...and 11 days later we are reunited!!! Woohoo!!! It's been a long journey and once again the best view is at the end.
Total miles today: 81.6
Total miles return trip: 948.2
Total miles round trip: 1776.4
...and 11 days later we are reunited!!! Woohoo!!! It's been a long journey and once again the best view is at the end.
Total miles today: 81.6
Total miles return trip: 948.2
Total miles round trip: 1776.4
I was very exhausted last night and turned in at about 8:30 p.m., and fell asleep almost immediately. It was a nice cool night and I slept well.
For the 2nd time this trip, I set my phone alarm. I knew it was going to be another long day, but mainly I wanted to make it to Erin, a town about 30 miles away, for breakfast. I set my alarm for 5:00 a.m. At about 4:30 a.m., I was awakened by some coyotes in the distance yipping and carrying on so I just went ahead and got up. I rolled out of camp at about 5:15.
Last night and this morning I received a few Blue Alerts for Erin and Nashville. I didn't have cell service and couldn't figure out how to determine what the alerts were about. When I got to Erin, the alerts were the talk of the town at the grocery store and the restaurant. Locals told me that a man from New Orleans had killed his girlfriend in New Orleans and then traveled to Erin where he shot an officer 3 times. They told me the individual was arrested earlier this morning and is in custody. The grocery store clerk told me the police used the injured officer's handcuffs to put on the individual when they arrested him.
The grocery store clerk told me an officer was also shot in Nashville in an unrelated incident and that the individual that shot that officer was killed. Tragic evening for law enforcement officers in Middle Tennessee.
The restaurant I ate at in Erin on my Kansas trip last year, Nan's Diner, was closed when I got there today. A grocery store customer told me they had to close because of the negative impact Covid had on their business. I was able to find another local restaurant that serves breakfast.
Pic below of Middle Tennessee countryside.
A little nostalgic yard decoration below.
The homeowners that decorated this yard obviously likes roosters.
I made it to the bicycle only campground next to the Natchez Trace Parkway at about 5:30 p.m.
Total miles today: 97.9
I parted ways with Tony and Carrie this morning. From Marion, they are continuing east toward Virginia and I headed south toward Alabama. From here to home I will not be on any Adventure Cycling bicycle routes so my chances of running into other long distance cyclists will be slim to none.
Pic below of Western Kentucky countryside.
Goodbye Kentucky. Hello…
I rode the entire length of the Land Between the Lakes Recreation Area, north to south, today. I camped at Piney Campground located at the southern end of the recreation area (pics below).
There are no restaurants near where I'm camping so my supper tonight involved a lot of peanut butter. Peanut butter on crackers, peanut butter on tortillas, peanut butter on a banana, and for dessert a PopTart (no peanut butter). Hopefully that supper will fuel me enough to make it to Erin tomorrow in time for a good breakfast.
Total miles today: 87.5
I had an amazing sleep last night. Woke up this morning and had breakfast at Longhorn Cafe in Goreville. I would classify myself as one of the cafe's regulars now as this was the 2nd time I have eaten there. Both times were on bike trips from Kansas. It is very reasonably priced with generous portions pictured below.
The waitress said most people do not finish both pancakes because they are so big. She was impressed that I ate everything. I must admit I was pretty stuffed after eating it all.
Below are some pics of funny chicken signs they have hanging at the cafe.
Our workhorses lined up outside the cafe.
An important detail about Tony and Carrie's trip. When they get to Yorktown, they are going to rent a vehicle and drive to Washington DC to visit their 5-month old grandson who is their only grandchild. I'm beginning to see a trend here. Do you see it?(Remember, they live in Yuma, AZ)
Goodbye Illinois, hello...
Tony, Carrie and I made it to Marion, our stop for the night. We are staying at the Marion United Methodist Church which opens it's doors to cross country cyclists. Pic below of Tony, Carrie, and Mary Ann, the secretary at the church.
We went to a Subway for supper, but a sign said drive thru service only due to a water problem. We then went to a Mexican restaurant and ate there. I asked for a glass of water and the waitress brought me a glass of ice and a bottle of Great Value brand water. Our meals were served on paper plates. I asked the waitress if something is going on with the water in town and she said a levee broke on the lake from which the town gets its' water, and water use is being restricted. She said if a business uses too much water it will be fined. When Tony needed to go to the bathroom and asked where the bathroom was at the restaurant, he was directed outside to a port-a-pottie sitting beside the building. This was also done to restrict the use of water. Makes you curious about how much water and effort is being used to clean the cooking and eating utensils at the restaurant.
The Governor declared the Marion water situation a State of Emergency a few days ago. The grocery store and dollar store had water displays pictured below, so I'm assuming the water restriction applies to individuals and businesses. It must be a serious problem.
