Day 35: 75 miles, from Hartville to Ash Grove
Today felt easier than yesterday. Funny how that is. The elevation was easier— more rolling hills rather than steep ones. I just plodded through without thinking of how far I had to go. Instead, I focused on how it far it was to the next minimart. Today those came every 15 miles, which is really helpful. Yesterday there were none in 40 miles.
New wildflowers today: coneflowers and black-eyed Susans.
Today I found the perfect place to stop for a rest and snack. You wouldn’t believe how hard it is to find such a place. Once I decide to stop, I can sometimes ride for miles before I find a good place. Here’s my criteria:
1. Not at the top of the hill, because of poor visibility in either direction.
2. Not at the bottom of an hill, for obvious reasons.
3. Not at the end of the driveway, because a dog might call that his territory and come to chase you off (more on that later).
4. In the shade.
5. On some kind of shoulder or flat area that isn’t a driveway.
6. Preferably, with something to lean your bike against such as a telephone pole, tree, or grassy bank.
7. But not too much grass because you don’t want to get ticks.
8. If you have to pee, all of this with privacy too.
I spent some time here eating my PB&J.
I broke my rule today about not stopping at the end of a driveway because I wanted to take a picture. Bad idea. I heard barking, then saw this huge great white Pyrenees charging down the driveway after me. I tried to ride away, but he attacked my front wheel. I used my air horn, then he circled to the back and actually jumped on my panniers. He never actually touched me so that’s one positive. I used my airhorn again and took off down the hill, and thankfully, he gave up. I shouldn’t say it because I don’t wanna jinx myself, but I think we’re getting out of dog territory now.
Later, I passed what looked like a demolition derby with the competing cars on display.
Plenty of local markets today, which I really appreciated— not just having the stores, but having something other than Dollar General, which carries the same thing in every location.
Even here in the Midwest, they don’t care who uses what bathroom.
Enjoying the shade and a drink with just 15 miles left!
It has definitely seen happier days.
Roller coaster Hills. These were going generally down, which is extra Fun.
And that’s a wrap on week 5!
Day 34: 41 miles from Houston to Hartville
Generally great day. Left Wes’s place after he took us to breakfast. I felt sad to leave him! Then the views were so pretty—this part of Missouri feels softer—and I was listening to a new excellent playlist from Steve (peddlin’ fuel), and thinking about how sweet Wes was, asking us to pay it forward. And I found myself getting emotional. So much kindness, so many amazing experiences, I think sometimes I just get filled up to overflowing.
Eventually , however, it got hot. And it being Sunday, a store I was counting on was closed (note to self about sundays around here), and suddenly I was a little low on water. I made it with a sip to spare, but have to be more careful about that.
The day ended laying under a tree on the courthouse lawn in the little town of Hartville. And now we are sleeping in the “youth loft” at Hartville freewill baptist church. Happy for cool shelter and a shower courtesy of these nice folks. Tomorrow will be a long (75 mile) day.
Good morning in Houston.
That’s enough pics for tonight. They are taking forever to load!
Day 33: 42 miles from eminence to Houston, MO
Much easier day!! More of the same hills for the first 15 miles, but then it smoothed out into a very reasonable ride. The first part after Eminence was elk territory, but we didn’t see any.
Stopped at this grocery and put together a decent lunch. PB&J, green pepper, apple, and yogurt covered pretzels.
This nice couple, Bruce and wife, stopped to chat. He is also a writer and gave me a copy of his book about traveling as a young person. They were so worried about Deidre, who hadn’t arrived yet, I heard her ask him if they had enough gas to go look for her. Not necessary, but SO nice.
Deidre and my respective “beers.” Mine is a yummy local IPA from piney river brewing. (I crumpled my can before the pic—Woops).
Our host, Wes.
Wes noticed the cyclists always riding by, talked to them , and started hosting them with his wife Judy. Judy has since passed from breast cancer, but he continues to host in the spirit of her giving nature. Wes took us to dinner, showed us around town, and showed us Judy’s garden, chickens, and quilts.
The chickens had names like Chick-eera and egg-ulara after singers names. 😂 Really enjoyed meeting Wes and learning more about Judy. So grateful for this comfy place to stay.
Day 32: 53 miles from the shut ins to Eminence.
We woke up to discover we had a visitor in the night. My M&Ms had been eaten and I thought I was missing a whole Cliff bar but we thought “an animal wouldn’t drag off with a hole bar.” But what do we know? It turns out something (raccoon?) dragged Deidre’s entire food bag into the woods, pried open the zipper and ate everything inside. We found the bag by following the trail of rappers left from the things stolen from my food: a bag of cashews and the cliff bar.
