HP was so excited to begin our 70 mile journey to Rock Port that he was seen cycling down the hotel hallway. He should have been happy cycling there. When we got outside the hotel we were faced with strong winds out of the north and 50 degree temperatures. Since we were heading north this was a problem. Perhaps, if we had gotten to sleep earlier it may have been ok. We were glued to the TV watching our 15 seconds of fame that was broadcast every hour between 5 and 11 p.m. Also, we were entertained by our Chicago friends, Leo and Sue and her sister Dorothy.
Our trip should have been fast. Once we got out of St. Joseph we were on flat river bottom roads, which with 1 small exception, was to take us all the way to Rock Port. However, we could not make any speed and after 5 hours of cycling we had gone only 30 miles. At a café in Forest City (population 282) Joe proposed that we stop our ride at Big Lake. While this was totally reasonable and very sensible, HP and Jeff were in shock by this proposal. In our 8 years of cycling with Joe he never cut a ride short. Joe said that the “new him is out to enjoy the journey and be dammed with the plans.” While that was enough to stop us in our tracks, Joe did another first that was just as shocking. We had a 4 mile stretch of gravel road with 8 steep, but short hills. Joe walked up those 8 hills with HP and Jeff.
In the Café Jeff also created a surprise of his own when he ordered 2 deserts—strawberry and banana pies. While we are focused on Jeff it should also be noted that on all of our prior journeys, he maintained a strict no-meat diet. At lunch, Jeff ate a hamburger, one made with real meat! He claims that it is just too difficult to maintain a healthy diet but we think that he has just seen the light.
Finally, we want to note the kindness of Missouri drivers. In particular, we counted at least 4 separate events when drives pulled their cars between us and chasing dogs. The drives would then corral the dogs to the side of the road so we could pass safely. A special thanks to those drivers and all the drives that passed us on the road and gave us the extra room we needed to feel safe.
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Click to view an overview Map of our trip
Click for a detailed map of today's ride
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HAPPY BIRTHDAY JEFF! AND ...we thought HP did a wonderful job talking to the reporter about your journey. sorry about the wind but we're glad the NEW Joe and NEW Jeff are enjoying their ride. Happy pedaling. (Your blog is a wonderful record of this journey and we can be with you vicariously. Thanks for all your work!) Fondly, SUELEO
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