In Missouri bicycles are even allowed on interstates. In Iowa they are not. However I wouldn't voluntarily ride my bike on the interstate. (I got trapped on I-29 accidentally once for 3 miles in Joplin! It wasn't actually so bad. Big big shoulder, and I took the next exit, it just happened to be 3 miles away.)

The highways in question are 2 lane highways. The recent one does have shoulders, but they are in terrible condition, not actually usable unless you have a mountain bike. So a lot of cyclists get told "Get on the shoulder!" when they're biking on that road. It's the only way to get to Thousand Hills State Park. I'm on the steering committee for the Forest Lake Area Trail System (FLATS) which will put a 4 mile trail directly to Thousand Hills. (It'll be a really hilly FLATS trail!) I was on that highway because a group of us were doing a practice triathlon at Thousand Hills, and the real triathlon route involves that highway. The other highway, where my daughter was hit, is where we lived. We couldn't leave the house (or come home, which is what we were doing) without using that highway.

Around here you can bike around town on the streets, but if you go anywhere else you have to use a highway. Town isn't very big.

Thanks for the encouragement. It just came as a bit of a shock that I still have this hang up!