Lexington, Missouri

Our ride continued through farm lands but today we were not on the rural roads we have come to enjoy. The most exciting part of today’s journey was the climb over Grand Pass. While not quite like the Swiss Alps, Rocky Mountains, or like the Appalachian Mountains we still had to climb to get to the top. Grand Pass is 676 feet and when we left Marshall we were at 764 feet. So we managed to climb a grand pass but lose elevation. Some things will remain a mystery.

About today’s ride, Joe said that there were too many trucks and they went to fast. However, that did not deter him from breaking out of the pack and getting to our mid-point break hours before the rest of the group. Perhaps Joe hitched a ride on one of those fast trucks.

Jeff said that today’s ride was just a matter of getting to our next lodging. There were neither interesting stops nor fun side trips. He said that he really enjoyed the grand vistas from Grand Pass and fantasizing about lunch. However, he did not like the rolling hills that followed Grand Pass for a good 10 miles.

HP said his journey was marked by 3 great stops. At first he had tea and fresh baked cinnamon buns, the second provided good coffee. Finally, he had a pickle loaf sandwich to hold him over until he got to Lexington. Overall, he said that he liked the rolling hills and small towns he visited.

Carl said today was “hellish.” It was only his third day of cycling this year and it started after only 3 hours of sleep. However, none of this slowed him down; at every opportunity he entertained us with his extensive knowledge of local lore. At the end of our ride Carl repeated his earlier conversation with a farmer we passed. According to Carl, the farmer told him that Joe’s bike carried more stuff than would fit in his 5 ton flat bed truck.

In Lexington we searched the town looking for its primary claim to fame. During the Civil War a cannon ball struck the court house and remains in one of its columns. The GPS way point said that it was blocks away from where we stood in the center of town. However, while Jeff was searching for a lunch spot, Joe looked up and saw that he was standing under the very column he sought.

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