I'm in Buffalo, Missouri, which is 18 miles north of the Transamerica route. Wow, almost there...
Another Buffalo? I've stayed in two cities called Bowling Green, and now two called Buffalo. I wonder what the next duplicate city name will be.
I had several different options this morning. I've ridden 12 straight days now, and I definitely need a rest day. Option 1 was to stay in Osage Beach. It was an expensive place to stay because it's a resort area, and it didn't feel like where I wanted to be, so I ruled that out pretty quickly. Option 2 was to ride to Ha Ha Tonka State Park outside of Camdenton, do some hiking, and then find a place to stay in Camdenton. I quickly realized that that would involve probably 20 miles of hilly cycling plus hiking - not really a rest. Option 3 was to ride to Buffalo and then really take a rest day. Option 3 was it. Nothing like riding another 127 miles after deciding I needed a rest! I'm at the Comfort Inn in Buffalo. It's in walking distance of a grocery store and several restaurants (some fast food, some not), and it has a pool and whirlpool. I'm planning to just veg - and eat - tomorrow.
US 54 was a pleasant surprise this morning. Once I pedaled past Camdenton it turned back into a 2-lane road with paved shoulders and climbing lanes. That was a first! Then I turned off on route 73 which was a real 2-lane road. Both roads were pretty quiet. There were hills all day - some rollers, and some longer hills, all between 6 and 8% grade. It was another good riding day.
I stopped for a second breakfast in Camdenton. When I came back out to the bike I found 2 couples checking it out. They live in Branson, MO now, but they used to live in Iowa. They are also cyclists, and used to ride the RAGBRAI when they lived in Iowa. That ride sounds like a cross-state party on a bike. Maybe one year I'll go to Iowa and ride RAGBRAI. When we were talking about the terrain of Missouri, one of the men said "Missouruh is definitely not flat". Branson is in the center of the Ozarks - apparently south of Springfield the mountains get much steeper.
According to the Missouri tourism department, there is a controversy over the correct pronunciation of the state - Missouree, or Missouruh. They say it's a combination of regional differences - east to west - and age differences. Interesting.
I stopped to fill up on water and Gatorade at the intersection of routes 54 and 73. An older woman (white hair, beautifully dressed) came up to me to talk. She started with the usual "where did you start", "where are you going", and "you're not alone, are you?". By the time we were finished talking, she told me that she was glad to see a woman doing a trip like mine. She was also a cyclist, but said she didn't think she could do a trip like this. I told her I thought that if she really wanted to do it that she probably could.
I passed an interesting house this afternoon. From the back it looked like just a roof. The front of the house looked like a normal ranch, but the entire back was below ground. That must help keep things cool in the summer.
No new wildlife sitings today, but I did hear several bobwhites. And I discovered that there are some nasty stinging insects around here. One got me good when I stopped to take a picture, but unlike the black flies in the Adirondacks, this one didn't leave a welt.
I'm looking forward to some extra sleep tomorrow, and I'm looking forward to reaching the Transamerica trail on Tuesday.
When I talked to my mom tonight she said she's been having so much fun with my journal that she thinks I should keep on writing after I get home. Have I created a monster here? I don't think I can manage that! When I talked to my sister earlier this week, she said it sounds like writing a journal every night is like having homework every day...
