Today was supposed to be 92 miles, but became only 87. From Farmington, the goal was to reach Alley Spring. People kept saying that Missouri was full of surprise hills, and they weren't kidding!
I thought I was through the worst of it when I got out of Kentucky, and I suppose in terms of the people and cleanliness, I am. What I did not give due consideration to was the craziness of the Ozarks. Some of these hills seem like they are just out there to mock the Appalachians. I got to one that was so steep, I felt like I would tip backwards off the bike. I got off and tried to push it the rest of the way, and I could barely do that. Anyway, by the time I got to Eminence, I took one look around and decided that the day was over, even if it was five miles short.
They were paving a road somewhere around the middle of my route today. As we all know, this process is extremely inefficient and chaotic, so it got very interesting from my perspective.
They decided to do a huge stretch all at once, and today happened to be the middle of the process. The gravel process. Five straight miles of horrible crunching gravel spraying up at my legs and essentially power-washing me with every truck that passed. Each one would create a wild swirl of flying debris in it's wake and being stuck behind them, I would receive a full coating of speeding pebbles and dust. It really felt like being sand-blasted. At least nothing broke the skin. Oh yah, and did I mention that this entire stretch was up hill? I maxed out at about 6 mph, so you can do the math and see how long this experience endured.
When you go to the car wash, all of the phases of the washing process are staged in order and in immediate succession. You don't wet the car, drive across town to get it soaped, park it in a garage for six weeks, tow it to the next county to be scrubbed, and then bring in another outfit of car driers. You pull in, experience each step in rapid succession, and the car comes out clean.
Why can't this logic be applied to road work? Why can't the trucks just go in order all at once? You start with the guy that rips the old stuff up, trailing right behind him is the guy with the fresh gravel, then the tar truck, then the blacktop and finally the smoother guy. They could just caravan down the street and pave the entire highway before lunch. Am I missing something? Is it a cultural thing that requires us to schedule each of these steps with a month in between?
I don't know that much about paving highways, but I have to believe that there is a better way. We all hate driving on that torn up road for three weeks while we wait for the new pavement, but try feeling every stone reverberate up your spine.
So Eminence, Missouri is a pretty cool little town. They have a bunch of camp grounds (I'm at the Arrowhead) and a few little shops and galleries. I was able to pick up some cold beverages and get a grilled chicken sandwich. That was really the reason I stopped short. Even though I was tired and sick of hills, Alley Spring only had the campground. Eminence won out with it's Gatorade and chocolate milk supply!
And just in case you were wondering, I only drink heavy things like chocolate milk at night. Daytime is all water, Gatorade, and the occasional orange juice just because it is so refreshing.
I arrived in Eminence just as I was squeezing the last drop of water from my bottle. You know you are thirsty when water that burns the skin still refreshes you. The heat radiating from the roads, the direct sunlight and the record high temperatures out here heat my water up to a nice 98 degrees within about 10 minutes. Sometimes the water truly is hotter than my own mouth and it takes a second to even sense that my mouth is full. It usually runs down the sides and burns my cheeks. It truly is the opposite of what you want at the top of a monstrous hill.
After scoring such an awesome hostel last night (Al's Place) in Farmington, I started off with a pretty positive attitude today. I don't really think it turned negative, but after about 11 straight hours in the saddle, it starts to get a little tense. The problem out here is that there is absolutely nothing for miles. There are houses, but no stores, nowhere to stop, and nowhere to camp. If I start to get tired, there still might be another 20 miles before I can even think about calling it quits. It's a good motivator, but it can also be a little frustrating.
I saw a few new animals today. I saw a fox, a live turtle, and some weird birds. The turtle was the coolest though. I spotted him on the road, and after seeing so many of his compatriots more closely resembling a bread-bowl soup, I figured I'd stop and take him off the road. I did take the opportunity to get a quick photo, though. He's not looking to heroic in his half-shell today. He's more of the stealthy ninja than the fighting kind.
It's time to get to bed. I might sleep in a little bit and leave at 8 tomorrow. I almost fell asleep today at lunch, so I know my body needs some extra rest.
Haven't even looked at the map yet, but there are only 10 more miles of wild hills, so I might be able to do a big day. Or at least not such a strenuous one.
Location:Eminence, MO
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