When I got up this morning I didn't think riding 81 miles was in the cards for the day. When the alarm went off, my body said no, I'm not getting up, but my head said yes, I am getting up. I think I need an easy day or a rest day, but I didn't want to stay in Kingdom City, which was essentially the intersection of Interstate 70 and US 54. I started the day thinking I'd ride to Jefferson City (or Jeff City as the people around here call it), have a short day, and just relax for the rest of the day. When I got there I was feeling good, so I decide to press on to the Lake of the Ozarks. At that point I thought I'd be riding 70 miles, but sometimes I just don't know when to stop! I just got a quick look at the lake. It's a man-made lake which was opened in 1931. There are 2 dams involved, and the lake is 92 miles long from Bagnell Dam to Tunnel Dam. It's the oddest looking lake that I've ever seen - it looks like a bunch of river tributaries, or like a many-legged spider. It looks like it would be really easy to get lost on the different arms of the lake.
The road was relatively flat this morning. The hills started in Jefferson City, then it flattened out again, and then the hills came back at the end of the day. Most of them were probably 5 to 6% grade, but there were a couple of 8 to 10% grade hills just to keep things interesting. Most of the ride was very enjoyable, even the hills. There was a fairly nasty section through Jeff City where US 54 pretty much turned into a city expressway with minimal shoulders. Luckily that didn't last too long. The road was 4-lane divided for most of the day. The good thing about that is that there were good shoulders for almost the entire day. There were plenty of gas stations with bathrooms this afternoon, but this morning had the usual searches for the elusive side-of-the-road pit stops. Sometimes I just get as far away from the road as I can (behind a tree, in a ditch...), and use the innocent child's approach of "if I can't see you then you can't see me". That works, right?
Another river crossing today - I crossed the Missouri River in Jefferson City. No pictures though, because the river crossing was on a highway bridge with no shoulders, so I really couldn't stop. But here's another question for you. I've crossed the Illinois River, the Mississippi River, and the Missouri River. I think I need a refresher in American history. What was named first - the rivers, the territories, or the states? Were the rivers named for the states, or were the states named for the rivers? Or neither?
And while I'm on a question kick, here's another one. I've been going past signs for "(name) Branch" next to small streams. At first I assumed that a branch is a creek, but then I saw a sign for a creek. Is there a difference?
I stopped on the side of road to take a picture this afternoon. I looked up to see a red convertible backing up on the shoulder toward me. Out popped Jean to see if I was OK. She and her companion (sorry, I didn't get his name) are cyclists too, and they wanted to make sure I didn't need any help. We talked for a bit, and they filled my Camelbak with cold water and ice. Very nice!
Wildlife for the day - I saw a little lizard scampering along in the grass on the side of the road. And I saw my first squirrel in weeks. They seem to have disappeared when I hit farm country, so maybe they'll disappear again when I get to Kansas.
Did you know that choosing Mexican food for dinner isn't the smartest move in the world when your lips are sunburned?
