Turkey Vultures 😳

August 18, 2022

Hypothetically, if I guy was riding a fully loaded pea soup green Surly Disc Trucker up a hill in Missouri that peaks at 16% grade and two big old turkey vultures come out of the trees and start circling, should he be worried? Personally I think he should just dig deeper and get up that hill else he might become bird food 😳.

I pulled into Ellington, was feelin' about half past dead, I just need some place where I can lay my head "Hey, lady, can you tell me where a cyclist might find a bed? "She just grinned and shook my hand, "Yes” was all she said.

Todays ride was 71 miles with almost 4,000 feet of climbing. And that’s the short, steep relentless climbing of the Missouri Ozarks. The plan was to finish in Ellington and stay at the hostel for the night. The town is very cool in that they have a small hostel set up for cyclists coming through on the TransAm bike route. They lady who directed me to the hostel, owns Opy’s (an unusual general store in town) and is the number one cyclist advocate in town. As for the prior paragraph, not original and once again bonus points if you know the band and the song.

Back to the ride…most of the ride was either on route 17 or route 106. Neither had much of a shoulder and when they did, it was partially consumed by those damn rumble strips. Traffic wasn’t too bad and most folks, except those two diesel dusters and one Subaru, were pretty patient. I was warned by Eric and Tess (two cyclists I met in the park last night in Houston, MO) about the amount of climbing and the steepness. They were spot on. Up and down…rinse repeat…but it was a pretty ride. I was in the forest surrounded by trees almost the whole time. No complaints from me! Weather was good. Started a little cool, but warmed up quickly. If the weather was like this every day, once again, no complaints from me!

Pretty sure I hit the 3,000 miles ridden milestone yesterday. Thinking about changing to a new set of tires. Best part about that is it will reduce the weight I’m carrying before I get to the eastern Kentucky and Virginia climbing. And I think if all goes well, I should be out of Missouri soon and into Illinois. Progress!

Enjoying the ride, but missing Mrs G, Cooper (hope he remembers me), and the rest of the Gordon clan. See you all soon.

Ian

This is Tess and Eric. Met them after I posted last night. We shared a campsite in the Houston City Park. They’re westbound from Buffalo, NY to San Francisco.

Thought I’d add a few scenery shots. Riding through the Ozarks National Scenic Waterway.

Same area. Notice this depicts a downhill 😳

Same area but further along. This is the Current River.

This is Opy’s…the not so general store! Oh and that you know is the pea soup green machine making another appearance.

Thought you’d like to see the inside of the hostel. So far just me tonight.

Might be hard to visualize the topography as I describe it. So here’s a picture of today’s route from Houston to Ellington.

Barn of someday but not today. This one is just so past it’s prime.

Didn’t find an official sign of the day, but this caught my eye. This was at a gas station. The woman behind the counter was rude to me and to a delivery guy and then I saw this. Mommy, that sign says Daddy is a dead beat…is that true? What happened to midwestern nice??? This is just so wrong!!!

Today's ride: 71 miles (114 km)
Total: 1,523 miles (2,451 km)

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Jeff LeeIt's interesting that you're finding the drivers in Missouri to be mostly alright. I consider Missouri to have the worst drivers in the 40+ states in which I've bike toured. That was based mostly on my experience in Missouri on the TransAm in 2006, and a few short excursions other times, so maybe things have improved?!

When you reach Kentucky, I strongly recommend staying in the First Baptist Church in Sebree. It's very, very nice: Cyclist-only shower, a washer and dryer, and a kitchen.

I live about 24 miles north of Sebree, and am down that way a lot on the bike.

If you happen to need anything while you're in the area, don't hesitate to get in touch with me.

PS,
You will be chased by dogs in Kentucky, but it's really not that big of a deal. Maybe pick up a can of "Halt!" dog pepper spray if you see one (they likely have it at one of the Carbondale, Illinois bike shops.)

Jeff
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2 years ago

Ian GordonThanks Jeff. You’re the second person to tell me I will be chased by dogs in Kentucky. My email is Iankgordon@ yahoo.com. If you are ok with sharing your contact info there I’d appreciate it.

I’ll look for halt at the next bike shop.

Ian
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2 years ago

Jeff LeeTo Ian GordonIan, I sent you an email.

Jeff
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2 years ago

Gary NuttThe Weight, The Band
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2 years ago

Ian GordonDing, ding, ding! One of their best.
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2 years ago