Story & photos by BRIAN GLEASON
FAVORITE RIDE
My tires flung mud for the next several miles after taking this picture.
Great Roads of Southern Missouri
Southern Missouri has fantastic motorcycle roads. Two of my favorites in the St. Louis area are State Routes100 and 94, which both have their eastern ends nearby in St. Louis and St. Charles counties. These roads also stretch westward along the Missouri River to the Missouri capital, Jefferson City, with SR-100 along the southern bank and SR-94 along the northern bank.
The ride is an all-day affair if you really crunch the miles. Otherwise, two days makes it comfortable to connect the eastern cityscape and western countryside.
I decided to ride the route on my 2022 Can-Am Spyder RT Limited as the 2016 Indian Roadmaster is no longer road-worthy thanks to an impatient driver who ended my two-wheeled riding career and nearly my life in 2021. With some permanent injuries to my left leg, I can no longer shift a standard motorcycle. Thankfully, Can-Am makes a reverse trike, which is matched perfectly to my abilities, so I can continue to enjoy one of my passions – exploring the U. S. while straddling a go-fast machine. The Spyder is so much fun to ride, but I miss leaning into turns and the magic of counter steering.
I live on the western side of the St. Louis metro, so I started at the intersection of the first Interstate in the U. S.( I-70) and SR-94 headed eastward through the oldtown portion of St. Charles. I passed the Boschertown Bar & Grill, where you can get a great burger if you are hungry. Here, SR-94 finally opens up to rural Missouri highway speeds of 55 mph. Missouri two-lane highways come with sweepers and a few tighter turns, and you can also find a few on the eastern stretch of SR-94 and many more out west too.
I passed several corn and bean fields, and having grown up in Iowa, this was a nice reminder of my youth. The“ knee high by the fourth of July” saying is outdated. I’ m 6-foot-4, and the corn is already taller than I am, reaching 7 feet high by mid-June. Be warned that tall corn creates dangerous“ corn corners,” which can hide crossing traffic, as well as farmers who are working their fields, so be vigilant for all forms of farming machinery moving around.
I took the time for an excursion to visit Portage Des Sioux – named for a Native American legend that tells us how the Sioux once evaded the Osage by carrying their canoes from this spot on the Mississippi River 2 miles south to the Missouri River.
Left: Our Lady of the Rivers was constructed in gratitude by Portage Des Sioux for being spared from flooding by the mighty Mississippi. Right: The 630-foot tall Gateway Arch is worth the tour near the eastern end of SR-100.
46 / NOVEMBER 2026 / RIDERMAGAZINE. COM