Day 22 June 2nd

Houston to Fair Grove 80 miles
I decided to take today a little easy an only do about 80 miles and sleeping until 8. I was pretty tired after the last few days and the library didn't open until 9 so there was no rush in the morning. I ran into Danny at the library. He made it to Houston and stayed in a hotel. I checked my email and such and said bye to Danny and was ready to hit the road by 11. There were a few hills along the way but it was the heat that made the day hard. I never saw how high the temperature got but i was sweating a lot and the sweat was visible on my shirt. I wore the same shirt as yesterday, the Red Rockets jersey, since it stands out the most out of all my shirts which was good for the turns and hills. But now there were two days worth of sweat baked into it and it actually was painful by the end of the day.
There were about 6 major climbs so it wasn't nearly as bad as the last few days and i knew that the final 10 miles would be pretty much down hill to Fair Grove. Lunch was in Hartville where i got a double cheese burger with fries and a pitcher of water. But most of the day was uneventful. I didn't meet any bikers along the way and the scenery was pretty repetitive. But i was glad that it was a net down hill day for a change. I called the Gourley's after lunch. They are the people that Shawn told me about the day before. I talked to Tom and he said he would definitely be home by the time I would get there and he gave me directions. I got to their house just after 6 and his wife Gail got home a few minutes after me. After a shower and putting my laundry in we sat down for some alfredo and salad. They had me laughing so much about their stories about other bikers and their hippy lives that my cheeks were tired from smiling by the time i went to bed. They also told me about how a recent storm trashed their town. The hail did enough damage that they had to replace their brand new roof on their house along with some car windows. It left some people with out power for 10 days. But they told me that the hail storms usually are never that bad and only last for about 15 minutes so I should be able to take cover under a tree if I get caught in one but lets hope it doesn't come to that. I'm really looking forward to sleeping in a bed tonight though.

Day 21 June 1st

MON to Houston 100 miles

I woke up around 6:30 this morning by accident. My phone didn’t have any service so I never knew what time it was and I set the time myself but must have set it an hour early. But it let me get an early start to the day. I heard coyotes for the first time last night. It was really cool. There were at least 2 and maybe three. I wasn’t scared of them since they seem to stay away from people. In the morning I met a retired couple named Mike and Shirley who were camped in a RV close to us. They offered us a place to stay since they lived close to the town I was planning on camping tomorrow night. They said they lived a little far outside the town but they would be able to pick us up in their truck. I only had an Odwalla bar for breakfast which Danny gave me. I thought I would be able to get peanut butter at the place we were camped but the groceries they had only consisted of chips.

There were a lot of climbs today. People describe the Ozarks as a rollercoaster and they are definitely right. There were a bunch of steep climbs and just as many fast descents. I had to wait for Danny a couple of times at the top of the hills but it wasn’t a big deal and it let me catch my breath and take some pictures. Plus he had to stop for me a few times when I had to quickly fix my bike and when I needed some food. After about 25 miles we found a grocery store and I stopped to get some peanut butter and have a proper meal. I drank a half gallon of V8 while I got my PB fix and talked to my mom.

A little before we met 2 people from Wisconsin, I forget their names but they were on a tandem recumbent going across country. After lunch we met this guy named Shawn who was riding from San Francisco to DC. He had ridden 2700 miles since May 2^nd and only taken 2 rest days when he was sick. He told us to watch out for Copper Head snakes in KS and Rattlers in CO which I didn’t know about. He also gave us the number for a couple who put him up and like putting up cyclists but don’t like to advertise. These people are in the same town as Mike and Shirley but they live less than a quarter mile off the trail so it would be a lot easier to go to them.

I started experimenting with the video recorder on my camera for the final two descents. The first time down you can only see the trees above the road going past and can’t see the road at all. It’s a shame too because when I was coming out of the descent the trees opened up to an awesome view of a farm on the hillside. On the final major descent I propped the camera up in my front pouch but it fell down about 6 seconds in and all you see is the sky and hear me yelling the speed. But I hit 43.5 mph on that one which is my fastest so far.

I left Danny behind after climbing the last hill. I don’t know if he made it to Houston like we planned or if he stopped in Summersville. But he was planning on resting tomorrow so we would be splitting up soon anyway. Things seem to close early here in Houston. The library was closed by the time I got there and so was the Chinese place and the KFC buffet was close. So I went to Subway and got 2 foot longs. I could probably get another but I think I’m gona go eat some more PB at my tent. I’m camped in a park that was OKed by the sheriff but this is the first day in a while where I wont be getting a shower.

