036: Days 46, 47: May 24 and 25: Geneseo IL to Davenport IO. 27 miles today and 1430 in total. (523.3)

Today is looking forward to Davenport, Iowa. When I planned out the route, this point had some or other magical meaning - maybe it is the point where I realised that we are on a serious bike trip. Or, was it because we would see the Mississippi River for the first time??

Anyway, as it turned out Davenport IA is significant in our progress. This is where we saw Dr Armendariz of the Genesis Sports Concussion Clinic for a follow-up on my head injury. He was happy with the progress and gave us good guidance to follow. We appreciated his offer to continue to provide support as we cycle along.

His receptionist, Darcy Anderson, has been a real Trail Angel. We were planning to travel around Davenport by taxi. She had nothing of this and offered us her car. We were overwhelmed and were able to complete our chores in record time. Thanks a lot, Darcy. God allows our paths to cross for certain reasons. You had such a positive impact on us today.    

We completed the last section of the Hennepin Canal between Geneseo and Colona/ Green Rock today. This was a beautiful day and we enjoyed the scenery,

the flowers (This was a patch of daisies that grew where the owner intentionally did not mow his lawn. I am not advocating anything, but please note what we miss if we keep our grass short.)

the Beaver nests in the ponds next to the canal, 

the green growth on the ponds and

the way the locks have been dammed to keep the canal fully watered and provide a noisy waterfall every now and then as well. 

We nearly drove over this fellow. Looks like a Water Snake

We passed over one of the old lift bridges as the trail went from the one canal embankment to the other.

And as soon as the trees are allowed to grow, you cycle through these beautiful lanes.

We saw two Bald Eagle chicks in their nest.

What a reflection.

The Green River washed away the original aquaduct and it was replaced with this pedestrian/cyclist bridge.

Christine caught me disobeying the road rules. 

The Locust and other Trees were is full bloom before we reached Colona.

We stopped here for a last photo before we tackled about 8 miles of road cycling to the Great River Trail along the Missisippi.

What a huge river this is. We were happy to be here.

The path-side flowers were beautiful. In the background you can see the new I-74 Bridge.

We stopped at a sign showing the Great River Trail along the Mississippi - this is for another day.😆😆😆

We passed the Celebration Belle.

The City of Moline welcomed us with, amongst others, this mural.

This mural is part of the Quad City Botanical Center. We marked this for another visit.

When we crossed from Illinois (on the right above), we crossed to Rock Island (Where the US Army maintains an arsenal) and then to Davenport Iowa on the left. The island at the tip of Rock Island is a bird sanctuary and many Bald Eagles overwinter here. This must be a sight to see.

Christine is crossing the first bridge from Illinois to Rock Island.

This is the bridge from Rock Island to Davenport. It is a double-decker bridge with trains above and vehicles below. Cyclists and pedestrians have a separate path.

We were looking for Bald Eagles.

Christine on the cycle path crossing the Mississippi Locks with the balancing Dam in the background.

We are in Iowa looking towards the balancing dam

 Looking upstream towards the balancing dam.

The City of Davenport has and is still investing substantially to help the local economy. We were happy to note the hanging flower baskets as we came off the bridge.

We stayed in the Radisson, Davenport, a stone's throw from the river. We took a walk and went to bed early.

We saw the double-decker bridge in use on the way back to the hotel - Darcy offered to take us to the hotel as well. 

We are quite satisfied tonight. Firstly, we received a good medical verdict and, secondly, we were able to purchase egg-crate mattresses. We had a couple of other things to send back to Lizl and managed to lighten the load a bit more. Lastly, we went on a scale today and saw that we lost some weight. I am certain this will not be the end of it. We still have roughly two-thirds of our planned trip left.

We also got 'trail haircuts' today. It is so hot and humid that we opted for the old school "short back and sides". Mine is even shorter than Ben's!.

We don't say it often enough, but your comments and words of encouragement and support mean the world to us. In those tough moments it is wonderful to feel loved and 'carried' by your thoughts. 🥰