May 24 - May 26

May 24

I got a late start (9:15) and intended to ride 60 miles to Marshall, MO. Things did not go as planned. About 7 miles into my final day on the Katy trail, I had a flat. I was prepared for one flat, but not two. My spare tube was bad so I picked up my bike and began jogging to Rocheport, about 2 miles away. I'm not sure why I jogged...I guess I didn't want to lose too much riding time. I had called Jamye, and she turned back to meet me in Rocheport. We had lunch together and I changed bikes to my Colnago since I was getting off the trail and onto paved surface. I took off at about 1PM and by 3:30, I was exhausted from 93 degree heat. Coming out of Booneville, I began to ride on the Sante Fe Trail and about 5 miles into that, in Lamine, I stopped and watched about 10 minutes of a little league baseball practice. The heat was so exhausting that a break about every 15-20 minutes was necessary. I was relieved when Jamye called to say that there was a good place to stay at Arrow Rock, which would end my day at 44 miles. The heat had taken its toll. Going forward, I would begin at around 7AM and end each day's ride before the afternoon sun would wear me down. It turned out that Arrow Rock State Park was our nicest stay yet!

Hi everyone. This is the driver of Larry's chase vehicle (also known as his better half). I will be adding my 2 cents every now and then and maybe on a regular basis when settled. I am still "nesting" our silver home, HiYo. I've found that tight quarters are made bearable by uber extreme organization - every item must have a secure and permanent home with easy access. Trial and error my friends, trial and error. Sometimes we open the door to the silver bullet and wonder "How did that get there?!"

Who knew? Missouri has Vineyards!

May 25th

Had a relaxing morning in Arrow Rock. Jamye and I were amazed at the museum in this quaint town that got its name as the place where the Osage Indians came for the stone to make arrows. The museum had great artifacts that covered about a 300 year period. We would have missed this wonderful stop had it not been for my troubles the day before. We were in the heart of Boone's Lick country, so named because of the plentiful salt in the area (Saline County, MO). It was a critical area to the development of the west in many ways. The natural salt springs provided salt needed for preserving meat and tanning hides. Also, Boone's Lick was where the Osage and Missouri tribes confronted Spain, France and the United States. Traders left from the area for Mexico to blaze the Santa Fe Trail. Jamye and I walked around the small town boardwalk, had ice cream, then headed for Blackwater, where we enjoyed lunch in a small diner. We then drove to Kansas City and north to St Joseph, MO, so that I could avoid high traffic areas on the route. We spent the night in St Joseph.

The small diner in Blackwater was called Backroads Restaurant (aptly named for all who find themselves dining there), and on the front window was their motto "Good Food at the Cross Roads to Some Where and No Where" (typed as written on their window).

The overheard conversation was as good as the food. When a local man delivered strawberries to the restaurant, the owner told him that his wife just left. His response - "Yeah, I know. She was leaving as I came in. Worked out perfect that way."

May 26

A great riding day, from Troy, KS to Brownville, NE. Just 55 miles; it would have been about 7 miles longer, but a bridge was out and Jamye and I drove the 15 mile detour together and got me back on the route. I left around 7:30. It was a cool morning, the sun was coming up over my right shoulder and my legs were effortlessly keeping a fast cadence on the fairly flat ride. The Missouri River and one month old cornfields were to my right and beatiful, lush hills were on my left. I felt an exhiliration in the freedom that I was experiencing. Jamye has some photos to include from this day. She would stop to take pictures and I would pass her then soon she would pass me again. She has always wanted to be able to stop whenever she wanted for photo opps; she was in heaven today! And her pictures are incredible! Later in the morning until the end of my ride, the terrain became more rolling, good training for the Rockies in July.

My days usually consist of driving the same route Larry takes (about 60 miles each day). However, it takes me about 7.5 hours to cover that distance because I stop so frequently. Some of the time I can pull off the side of the road for a photo and other times I have to stop in the middle of the highway (after looking up and down the road for traffic, of course).

Because I have to be very quick at these stops (and also have my phone on me at all times in case Larry calls), my photos have been taken with the iphone. As you can see, the quality varies depending on the time of day, the light and of course, the photographer. It's not hard to take decent photos when presented with such beautiful subject matter (and you thought I was talking about the landscape!)

A modern windmill propeller blade.