Other than that, today kicked our butts. The First 30 were great. But more than one person used the word “brutal” to describe this stretch of road to us, and they weren’t wrong. We thought we’d seen everything having crossed the Appalachians, but this was a new kind of torture. Short downhills that went right back into the uphills, which were too long to benefit from any momentum. It felt like a battle for the last 26 miles.
Then at the peak of the highest climb, a truck approached as I was cresting the hill, forcing me over the rumble strips. When my bike bounced over them, I noticed my bike rack swinging. What the heck? I pulled over and discovered two missing bolts. I took one off my extra bottle cage to re-attach the rack then did the other one at camp. It was miserable—so hot and sweaty and my legs wondering what I’m doing stopped for twenty minutes. Then I had to stress on the downhills, worrying the one bolt wouldn’t hold. But it did and I added the second one when I got to camp.
After that, I thought I was through the worst of it, having topped the highest hill, but they just went on and on right up until I got to the campground. Just killer.
Two nights ago, we were in a king bed in the tiger sanctuary. Now we are in a buggy campsite near a river with showers that don’t lock, water that switches erratically from hot to cold, and a toilet that runs constantly and tips if you dare to sit on it (which I did because my legs are tired and I don’t care).
We hope to make an early escape tomorrow. There are more Ozark Hills to conquer!
It sad when these little stores are closed. They are a dying breed, but also their closure leaves us with nowhere to pee and buy snacks. I had to sneak into the courthouse after asking at the post office where I could find a bathroom.
The water in the Ozark scenic waterway was low. It appears they really need rain. But still beautiful. I could see turtles and big fish swimming below.
I made sure to look up from my pedaling every once in a while to see the view.
This sign was only visible eastbound. Missing it meant climbing an unnecessary hill. Thankfully, I looked over my shoulder as I passed!
Going to bed with the eastern wood peewee singing, coyotes yipping, and the moon riding over my tent.
Day 31: 60 miles from crown ridge to Johnson’s Shut-in state park
Apparently, we weren’t the only ones to think folks drove too fast on Missouri roads.
The day was a mix of little town, farmland, and low-income rural stretches. Lots of trailers.
Steep hills
But also long stretches of relatively flat road
Our camp with my dirty socks, right in front 😂
I heard a whippoorwill while hanging out in camp this night! That was so exciting. I hadn’t heard one since vacationing in Canada with my family as a child.
So many things happening. We had a final beautiful day in Illinois riding along the Mississippi River flood plain and along the levee. It was my first time seeing the Mississippi River! Then we crossed I to Missouri for a harrowing final 20 miles. During the ride, we were both charged by the same aggressive dog, a driver gave Deidre the finger (first of the trip), a truck driver leaned on his horn while passing, and everyone drove crazy fast. Plus the last three miles were uphill. Ugh!
We were happy to get to our lodging at the crown ridge tiger sanctuary. I know-kinda random. It’s a nonprofit org that provides lodging and tours to fund the sanctuary. We checked in after hours, so no one was there. It was a very peaceful place (after I got over the feeling we were entering Jurassic park where the enclosure technology was sure to fail). We stayed in a little house, but had free reign to wander. I just sat on a bench and watched the big cats for a bit. There were five of them, one of which was blind, which was evident when she bonked her head on a tree. 🥹
Pics from Illinois:
We stopped for lunch in the town of Chester before crossing the river. Chester is home to popeye creator (name?!), which the town took great pride in. There were cute statues of the popeye characters all around town.
Me pointing the way across the river with Louis and Clark.
The bridge to Missouri was interesting. No pedestrian access so we had to ride right down the middle to prevent cars from passing.
And that’s it for Illinois!!
I
The tigers:
It looks like the enclosures are small, but they aren’t.
Day 29: 42 miles. Tunnel Hill (Barbara’s camp) to Murphysboro, IL.
We had a shorter day today, but I was tired. I’ve decided I can only ever go as far as I told my body we would go from the outset. Like it fuels up and allots the energy needed for th task I’ve defined, then it’s done. Even though I’ll ride almost 20 miles further tomorrow, today I was done at 42. Didnt want to go another mile. I also think I didn’t get enough sleep last night. And I ate this pastry at lunch that gave me a sugar crash. All good lessons to learn.
Setting up for a PB&J at this reservoir in a park. I’ve come to LOVE my PB&Js!
Veggie of the day. This was the feature, but it was a banner day for vegetables. I ate a cuke from the grocery store, the pickled carrots, and a salad with my pizza dinner. When it rains it pours.
Among all the ordinary residences, we found this gem: a houseboat that was more house than boat. With such a cute porch and garden.
That was it for today. I guess some days are just about the work of pedaling the bike.
Almost forgot: we found this!
No comments:
Post a Comment