Day 20 May 31st

Chester to Mon, MO (Middle Of Nowhere) 83 miles

I got a good rest last night and had McDonalds for breakfast in the morning where I was able to fill my bottles with PowerAde as a treat. I wanted to go to the library in the morning but it was closed since it was a Sunday so I left. I randomly ran into Danny as I was leaving town. He stayed in a hotel. We crossed the Mississippi River and the next 15 miles were completely flat. The sun was out all day and the wind was at my back. It was pretty perfect and not too hot. I thought the hills were going to be pretty tough but the Ozarks are nothing compared to VA. The scenery here is amazing! I’ve probably taken more pictures already in MO than I have in the last few days in KY and IL. The views of the farms and the mountain backdrops are just incredible. The streams are clear again which is so much nicer than the muddy water of KY. The ride thought ST. Joe State Park was great with tons of awesome views. I thought that the climb to Bismark was going to be tough but the mad made it look worse than it was and I didn’t even have to take my bike out of third gear. Danny and I got Lunch in Famington at a Chinese buffet, along the road we met a guy named Carl who was training for a triathlon. He tried to talk us into stopping at a local brewery that’s on trail and I'm sorry that we didn’t.

Some of the drivers around here are real ass holes though. I rode passed a kid on a bike who had downs syndrome or something and a car coming up behind beeped and yelled at him then gave the finger to me when they passed me.

After I got to the top of the last major climb of the day I met a guy named Nick who was going from San Diego to Boston which is totally bad ass. We got to the campsite which is right outside Johnson’s Shut Inns SP by 5:30 and only paid $4 to camp and get a shower. I ordered a pizza at the bar and am pretty sure it was DiGorno. I need a good nights sleep tonight since it is about 100 miles to Houston with about 12 climbs. Lets hope they go as well as the climbs today.

Day 19 May 30th

Eddyville to Chester 100 miles

I got woken up by some horses but o well. Peanut butter for breakfast and on the road by 9. Same weather as yesterday with clouds in the morning and sun in the afternoon. There was another sun shower and as usual it was pretty nice. There were a few climbs but the majority of the morning was down hill. I rode past two lakes on the way to Carbondale that would have been really nice to camp at but I still had a long way to go to get to Chester. It took a while for me to get to Carbondale since my tire was so bent it was rubbing against the frame. But I got there by lunch time and had a hoagie while I waited for the guys at the bike shop to fix it. I was recommended to try a place called Jimmy John’s where they are supposed to have great sandwiches. But the place isn’t much better than subway and can’t hold a candle to A Cut Above back home in PA.

But I left Carbondale and found a short cut to Chester. The first 8 miles were pretty hilly with the wind in my face which made for slow going but my tire was fixed so that helped a lot. Once I got onto Rt 3 it was completely flat but I still had trouble doing 14 mph and did most of it around 12 because of the wind. It was really nice how the hills completely stop at the road and the perfectly flat farm land reaches to the Mississippi River. I actually ran into Danny on the trail. He didn’t take the shortcut so I was able to catch up to him. I left him pretty quickly when I got my second wind for the final few miles going into Chester.

When I got into town I found out they were having a carnival at the place I was staying. There were rides, food, a volleyball tournament, a band, and beer. I got a shower there and headed into the bar. A few of the people there started talking to me and asked what I was doing and after I told them they all felt compelled to buy me a round. So I got pretty buzzed by the end of the night and was able to fall asleep and stay asleep.

Day 18 May 29th

Sebree, KY to Eddyville, IL 90 miles

There’s always something to ruin my sleep. At 11:30 last night the toilet flooded the basement. I was up for an hour mopping it up. There was something wrong with the suction in the back and by the time I fixed it water was everywhere. So I didn’t get to bed until almost 1. I did get to watch the office on tv though.

Riding in the morning was good. It was relatively flat with the same sort of rolling hills and farms lands. I met two British guys named Bill and Steve Adventure Cycling group outside the Dixon library. They did about 40 miles by the time I did 12 but they start really early and I was leaving the library as they were getting there. Plus they said they only do about 55 miles a day.

I crossed the Ohio River into Illinois by taking a ferry. Right before that I met Dolly’s mom. She was one of the original people who rode across in 1976 and is supposed to be the first person to talk to the Cookie Lady and tell her what was going on. So I have her to thank for my first night in doors and out of the thunderstorm. I like IL a lot more than KY. You can actually ride on the shoulder since there aren’t rumble strips everywhere and the roads are in much better condition so far. The scenery is similar though with the same sort of farms and hills so I doubt I will be taking many pictures. There were still about 4 major climbs in Il before I got to camp and they really broke my spirits. My back wheel is bent and I had to remove the back break so it could fit through. That took about an hour of playing with it and now I only have the front break.

