Day 53: Saturday, May 27

We crossed the Mississippi River and into my home state of Illinois this afternoon!

We met Dale and Joel at Chuck and Patty Garner's home this evening. Shayne had a problem with his derailleur this morning where he couldn't switch gears. Thankfully, Chuck picked us up in his pickup truck and drove us to one of the bike shops in Carbondale. Otherwise we wouldn't have made it there before they closed. With the holiday tomorrow, we would have been stuck until they reopened on Tuesday.

Day 52: Friday, May 26

We met more west bound riders this morning: a couple from England and a newlywed couple on their honeymoon. We stopped for lunch in Ellington where the locals told us that we are almost out of the Ozarks. It is funny since we had only been riding for a little more than three hours. It took us three days to cross the Rockies, and three hours to cross the Ozarks.

With the heat and the humidity, we decided to take a break at the library in Ellington. In hindsight, that break probably was the wisest decision. We are hoping to meet one of our friends, Joel, in Southern Illinois on Sunday. To stay on schedule, I was hoping to make it Farmington by tonight. We were about seventeen miles from Farmington as the sun was setting. We decided to push on in the dark. However, it is Friday evening of Memorial Day weekend, and there was a lot of traffic. On top of that, my rear light stopped working. We finally arrived in Farmington just after 11:00 pm where we set up camp in the city park. It was a harrowing experience, but we are here nonetheless.

Day 51: Thursday, May 25

Today was a great day. This morning we met a rider who just graduated from Indiana University. There was a tower that we stopped to climb and enjoy the view.














In the afternoon, we stopped to check out Alley Mill in the Ozark National Scenic Riverways.






On a slightly disgusting side note, it has been interesting to see how the roadkill changes across the country. (Don't worry... I don't have pictures!) Up until halfway through Kansas and into Missouri, almost everything was small and furry and, now as it gets more humid, we are seeing more snakes and turtles and even an occasional armadillo.

Today is the first time that I rode over 80 miles without really feeling tired. There are several private campgrounds in Eminence. This is the first time we have stayed at a private campground in a while, and this one leaves a lot to be desired. I think there are actually more bugs inside the shower building than outside.

In keeping with the state themes, I would have to say Colorado's theme is the turning point of the trip. Not just in terms of miles, but realizing that we will indeed be able to complete the trip on time. While Wyoming was the state that could have been worse, I think Kansas is the state that could have been better. (No offense, Holli!) After not having any problems with my bike the whole trip, I got a flat tire and a broken spoke in Kansas. Also, the wind was supposed to be at our backs across Kansas, but it never seemed to be.

Day 50: Wednesday, May 24

It was great to see my Grandparents today as we met them for lunch in Fairgrove. My cousin, Troy, happened to be in the area on a business trip so he was able to join us.

We met several more west bounders today, and they continue to warn us about the upcoming mountains. Obviously I don't expect the Ozarks or the Appalachians to be easy, but we have already ridden over the Rockies. As Shayne pointed out it is a matter of perspective. We could tell them horror stories about some of the mountains in Oregon and Idaho, but by the time they get there, they won't have a problem getting over them. It's crazy to think that judging from how many miles the cyclists we met today have ridden so far, we have less than 1,500 miles to go. We only rode 74 miles today, but since we haven't taken a day off since Colorado, we are still ahead of schedule. Tonight we are camped in Hartville at the designated camping spot: the front lawn of the Courthouse, right in the center of town. Hopefully there won't be much traffic at the town's main intersection, which is right in front of the Courthouse. We had difficulty falling asleep in the heat, so we went across the street and hung out in the post office lobby for a little while to try and cool down.

Day 49: Tuesday, May 23

It was hard to leave the comfort of Holli's air conditioned home this morning. We didn't get started until after 10:30. Less than six miles later, we crossed the border into Missouri.
All of a sudden there is no more shoulder as the white line on the road disappeared when we entered Missouri. The hills are continuing to increase as we approach the Ozarks.

The roads here in Missouri are identified by numbers instead of letters, and I saw one sign today with my brother Mikael's initials on it. It is amazing what a shower, a good night's sleep in a real bed, clean clothes, and a home cooked meal can do for one's morale. It is almost as good as a day off! Despite the late start this morning, we rode over 70 miles and tonight we are camped in the city park in Ash Grove. It is a nice park and we have access to the showers in the pool locker rooms. I am getting spoiled... this is now two nights in a row where I have been able to take a shower! One of the bridges on the route just outside of Ash Grove was closed. Thankfully we were able to talk to some of the locals and find a way around without taking the official detour which would have led us several miles out of the way. Tomorrow we will meet my Grandparents for lunch in Fairgrove.

Day 48: Monday, May 22

Today was a pretty uneventful day. We finished the Eighth Section of maps as we rode from just outside Toronto to Holli's place here in Pittsburg. We are very grateful to be able to sleep in a real bed, take a shower, do laundry, and eat a home cooked meal! It was nice to meet Holli's mom and grandparents. Pittsburg is right on the border between Kansas and Missouri. My grandparents live in Missouri, and I am hoping to be able to meet them at some point.

Day 47: Sunday, May 21

Evidently during our night ride two days ago, we crossed that invisible barrier between the dry West and the humid Midwest. It is now ridiculously humid! Although, I suspect this is how it is going to be for the rest of the trip. The landscape is starting to roll again as we approach the Ozarks.

We met an enthusiastic biker in Cassoday who stopped to talk to us about our trip. He was about to go mountain biking. That is an interesting concept... mountain biking in Kansas. We met our second group of west-bound cyclists later in the afternoon. There were two girls from Holland and a gentleman from England who were biking the TransAm and a younger guy riding from New York to Los Angeles. He told me about a bike seat called Brooks that I am going to need to look into. It is an old-school leather seat that is supposedly unbelievably comfortable. The wind is supposed to blow from West to East, but we faced head winds again today. Despite the wind, we were able to ride more than 100 miles, so now we are definitely ahead of schedule. We made it to Cross Timbers State Park where there are four different camping areas. We saw the turn off for the first camp site, but we decided to ride to the second. Once we got everything set up, we learned from the only other campers here that the first camp site we passed is the only one with showers! One of the girls I used to work with at the Grand Canyon is from Kansas. Holli told us to look her up since the trail goes right through her home town of Pittsburg. We are hoping to be able to make it to her house tomorrow.