Downside of Missouri

We have a lot of mosquito bites, in spite of DeepWoods OFF.

We didn't find a lot of wifi in Missouri.  Even McDonalds wasn't always a sure thing.
Our last day of riding in MO was eventful.  The morning was hot and overcast.  We rode the rolling hills ant stopped in the booming metropolis of Dexter at McDonalds.  (It had no wifi.)

We ate lunch and went in for an ice cream.  Came out and someone had unscrewed our compressor hose connection and stolen it - right under the watchful eye of our faithful driver, Hanz, who was playing a game on his cell phone and texting in the camper with his cap over his watchful eye.  Oh well. They could have stolen our bikes.  So we figure it was probably a one-legged thief with an inflatable prosthetic.


Almost as soon as we started riding after lunch, it started raining.  Since we had noticed the clouds, we had our rain gear.  Since we had noticed the clouds, we had instructed Hanz to wait a half hour and then pass us and wait again, in case we needed to get inside.  Which meant that Hanz left immediately and was at the next stop 10 miles away by the time the wind whipped up a huge dust storm and the rain was in torrents.
We ducked into a video store to wait it out.

Which was sad. The manager was very nice and wanted to hear about our ride a little.  The store was a chain, "Family Video."  He asked if there were FV stores in California.  He has aspirations of managing a West Coast operation.  He kind of took it the wrong way when we told him that there weren't many video stores in CA.  He took it to mean that the field is wide open for him....


It kept raining, but the wind stopped, so we finished out the rest of the 50 miles in our fashionable yellow jackets.  It wasn't cold.  Hanz unfortunately got lost and drove around all afternoon.  Good thing gas is so cheap and we're rich.  <= Example of Sarcasm.

Crossing the Mississip

We made it across the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers earlier this afternoon. Driving to Nashville to swap drivers - Hanz for Brian.
We have hit the 2000 mile mark!
Peter

Missouri Sights

Southern Hospitality

Oklahoma was the most bicycle-unfriendly state we've found.
People in Missouri love us!

There is less trash on the side of the road, and drivers are more courteous.  Even though there still isn't any shoulder, drivers will wait behind us until it's safe to pass.  Unlike SOME places where drivers sneak up on us and honk and then have the passenger yell, "Get off the road!"  at us.

We've had many people pull up and ask if we need water.  I've had many people pull up and let me know that my biking partner is walking his bike, but looks like he'll be along soon.

This also seems to be the state of the mean, unfenced, unleashed dog.  I've been chased here almost every day.  So far, I've grabbed the pepper spray, but haven't had to use it.


Yesterday, we passed a funeral procession going the other direction, and then came to a stretch of bad dogs.  We weren't riding together at that point, but had been trying to warn each other about the dogs and report back using walkie talkie when we had safely passed.
Peter had a slightly different experience than I did.  Not only was he chased by a dog, but he was also chased by a goat.  Luckily, the funeral director had returned and was ready to drive the goat and dog off with his SUV.  He pulled over to chat with Peter about his own biking adventures.  Peter overcame his shyness long enough to get us invited to the funeral home for showers!

We made it to the funeral home, which was a little short of our goal for the day, but we got to take showers and do laundry.  Plus we got a tour of Doniphan, MO, including the boat dock at the Current River, the pizza place, our host's home - where we had pizza and beer, and Hanz got to do some shooting - and - the most exciting part, we got a tour of the funeral home and got to see what a funeral home director does.  A win-win for everyone.

We spent the night in the camper, plugged in to funeral home electricity.  It was so cool.  We invited our new friend to come to California, but he says he doesn't think he'd ever do anything THAT crazy.


At the Edwards Funeral Home in Doniphan, MO  with our host Spencer.

Glad to be moving on

Peter says the best thing about Missouri is that it's not Oklahoma.  

Hanz says it's humid and he is staying in the air conditioning as much as possible.

The shoulders are wide, the wind isn't blowing, and the drivers are courteous.  So far, there is a lot less garbage on the road.  Except that each day (so far) I've seen a pair of discarded tightey-whiteys.  At least their litterers change their underwear every day.

Today we missed  a turn and went about 12 miles the wrong way.  Hanz found us any way, and  when Peter figured it out, Hanz said he figured we had just changed the plan.  He later started calling if we were late to a stop.

We re staying in an RV campground tonight.