Total miles today: 80.9
Lucky me!!! I had the hostel all to myself last night for the 2nd time this trip. I woke up about 6 a.m. I looked out of the window and it looked like it could rain. I checked AccuWeather and it looked to be about a 40-50% chance of rain most of the morning with clearing in the afternoon. It rained on me almost the entire way to Goreville, and I arrived there about 3:00 p.m.
A thunderstorm with torrential rain hit me at Ava, IL, and I pulled under a pavilion for a short time and called Lisa. I wanted her to pull up the weather radar so she could "live the experience" with me:) This is what she texted me.
I'm the little gray dot. I told her I had to take off, and she told me I wasn't going to out run that. She was right.
Even though I stayed wet all day and my fingers and toes looked like wrinkled prunes, the rain greatly lowered the temp today and was a relief from the stifling heat in which I have been riding.
I had to keep my phone in plastic most of the day to keep it dry, but I was able to take a couple of pics below.
Pic below is Salvatore from Italy. He is participating in a race across America on USBR 76. He started in Astoria, OR 22 days ago and hopes to finish at Yorktown VA in 6 more days. I met him at a grocery store in Goreville and he was quickly eating cheese and crackers as we talked. Even though there was somewhat a language barrier between us, I told him I'm from Alabama and he smiled and said "Yes, Alabama, Forrest Gump." I smiled back and confirmed that yes, in the movie Forrest was from Alabama.
I'm staying at the Goreville First United Methodist Church tonight, which opens it's doors to cross country cyclists. I laid all my stuff out to dry at the church.
Pic below is Tony and Carrie from Yuma AZ. They are husband and wife cycling from Denver to Yorktown VA. About 30 years ago they cycled from Astoria OR to Denver, so they're finally finishing their cross country trip this year. They have quite a bit of touring experience. They are both teachers, so they have the summer off. They are also staying at the church tonight.
I was in water so much today that I traded this hat...
For this one...
Just call me skipper. I actually found this cap on the side of the road today. (I washed it before I put it on.) I think Carrie was a little envious of my find:) She thought the cap was appropriate given I started the day in Chester, the land of Popeye.
Total miles today: 78.3
My rear brake is making a really loud, obnoxious squealing sound when applied (nothing a little toe in won't fix). I momentarily thought about riding over to the rude neighbor's campsite this morning at 6:30 and applying my brakes to somewhat get even with their rudeness last night. I decided not to lower myself to their level, so I just rode on by and left.
Pic of a few morning sunbeams.
A couple of scenery pics.
The best decorated tractor tire award goes to...
So long Missouri, hello...
I'm back on the east side of the Mississippi River, and will be staying tonight in Chester, IL, at the bicycle hostel. Near St. Mary, MO, I got back on the route that I took to get to KS about 3 weeks ago. I will be retracing that route, only in reverse order, through Illinois for the next couple of days.
Don't forget, Chester is the home of...
I got to Chester about 5 p.m. After I ate a foot long Subway sandwich for supper, I decided I wanted some ice cream and I needed some bananas. I detoured about 1.5 miles each way to go to Walmart, but it had no produce and only had half gallon sizes of ice cream. I didn't want that much ice cream. So I rode another mile past where I'm staying tonight to go to a local supermarket. Luckily, they had bananas and pint size containers of ice cream. I sat on a bench inside the store's entrance and ate my ice cream while greeting people as they came into and left the store. It felt a little like my Dollywood days.
Total miles today: 90.0
Another long, hot, challenging day today. The hills got steeper and longer. I spent at least half my day going 3-4 miles an hour going up hills. Then screaming down the other side at more than 30 mph only to immediately drop back down to 3-4 mph and start climbing again. I quit shifting and just stayed in my lowest gear. A couple of times my speed fell to below 3 mph due to the steep hills. It's difficult to keep a bike upright and going in a straight line at that speed:)
Pic below of an old General Store in the Eunice community. I'm sure at one time that would be where all the news was spread locally.
The Ozark National Scenic Riverways is truly a very scenic bicycle ride. The only problem riding there this time of year is that there are canoe rental businesses along that stretch. That means there are many decommissioned buses and older 15 passenger vans pulling a couple of canoe trailers tearing up and down these small, hilly, curvy, 2 lane, no shoulder roads. They seem to always be driving like they're headed to an emergency. You have to really watch out for them and get out of the way best you can.
On a side note - Speaking of canoe transport drivers, my family decided to take a canoe trip a couple of years ago. We boarded a decommissioned Department of Corrections litter pickup bus anxiously awaiting the fun ahead of us in the river. The driver decided we needed to get to the dropoff really fast, and we were on a 2 lane narrow road. It felt like the bus's suspension and/or steering was very loose. From watching the driver, she looked as though she really had to work the steering to keep the bus in her lane, but that didn't slow her down. I was already thinking to myself, "So this is the way it ends? In a rickety old litter bus rolled over in a ditch going to a canoe trip. Bummer." Fortunately, we made it and had a good time. I'm surprised there are not more accidents involving canoe transport vans, buses, and trucks.