I made it to Eddyville eventually though and found the campground that was recommended. Danny was already there and setting up his camp. I was able to get another shower there which makes 5 days in a row. I didn’t have any soap or shampoo but it still helps. The campsite also had a restaurant with another all you can eat buffet with meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and salad. I’ll probably get a good nights sleep tonight since I’m pretty tired.

When I was walking back from the bathroom I looked up and saw the stars for the first time. I hadn’t really noticed it before but they are really beautiful. I’m definitely going to take more notice on the nights where I’m not staying in a town.

Day 17 May 28th

Hardin to Sebree 90 miles

Lucy made breakfast of eggs, toast, and sausage biscuit which were all very good but unfortunately wasn’t enough carbs for the long day ahead. I left around 9:30 but I was passing into the central time zone so I would be gaining an hour. The weather wasn’t very nice in the morning. It was overcast but there was no rain. I started having a little trouble with my gears again but it was all sorted out by the end of the day. But besides a few slow points I was averaging over 15 mph for most of the morning so I was really happy with that. I stopped at a dollar store to get some new socks but they were quickly soaked too. I found an all you can eat pizza place for lunch in Whitesville so that was awesome and was able to get filled up on carbs.

The sun came out in the afternoon but there were more storm clouds on the horizon. Luckily I only got drizzled on. Other people said they got soaked so I was feeling pretty lucky. There was a strong wind though in the afternoon, especially after I got through Utica. Utica was where the people from the Adventure Cycling group were spending the night. I met some of them but wanted to push on and didn’t meet the whole group of 14. One of the people is on a recumbent bike, the ones where it looks like you’re more in a chair and your feet are in front of you. It looked like it would be impossible for him to make it up any of the hills.

I got to Sebree around 5 and called someone listed on the door of the church that would be able to let me into their basement. While I was waiting for the guy, Danny from a few days ago walked passed and said he was staying there too. He said that another girl, Dolly, should be coming in later too. The place is great! Laundry, food, shower, mattress, tv, sofas, and ping pong. It’s a real treat and I feel like I’m getting spoiled.

Danny and Dolly are both really nice. She is going to OR too but is having knee problems that keep her from doing a lot of miles. I’ve decided I want to get back to PA by July 16^th so I can see the midnight showing of Harry at home with Ali and Greg. Riding 80 miles a day should get me there with a few rest days built in but no many. So I’m really going to have to move and probably save some just in case.

Day 16 May 27th

Bardstown to Hardin 80 miles

It was a pretty bad nights sleep last night. I killed about 20 ants in my tent and they kept me up for hours. But I was planning on getting a late start and slept until 8. i spent some time in the library and didn’t leave town until 11. I saw on a sigh that Bardstown is the bourbon capital of the world. When I was leaving town I rode by a distillery and I could smell the alcohol from the road 100 feet away.

My shoes were still wet from the day before but I was making good time on the relatively flat ground. Around 2 o’clock you could see a major storm system on the horizon. I put on my rain coat and set off into the storm. I made it about 1 mile and turned back towards that last town I went through. There was lightning, pouring rain, and a strong wind right in my face but when I turned around I made it back to town in no time since the wind was at my back. When I went through town the first time I saw there was a gas station that sold pizza too so I stopped there and decided to wait out the storm. The gas station had a place where you could sit down and eat while watching tv. But the only thing on tv was the weather channel and it was showing clips from last year of an F-5 tornado going through Kansas, where I was going to be in about a week. I hadn’t really thought of it but summer is tornado season in the Midwest. Theres nothing I can really do about it though. One pizza, two liters of 7-up, a bag of Doritos, and 2 hours later I was ready to set off.

I hit one more storm in the afternoon but it wasn’t terrible but it got my shoes completely soaked again. I knew there was a convenience store that lets bikers camp outside about 40 miles from where I had lunch so I made for that. I got there before 7 and met two older guys named Jim and John. There are each being supported by their wives, Sherry and Susan, who are driving in cars behind them. The shop owners, Arnold and Lucy plus their daughter Lauren were amazing. Lasagna was being served right when I got there and everyone was so friendly. We ate and sat around talking for most of the night until I was ready for bed. I slept on the porch in a recliner and was glad to have a roof since there was another thunderstorm coming through that night. I didn’t get much sleep though since I’m not used to sleeping in a chair like that. Plus the police came by, turned on their spot light, and asked Susan if the owner knew we were here. I was pretty glad he didn’t ask me since I was completely out of it.