

If you're into old bridges, the Eads Bridge has quite a history as does the man who built it, James B. Eads. Built in 1874, it's worlds first all steel bridge and the oldest bridge crossing the Mississippi which is still in use. Truly a thing of beauty, you would never guess it's nearly 150 years old

If your travels take you anywhere near St Louis, I highly recommend taking your Seg and gliding this historical bridge. The photo was taken from the observation area at the top of the Arch

Don
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Old 06-28-2017, 01:20 PM   #2
Don M
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The other bridge near St Louis that you can glide is the old Chain of Rocks Bridge. Built in 1929, it actually looks much older than the Eads Bridge and was the original river crossing for the famous Route 66. The bridge was closed to vehicular traffic in 1970 and sat unused for about 30 years and was the scene of rape and murder in 1991. It was very near being torn down when a local cycling organization took interest in saving it. Largely through their efforts, 4 million dollars was raised for necessary repairs and it is now part of a wonderful bike path that runs for many miles - You'll see many cyclists using it if you glide this bridge

It's a unique bridge in that it has a 22 degree bend about 2/3rds of the way across. As narrow as it is, with traffic coming from both directions, this bend was probably a 15 or 20 mph corner - It's quite sharp. The bridge is over a mile long and there are some historic Route 66 memorabilia pieces mounted on an outcropping near the center. Access is good from either side but most seem to park on the Illinois side at the end of Chain of Rocks Road where there is a big parking lot capable of holding probably 50 or 60 vehicles. After you cross to the Missouri side, there is an excellent paved bike path about 8 feet wide which runs all the way to the Eads Bridge - Probably a 15 mile glide! We rode about 3.5 miles from the bridge to a rest area before heading back. Our Segs were at about half charge when we started as we had ridden the Eads Bridge and all around St Louis the day before

I can't rave enough about what the cyclists have set up here in St Louis. This bike trail is absolutely first class! You have traffic lights where the ride crosses roads, rest areas, water fountains and many points of interest with boards and maps explaining the history of the area. Lots of good photo ops

IMO, either of these bridges is well worth a trip to St Louis, but if you do make the trip, make sure to take in both if them. Of the dozen or so cities we've visited to glide, this is probably the best

Don
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Last edited by Don M; 06-28-2017 at 01:28 PM..
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Old 07-01-2017, 12:05 PM   #3
MuttonChops
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Default Fun

thanks

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