Rusty Crank Coast to Coast Bicycle Tour across the USA on the ACA TransAM Route

TransAm Day #20 June 14, 2018 Ellington, MO - Houston, MO 71 Miles Ride Time 6:20 Hours Tour Total  Miles 1438 details at: https://cyclemeter.com/4b2d99e24f1383f2/Cycle-20180614-0512-75454 I didn’t sleep so well last night at the Ellington bike hostel. The cot was too short, and the end bar dug into my shins. Claudio snored in the adjoining cot. The air conditioner loudly hummed to keep out the heat and humidity. Claudio and I got up at 4:30am and packed in darkness while Miles slept in. Claudio made me coffee. Italians are so funny about their food and meal routines. I was on the road by 5am. There was a dude robot sticker on the map at the hostel. It’s nice to know that I’m back on Mike Riscica’s trail. Somebody had tried to peel his sticker off so I decided not to tag the hostel.  It was a hazy, foggy, and cool morning. The smell of skunk was in the air, and I spied the culprit. One of the benefits of going westbound is that the sunrise is at my ba...

TransAm Day #21 June 15, 2018 Houston, MO - Marshfield, MO 70 Miles Ride Time 6:07 Hours Tour Total  Miles 1505 details at: https://cyclemeter.com/4b2d99e24f1383f2/Cycle-20180615-0510-99548 Last night it was the Rusty Crank hammock sushi roll at the Westside Park in Houston, MO. A barking dog and kids playing, made it difficult to fall asleep. I also had itchy bug bites which should have been zapped by the swimming pool chlorine.  Miles has a broken spoke and his rear wheel was badly out of true. Today he had to rent a U-Haul and drive his bike back east 130 miles to a mechanic in Farmington. We looked at all the options last night. A one-way Über to Farmington was $200 and there weren’t even any cars available. He could have proceeded forward 180 miles to the next bike mechanic in Pittsburgh, KS, but his rear wheel had a bad wobble and he’s loaded down with four panniers. The mechanic in Carbondale had told him that he didn’t have the right touring whe...