Four again

Made our exit from the courthouse lawn and started the riding for the day. We were going up a hill just as an Amish teenager was driving his horse-drawn carriage down. He had something to say about the heat and we waved back. Not fifteen seconds later we waved to a Nissan Xterra who was tearing down the road in the opposite direction. They gave us the peace sign. Isn't America a strange place?

It was twenty-six miles to Marshfield for a fully stocked grocery store and then another seventeen miles or so to a lunch stop in Fair Grove at a Subway. I've wondered occasionally about seeking out more of the local flavor and less of the national chain stuff... but there is security in knowing you're going to get a big, familiar sandwich for five dollars. We were told about a road closure by another cyclist a day or two before, and it was time to go sort it out. First there was an electronic sign: “Road closed. 2.5 miles ahead.” We kept riding. Detours are unacceptable. No more miles than those on the regularly scheduled program. Another sign: “1 mile ahead. Road closed. Local traffic only.” Then another sign: “Road closed. 1000 feet ahead.” I kept my ear out, listening for construction traffic. Our plan was to plead with the guys to let us through if need be. We turned a corner and saw the closure. Nobody was there. Alright! They were resurfacing a bridge and the concrete for one lane was still a bit damp but the other was fine to ride on. We shimmied around the blockades, got to the other side, and were elated to have caught at least one break on this ridiculous adventure.

We had a brief stop at a gas station in Walnut Grove and then made the final eight miles to Ash Grove where we were staying for the evening. It was practically a cyclist's convention when we showed up. There were two retired riders going east, a few Californians going who knows where, and us. We were all talking on the corner when a police officer drove up and said we could sleep inside at a park building for the evening. Cool. Ash Grove also has a pool so we sampled the diving board and their water slide. We finished the miles fairly early in the day so there was time to splash around before dinner and other arrangements. We were all in the pool when we took in a wondrous sight. I looked out into the park beyond the pool fence and Jeremy was riding his bike down a path. We're back! The four of us were all smiles as Jeremy gave us the skinny on the last two days.

His first problem was the broken freewheel and his aunt picked him up in Eminence, drove him nearly all over the state, and to a series of bike shops in Springfield. He bought a replacement freewheel that matched his old one in gearing so no compromises had to be made there. Unfortunately, there was still the issue of the deteriorating rim and there were no quality 27” replacements to be found in that city. It's sort of an odd size these days so it's harder to get parts and tires, etc. I had suggested a bike shop back in San Diego, Oceanside really – called Pacific Coast Cycles. An awesome guy named Chuck Hoeffer has owned the shop for many years and I thought it might be a good candidate for solving Jeremy's wheel woes. Chuck had a 40 spoke rim laced to a Phil Wood Hub (that's a nice combo for the non-bicyclists out there) and Jeremy's mom was going to buy it and ship it ahead to us. The current wheel just has to hold out a bit longer. I should also mention Chuck's wife Gretchen who makes a mean iced tea. Hi Chuck and Gretchen.

Also: hello to everybody at REI, thank you for the great comments. I really dig my Big Agnes sleeping pad. Concrete, asphalt, who cares – it's still comfortable. Jordan and Adam got jealous and had family buy and ship them each a Big Agnes too. Having to blow it up every evening probably helps my lung capacity.

We went out to a Chinese dinner with Richard, one of the cyclists. He talked about being snowed on earlier in his trip. Woah. And we thought we had it tough. Made it back to the park and the house where we set up camp in the great big air-conditioned indoors. Not bad.

Hartville courthouse lawn.

Missouri.

You think you have a big lawn?

Road closure schmosure.

Can you see the water tower up ahead? We're almost there.