Wet and rolling…into Chillicothe

 Maybe the best way to describe today’s ride is to show you the route profile.

That is a lot of freaking up-and-down. And toward the end, the climbs were 9%, 10%, 11%, even tipping up to 14% at one point.   So even though we lost a couple hundred feet of elevation, we climbed the better part of a mile over the course of the ride.  And I can feel every one of those climbs in my legs right now.

We spent last night, and this morning at breakfast, trying to figure out if we were going to get rained on. Just before we started out, we were all pretty convinced that the rain was going to miss us. And some folks even took off their rain gear under the overhang at the hotel entrance. So then, of course, we roll out and within 50 feet the rain starts. And by half a mile down the road it was absolutely pouring. 

We got rained on pretty well for about 5 miles. And then just as it was slacking off I got a flat tire. The problem with riding in the rain is first of all you can’t see road debris very well. And second, the rain washes sharp objects across the road in front of you.  So I flatted, but my good luck in that regard continued as Peyton our bike riding mechanic/firefighter was right behind me to help affect a very quick fix.  Then John and I rode with Peyton for another 25 miles into the first sag, talking about the life of a firefighter, and sharing stories of our first loves.  (That is, our first bike loves. Mine was a Panasonic racer, red and white and just as fast as could be.)

Our first SAG was in Maysville Missouri. And it was completely charming. A group of residents came out to meet us and clap for us. They had homemade cinnamon rolls and lemonade and they wanted to show off the Maysville historical society museum and talk to us about where we were from.  I gather they do this each year, and we are one of the three main attractions of the summer along with the harvest festival and the local high school baseball team battling in the state tournament. (They took second this year!)

They had a penny farthing that originally belonged to Thomas Stevens, the great great great great uncle of a town resident named Sam Perkins…

First bike ridden across the US

That particular bike is famous because it was the first bicycle ridden across the United States way back in 1884. And Stevens kept going, eventually circling the globe and finishing in 1896.  Books were written!

Multiple translations of Thomas Stevens epic ride

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Stevens_(cyclist)

After that stop, the fun and games were over, and then it was up and down, up and down, up and down.   But thankfully, the rain didn’t return so it was a dry slog.

We had a 20 mile stretch during which we were admonished to share the road with horses and buggies. We didn’t see any, but you could clearly see where the wooden wheels of the buggies had worn a track into the asphalt.

We finally arrived in Chillicothe, which is locally famous for having invented sliced bread. They also have some absolutely fantastic building murals.

(Photo credit Tammy Crane)

It’s really hard to believe but we’ve been on the road cycling for a month now. And have just three weeks left. I started thinking about this trip with some determination in the summer of 2022. And trained intensely for a full year before we started.  And through that whole time, I was counting down the days to the start of the tour on May 4. And now we’re four weeks in and before long it will be over. And it doesn’t quite seem possible. 

I do think I’m going to need a new, arbitrarily hard, challenge. But I don’t know if I’m gonna find something as fun and engaging. Or a group of people who are so amazing to spend this time with. I really have been lucky in my travel comrades. 

Even the hard days, and bad roads, and soaking rains,  and scary interactions with trucks, and Applebee’s dinners…it all adds up to stories I will tell and retell for the rest of my life.   As Judd said while we were pulling off into the downpour this morning, “where else would you rather be?”

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If you find yourself in St. Joseph Missouri, I highly recommend the Drury Inn and suites. That was one of the better road hotel experiences I’ve had. Among other things they laid out “heavy hors d’oeuvres“. But it was pulled pork sliders, and mac & cheese, and salad and nachos and hotdogs and three free drinks.  And their breakfast buffet had freshly made pancakes among other things. Really really good and very nice people.

In addition to the regularly numbered state roads and highways, Missouri features lettered state highways. We spent a good bit of time on State highway V today.  Weird.

I listen to the Hamilton soundtrack today. I don’t know how many times I’ve listened to that music, but I never get tired of it.  So clever.  And poignant.