I made it to Johnson's Shut Ins State Park at about 7 p.m. The campground host told me someone left today a day early and I could have that site. I was not charged for the site because the previous camper had paid for tonight and told the host to give it to someone who comes in.
When I arrived at the site, I learned why the previous camper probably left early. A neighboring camper had a stereo turned up loud with what sounded like acid rock on and the sound was reverberating through the otherwise serene, beautiful forest. So much for enjoying the great outdoors. The campground host told them to turn the music down and they actually turned it off. Ahhh, now I could actually hear the birds again. Even though the campers were still talking very loud, the hosts told me the park had quiet hours starting at 10 p.m. Well, that only applies to folks that actually follow rules. At 11:30 p.m. the campers were still outside carrying on loud conversations with each other using extremely foul language. The sad part of this whole story is that these were not just a bunch of rowdy youth, it was a father, mother and their young teenage kids. I could tell from their conversations (everyone could hear them) that the dad was the "cool, fun dad" to be around. I was laying in my tent thinking the dad needed to be a dad to those kids instead of their friend, and teach them a little about being thoughtful and considerate to others and following rules. Anyway, they went to bed shortly after 11:30 p.m. and the rest of the night was very peaceful.
Hopefully, this blog entry doesn't just sound like just a gripe session. It was still a very enjoyable, challenging, adventurous day.
Total miles today: 101.3
I had the house to myself last night. Glad no one was there because I set my alarm on my phone for 4:30 a.m. I normally wouldn't consider setting an alarm on a bike tour, but I knew today was going to be a long difficult day and I wanted to get an early start.
Pic of sunrise below.
There is a kitchen at the house so I made myself 7 eggs this morning for breakfast. I also ate a couple of tortillas, and 2 bananas and took off at 5:30 a.m. About 45 miles later, and pushing 11:30 a.m., I pulled into Walmart at Marshfield and ate a pint of ice cream, a peanut butter tortilla, and a bag of chips for lunch. My peanut butter was so hot I could have poured it. I had to eat it really carefully or I could have been wearing peanut butter the rest of the day. At Marshfield, I knew I was still looking at about 70 more miles to go for the day. At about 6:30 p.m. I finally arrived at Houston, my stopping place for the day. They allow cyclists to camp at the City Park, and they open the pool restrooms and showers for cyclists to use.
A few scenery pics below.
Pic of Nate and Janice below. They are from Massachusetts and are biking from the Massachusetts coast to San Francisco CA, where they are moving. A friend of Nate's is driving Nate's car and their belongings to CA. This is their first long distance tour, but they both regularly ride road bikes. They will also finish today with over 100 miles for the day. They have been on the road for about a month.
Tonight, Beverly, a 78-year-old local widow, walked across the street and chatted with me about 45 minutes about the history of Houston. The biggest thing she wanted to talk about is Emmett Kelly, a famous clown, who was from Houston. She stated he is the clown that tried to sweep up the spotlight on the floor. She also stated the town has an Emmett Kelly Day which draws several clowns to the festival.
Total miles today: 117.1
This morning started out with a quick stop at Walmart to replace the tube I used yesterday. I try to always keep 3 tubes in my bag.
Below are some pics of Pittsburg I took as I was headed out of town.
I made it to...
I'm glad I bought an extra tube this morning because about 6 miles out of Golden City, MO, I had another flat. It was on the front tire again. The tube had a hole near the valve stem and looked as though the bead of the tire had been rubbing against the tube which caused the hole. I think it may have been caused by me putting a smaller tube than recommended inside the tire yesterday. Since I am not expecting to do any other gravel riding on this trip, I decided to remove the larger gravel tire from the front and replace it with the spare smaller road tire I was carrying. Fingers crossed.
Below are some pics around Golden City. Numerous USBR 76 riders stop at Cooky's Cafe in Golden City for pie. I stopped and had a piece of coconut pie and it was delicious. They have several kinds of pie, but I decided on the tried and true coconut. Maybe next time I will try something more exotic. The cafe has a log for cyclists to comment in, and I saw the names of every cyclist I have met on this trip in the log.
Then came the little town of Everton. Not much there, but a few pics around town below.
The hills started getting steeper about 7 miles before Everton. Its warming me up for the Missouri Ozarks which I should be hitting in the next couple of days.
Then came the town of Ash Grove, my stopping place for the night. It is quickly becoming one of my favorite towns in MO. The folks around town are super friendly. The City owns a house at the City Park that they allow cyclists to use on a donation basis. This is the 2nd time I have stayed at the house. All one has to do is go by City Hall and pick up the key to the house. No sweating myself to sleep tonight. Some pics around town below.
Total miles today: 74.7