TransAm Day #19 Farmington, MO

TransAm Day #19 Farmington, MO - Ellington, MO

TransAm Day #19

June 13, 2018

Farmington, MO - Ellington, MO

61 Miles

Ride Time 4:58 Hours

Tour Total Miles 1368

details at: https://cyclemeter.com/4b2d99e24f1383f2/Cycle-20180613-0629-07132

I slept so well last night. I was completely exhausted. Another cyclist showed up at the hostel late last night, but I can’t remember his name. He and Becky were still sleeping when I left this morning. Brian was out the door before me. I left the can of spinach in the kitchen cabinet.

The sun was up and it was a pleasant ride. I admired all the wildflowers alongside the road. The milkweed here is in bloom. After about 20 miles, I stopped for breakfast at the Rustler Cafe in Pilot Knob. My waitress was apologetic that there was no WiFi. There was no cellular or data service in the area, so I was unable to check in on things.

Outside of Graniteville I passed an east-bound cyclist zooming towards me in an aerodynamic bubble. It appeared to be a recumbent tricycle. He waved, but didn’t stop. I suspect he was the front runner in the TransAm cross country race. I later did some research and found it to be the Dave Lewis team riding a Milan SL Velomobile. https://transambikerace.com/

A big dog ran out onto the road to chase me, as he barked. I grabbed my pepper spray, but he was a good boy just having some fun. I met west-bounder Bob filling up his water bottles with a garden hose out back of a bar at Profit Mountain Road. Bob’s heading east to Washington D.C. to see the fireworks above the Potomac. He’s from Hutchinson Kansas, where he started. He said I’ve got a great day ahead of me. No up hills (he was wrong). He also saw the cyclist in the bubble and affirmed that it was the TransAm race. I suspect I’ll be seeing other racers shortly.

I met TransAm east-bounder Dustin, who’s from Tennessee. He had left Astoria, Oregon on May 1st. He mentioned that it was his friend Andy who showed up last night at the hostel in Farmington. I hope we didn’t jinx ourselves by talking about it, but neither one of us has gotten a flat tire as of yet. While I was talking to Dustin, TransAm west-bounder Miles pulled up. Miles is from Georgia, and he had started in Yorktown a few days before me. I told Miles that I had seen his name yesterday in a registry in St. Mary’s. The road surface for much of the morning was pink, and probably made from Granite. Miles told me about a quarry he had seen near Elephant Rocks.

I’m in the Ozark Mountains. I came here in 1987 with my childhood friend Ron, whom I’ve been thinking about. He died a few years ago. I rode through Mark Twain National Forest. I’ve been thinking a lot about him as well these past few days.

I rode through Centerville, which has 191 residents. My block in Brooklyn has more people than that. Both of the convenient stores were closed. I was standing there looking at my phone and a nice lady pulled into the parking lot and told me there was another store at the top of the hill further down the road. I finally made it up there for an ice cold drink.

I rode another seven miles to Ellington. I doubt this is the true story, but I’m telling myself it was named after Duke Ellington. I’m staying in another bike hostel, but this one’s a lot more basic. I showered, did my laundry, and oiled my chain (that’s not a euphemism).

I settled into my cot for a little siesta, and I heard a knock at the door. It was TransAm east-bounder Claudio, from Treviso Italy. Claudio speaks not a word of English, but I speak Italian! My ex-wife’s family is from Bassano, not far from Treviso. Claudio knows Bassano well. He’s cycled all over Europe. He was able to tell me about the TransAm route further west. He said I wouldn’t need warm clothing and that it was hot atop Hoosier Pass. He said there are sixty mile stretches in Kansas with no water or services.

Claudio and I are talking and tap tap on the door- it’s Miles west-bounder from Georgia. The three of us hung out and shared our adventures before heading out for Mexican food.