excelsior Springs, MO to Platte City, MO (52/404 miles)

In navigating their journey, Lewis and Clark relied heavily upon information they received along the way from Native Americans and French Canadian fur traders who traveled up and down the Missouri River. 

 I occasionally ask directions from locals, but rely mostly on Maps from Adventure Cycling.  The maps are incredibly precise and detailed. Below is a map of a portion of my route today.

 

As you will note, the Maps tend not to give you the most direct route between point a and B. But they do give you the safest and often most scenic route. On days like today I have to spend a fair amount of time navigating!

There are no mountains in Missouri, but there are lots of rolling hills.  some are pretty steep.  The past couple of days I have had to use my lowest climbing gear a number of times and have often found myself bumping up against 40 mph on the downhills. Yahoo!  You wouldn't think that would be the case by looking at the elevation chart on my map!

It rained again last night and all morning, so I explored the historic and charming town of Excelsior Springs.  In much of the 19th and 20th centuries, people came to Excelsior Springs from all over the Midwest and beyond seeking the curative affects of a variety of mineral waters from various springs around Excelsior Springs. 

The economy of Excelsior Springs boomed from this tourist business. In 1936 the Hall of Waters was constructed as a New Deal project in downtown Excelsior Springs. It was the collection point for all of the varieties of mineral waters from wells around Excelsior Springs, and it featured a mineral water swimming pool and all kinds of hydrotherapy and other spa treatment services, as well as a mineral water bar. Like many new deal projects it is still around today and it is a magnicent edifice.

 

This all came to a crashing halt in 1963 when a gentleman seeking a cure for his arthritis visited Excelsior Springs and a variety of other towns that touted curative effects from their mineral springs.  Not feeling cured and unhappy with the cost of treatment, the gentleman wrote a scathing feature story in the Saturday Evening Post debunking the myth that mineral waters contained curative qualities. 

But don't we still drink mineral water today thinking it is healthy?