Change in plans - off route again! My friend Barb asked me a few days ago if I'd found a diagonal route across Missouri, or if I was heading south per my initial plans. I told her that I couldn't find a reasonable diagonal path, but then last night I found one. I verified it with a businessman who I met at breakfast. I'm riding on US 54, heading southwest toward the Transamerica trail. I'll join the Transam in Fair Grove after a quick stint on route 73 and US 65. Fair Grove is just north of Springfield, and quite a bit west of where I was originally supposed to hit the Transam. Although I'll still technically be going through the Ozark region, it sounds like I'll be missing the knee-grinding hills that I would have hit tomorrow (and for the next several days) if I'd headed straight south today. Maybe I'm a baby, but I've never liked riding super-steep hills, so that side effect of my new route makes me happy. Another side effect is that I'll be riding by the Lake of the Ozarks, and that sounds like it is beautiful. People have been driving by me today pulling big boats, and I think that is where they are headed. The description of the lake in Missouri's official tourist literature is that is has "1,150 miles of scenic shoreline winding through the Ozark hills".
My new acquaintance who described US 54 to me this morning stopped to see how I was doing on his way home. He had a business meeting in Louisiana this morning, and was driving US 54 on his way to Interstate 70 and Kansas City. He passed me and then stopped to say hello. That was really nice.
Most of the drivers here have been great. I've been getting an occasional beeps (a hello with a horn) with a wave or a thumbs up as I've been riding along. There were a couple of trucks who refused to pass me, so I had to pull off the road. They're bigger than I am, and I wasn't about to argue with them. The first time I pulled off next to 2 horses in a front yard field. I stood and watched them for a while. They would look at me, stamp their feet, and move a little closer. Then they'd move back, and go through the same movements again. That was pretty funny. The second time I pulled off the road and promptly pulled a Laugh In-like fall over sideways. The road had rough gravel shoulders, and I must have just hit it wrong. I went over so fast that I didn't see it coming, which also meant that I fell with the frame of the bike - no time to stick out an arm and get hurt. So other than a bruised spot on my butt, I'm fine - no problem. (Too bad that kid from yesterday wasn't around - guess I wrecked!) A couple and their dog in a pickup truck stopped to make sure I was OK and that my bike was OK too. They weren't about to leave if I wasn't. And that truck driver wasn't discriminating against cyclists - the couple that stopped to check on my also had to move off the road to get out of the way of that truck. Luckily there were only a couple of obnoxious drivers today.
And yes, for most of the day US 54 did not have a paved shoulder. But think about it - the roads I ride at home almost never have paved shoulders. It was great riding weather today - cooler, and with a welcome tailwind for sections where I was heading straight west. It was cloudy in the morning, with the sun reappearing in the afternoon.
Funny sign for the day - I passed a store that claimed to sell used cars, live bait, bicycles, and fireworks. It was closed, so I couldn't check it out. What a combination!
Funny comment for the day - I stopped at a Casey's convenience store to use the bathroom and pick up some food for lunch. I got there right before a crew of utility workers who stopped for the same reason. One of the guys looked at me and asked how many miles I was riding my bike. I told him about 4600. He looked at me and asked "where to where". I told him I started north of Boston and I'm heading to the Oregon coast. He just shook his head and said "Oh Lordy".
I've noticed a couple of regional words or phrases over the past few days - different use of the words than I hear on the East Coast:
>>> blacktop - as in, turn left at the new blacktop after the grocery store
>>> 4-way - as in, turn left at the second 4-way
>>> sack - at a store - do you want a sack for that?
Good news - my mom was released from the hospital this morning. She did have a mini-stroke, but the only impairment she has from it is slurred speech. She doesn't like that, but she's dealing with it, and she's been told that it will go away. And Brandy and Caesar (the "guys", the "kids", the two crazy dachshunds) have welcomed her home - they're not ignoring her like they did the last time she returned from an unexpected hospital visit. Thanks for all of your good thoughts and wishes.
