Day 32 Chillicothe to Kirksville, MO -- Wholly Rollers

Pictures Here
Miles: 86
Total Miles: 2381
Time: 5:47
Average: 14.9
Max 37.5
Flats Today: 0; Total flats:8
Climbing: perhaps 4500' of climbing, rollers as well as real hills
Weather: Cloud cover most of the day which kept the temperature in the low 80's. Little to no wind. Perfect conditions.
Body: Took it easier today -- legs felt the day yesterday & developed a slight twinge in my right thigh. We still have a long way to go!
What a great day this was again!!! If yesterday was mostly rollers, then today was, as the title indicates, wholly rollers. Great riding if you like the ups and downs and I typically do. Lots of great midwestern scenery if you like woods, farms, streams, flowers and lots of green. Which I do. And good variety of things to see along the way in the small towns we pass through if you like historical stuff. And I do. And SO many flowers in full bloom. Wild ones to decorate the countryside and domesticated ones to decorate gardens and homes along the way. Great if you like flowers and I sure do! And got to spend some leisurely talk time with a variety of folks as well All that in near perfect weather -- warm enough to be comfortable riding but cool enough to let you climb without dripping and overheating. Check out the pictures for more on the ride.

Now for a little humorous and humbling incident from last evening. After dinner on my way in
the building we were staying in I noticed that the lone washer was actually free. I had lots of laundry to do as I had not done any on our rest day in St. Jo, wanting to get unsynched from the rest of the group. My plan was obviously working, clever guy that I am. So lickety split I headed for my room and gathered about all of my clothing in a bundle including every shirt I brought. That left me wearing only biker tan above the belt. I grabbed my bottle of tide concentrate and my zip lock bag of quarters and bustled back down stairs to the washer. Still free!! In went the tide followed by dirty clothing. Four quarters in the slots, punch the color clothes setting button, slam in the quarters and the washer flows and lurches into action.

I head up the flight of stairs deep in thought about what I have left to do that evening, ready to plop back down on my bed with my computer to finish up. The door is still ajar as I had left it and I walk in. What is this??? Seattle Bob is lying in MY bed. Is he serious or is he playing some dumb joke on me? He looks as if he thinks he belongs in that bed. He feigns surprise to see me. I am genuinely surprised to see him. Then slowly, very slowly, it dawns on me. I have only come up one flight of stairs, not two. I have turned into room 157, not 257. This IS Bob and Tom's and Sean's room. Ed, Zero's and my room is right above theirs.

Bob, of course almost immediately begins to regale me with wisecracks, picks up his camera and records the bonehead move and then begins composing it into his blog. Tom, whose been sick three days, emerges from his the bathroom where he's spent more time than he'd like. He wonders if I have come to claim his bed. Sean is out so I am mercifully spared his quick witted Brit commentary. Soon, but not soon enough, I slink back out of the room. I did do the wash, but was not nearly as clever about it as I set out to be.

Tomorrow is a 90 plus miler that gets us across the Mississippi River by ferry and into Illinois where we will spend the first of our 3 nights there in Quincy.