Golden City to Fair Grove
I woke to a
fantastic orange sky. My preference is orange sunsets and sleeping thru
sunrises. But to get more miles, and especially during the cooler morning,
takes sacrifices.
Nishanth awoke fairly easily and we got packed
up. The Casey’s store could be seen from the park and we pedaled over. This was
going to be a good breakfast. Our usual oatmeal and the Monday special,
half off
cake donuts.
The plan
this morning was getting to Ash Grove for lunch. We were catching a bit of
tailwind and the miles easier than otherwise would be. The roads are more
rolling but more interesting to ride. Shifting gears more often and trying to
stay in an efficient gear. Usually not on it long and shifting again.
About 10
miles out of Ash Grove I say a lone cyclist approaching. No panniers, so I
figure a local road warrior. As the cyclist got close it was my complete
surprise that it was a former coworker, Eric Bassett, out to ride part of the
day with Nishanth and I. What an unanticipated pleasure!! Good job on the
surprise factor and thank you for the moral support, Eric.
At Ash Grove
we were supposed to meet Wendy at the grocery. Her husband, Mike, laser etches
medallions for all the racers that make it to Ash Grove. The picture is
Nishanth and I doing the Olympian pose biting our medals, not eating cookies! I
have to admit, at our place more cookies than medals are the norm, and may be
the problem.
We had lunch
from our feed pouches sitting in front of the Pendleton's grocery. With hills, better to eat down the weight we
are hauling than buy more. Eric did buy a package of chocolate/peanut butter
drop cookies as a treat.
Eric and I
ate a bit quicker and Nishanth said to go on and he would follow shortly. Eric
and I rode to Walnut Grove where he had parked. The road was rolling with a bit
of hills and very nice Missouri rural scenery.
Eric had
thoughtfully brought various snacks to stock me with. I was actually out of
pineapples this time but he neglected to pack one. He did have homemade granola
which I gladly took.
Eric was
wanting to ride some of the Frisco Highline Trail so we parted ways. Later
Nishanth asked how far Columbia was for Eric to had come. He was very impressed
that Eric had driven about 4 hours to suprise us.
The days
final leg was Walnut Grove to Fair Grove. To this point there were gradually
more hills and gradually longer and steeper. This was 17 miles of all hills. It
snaked up and down like a length of snapped rope. In the late afternoon heat it
was cyclist hell. I was getting overheated, fumbling shifts and slipping into a
mental fog. Struggling into Fair Grove Nishanth and I were greated with a
Subway and A/C. Fearing the terrain to Marshfield would be more of the same,
and learning the city park had hot showers, we decided Fair Grove would work
nicely. The French cyclist we camped with at Golden City were also camping
here. So we knew it was a quality place. A hot shower, clean pavilion building
and within 2 blocks a grocery, convenience store and Subway. Cycle touring does
not get better than what Fair Grove offered. Fed
and
showered, we slept well!
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