Today was a perfect day for a ride. Relatively cool (60s and 70s). No wind. No rain. Little traffic. Few dogs.
It was a day of rollers, but most of the hills weren’t too steep (unlike the crazy hills in eastern Kentucky!). I know there are more of those ahead in the Ozarks, though, so I am not celebrating yet!
The route I am on (remember this is a TransAm detour, due to the closed crossing at Chester, Illinois) has fewer towns than I’ve seen in Virginia, Kentucky and Illinois. I was getting a little concerned around mile 35, because I was down to a swig of water, and the next source of water on the ACA map was 10 hilly miles away.
When I came around a corner, I saw a little gas station, and knew I would be OK. When I walked in and discovered it was an actual restaurant, I knew I’d be MORE than OK. Dawn made me a wonderful lunch, and, while she was doing this, Terry came in. Terry is a lumberjack, and he was with his teenaged son. Terry and Dawn have known each other for decades, and kept up some teasing banter the whole time I was there. They also included me in their conversations, and told me about the area. It was a great respite from the endless rolling hills!
If you find yourself on this route, check it out! https://www.facebook.com/Highway51Express/
I didn’t see any live animals on the road today. I can’t count the number of deceased animals I saw, though. One of them was a deceased nine-banded armadillo. Due to this sighting, I was focused on trying to find one for the rest of the ride. I hope I see one on this journey!
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