Mississippi River Trail - Grand Excursion - June 27

Tue March 02 2004
Posted Mar 2, 2004
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Grand Excursion Upper Mississippi Bike Ride. Be part of this historic ride! Departs Rock Island, Illinois, on June 27th, 2004, following the Grand Flotilla steamboats and arriving in the Twin Cities, 400 miles later, for the 4th of July weekend. A bus will return cyclists to the Quad Cities on July 5th. Read more. (Good RAGBRAI training ????) Masterpiece in the Making The Mississippi River Trail is a 10-state cycling route in process of development. It travels over 2000 continuous miles between the headwaters of the Mississippi at Lake Itasca, Minnesota and the Gulf of Mexico, winding its way through the states of Arkansas, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Tennessee and Wisconsin. Cycling route signs featuring the "MRT" logo identify the route along those segments that are complete. Route markers eventually will serve as the unifying identity along the entire route.

Recent News from The Daly Gate in Illinois HAMILTON, Ill. - Hamilton, Ill., will serve as one of the starting points in the Trail Breaking, the Mississippi River Trail bike ride this spring. "The League of Illinois Bicyclists is planning an unprecedented, one-time simultaneous bicycle ride of all of the 585 miles of the Mississippi River Trail in Illinois," said the group's Web site, www.bikelib.org/mrt. The ride will begin at noon on May 1 and will feature 30- to 40- mile segments along the river. Biking groups along the trail may pick a point of departure from 16, and for those who decide to start in Hamilton, a choice of two destinations - Quincy, Ill., or Burlington - is available. Hamilton Mayor Dave Cornelius said Monday that he and city leaders will meet to discuss how to work out local details. "I'm forwarding information to the police department and Hamilton Community Development Coalition to see what we can do," Cornelius said. "We'll be getting a hold of the state police. I can't imagine them having this without an escort." Although the main celebrations will be held at destination cities, communities hosting points of departure will have some issues to discuss. Bike riders who park in Hamilton or locations nearby and elect to ride back at the end of the day will need to be accommodated - for parking, lodging, camping, meals and other services. The MRT Trail Breaking event helps kick off the League of Illinois Bicyclists new User Guide to the Illinois Mississippi River Trail. The free booklet was produced by the biking group with the cooperation of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and Mississippi River Trail, Inc., and highlights bike riding and touring the Illinois portion of the trail. The guide includes maps and attractions, lists camping, accommodations and food and drink locations as well as bike repair and emergency information. Hamilton, Nauvoo, Warsaw and Quincy are mentioned in the guide. The ride is a step in developing the Illinois portion of the Mississippi River Trail. In his January visit to Quincy, Ill., Gov. Rod Blagojevich said the state would partner with the Western Illinois Tourism Development Office to create a 10-day bike tour along the scenic trails of the Great River Road, Cornelius said. The tour will be backed by corporate sponsorship, attracting many riders to Illinois cities along the river, Blagojevich said. The entire Mississippi River Trail is a 10-state cycling route in process of development. It travels over 2000 continuous miles from the headwaters of the Mississippi at Lake Itasca, Minn., to the Gulf of Mexico, winding through Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Tennessee and Wisconsin, the Web site says. Cycling route signs featuring the "MRT" logo identify the route along those segments that are complete. Route markers eventually will serve as the unifying identity along the entire route.

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