Up at 4:40 this morning…sore in a few places, but feeling good. Hoping this will be a relatively steep-climb-free day as I near the end of MO. Supposed to be sunny with a high of 90….ready to get out of this MO heat and humidity…should be my last full day here.
At dinner last night Rob pointed out a Hubble space telescope in the town square across the street from the pizza place where we were eating. I took a pic—below. Seems this is the home of Edwin Hubble and they have the (or maybe a) Hubble space telescope on display in front of town hall.
Stopped at the Kum & Go this morning at 15 miles in Fair Grove for orange juice. Nice ride this morning over some true rollers. See the pic with me and the 6 or 7 hills in the road behind me….for the first time I’ve hit hills that are true rollers…hills you can get enough speed going down that your momentum takes you to the top of the next and you just repeat like a rollercoaster. Hills that are fun to ride….finally!
On the way to Walnut Grove came across about seven young guys out for a ride….rode with them for about 5 Miles (think they were surprised I was keeping up with them) to a t-junction where they stopped to regroup….forgot to write down all their names…one was Isaac….nice guys and good conversation.
In Walnut Grove at 9:15….hit some nice quad burners on the way. Stopped at the Shamrock Gas Station for late breakfast—Diet Coke, ice, V8 juice, and bologna sandwich 🙂
12:50 and 62 Miles in. Been a pretty non eventful day of riding. A mix of flat, rolling hills, and some quad burners thrown in. It’s hot but there is a pretty good wind blowing that makes it tolerable. Last few towns had nothing as far as services…getting a little low on water and have 18 or so miles to a place where I can get some. Feeling sleepy again….got bug bites that are annoying me.
Go for about 5 more miles and nothing but sun, fields, road, and no shade….feeling drained….sun is getting hot….was thinking what I wouldn’t give to see Melvin again standing on the side of the road with an ice cold bottle of water—according to the map supposed to be nothing out here for at least another 12-13 Miles. Then up the road about a mile ahead I see a flag flying where I know an intersection with hwy 97 should be….as I got closer I see a building….and as I got closer I see it’s a New Holland Dealership out here in the middle of nowhere. I see another bike outside…go in and they have cold water, Gatorade, and ice cold cokes—was like an oasis….filled my water bottles, bought two diet cokes and started feeling refreshed again.
The rider I met is competing in the race across America—been seeing a few of them pass me going East (they start on the west coast and go East to Yorktown) for the past few days. His name is Drew (pic below) and he is from New Zealand…he is currently in 13th place. These guys ride racing bikes, carry virtually nothing, and ride day and night — there are people out here crazier than I am if you were wondering 🙂
Left the dealership feeling refreshed….thank you New Holland Dealership in Nowhere, MO. 🙂
The last 15 or so miles to Golden City (where we’re stopping tonight) was flat with a fairly strong wind coming out of the south-west…I was headed west, so that wind hitting me in the face felt really good even if it was slowing me down—by now it was about 92 and no shade anywhere. I turned north for the last 4, flat miles into town and cranked all the way in at between 17-20 mph. I think that last 15 miles today was a taste of what we will be seeing in Kansas starting tomorrow….it could be great if there is no wind (and there is always wind in Kansas) or a tail wind, but can be brutal if there is a headwind.
Rolled into Golden City and stopped at Cooky’s Cafe….the place is famous with cyclist for their pies—had about every kind you would want. I had strawberry and rhubarb with ice cream—was great.
We’re camping tonight in the city park under a covered patio. They have a shower house, so have already showered, washed my clothes in the shower, and run a clothesline to dry them. I’ll just sleep on the floor under the patio tonight without putting up the tent—Rob has already strung up his hammock 🙂
Still hot, still some steep hills, but overall a good day—feeling good.
