Hey Toto…

August 15, 2022

Hey Toto, we’re not in Kansas anymore. As of 7:33am this morning I crossed the border from Kansas to Missouri! Another state down and I think 5 more to go.

I started riding this morning at 6:55am and was soaked with sweat by 7:00am. Just another day of heat and humidity. Good news is the actual temperature didn’t go into the triple digits, but the real feel hit 106 degrees.

I have submitted a suggestion that Kansas rename the strip that makes up the last 5 miles before you enter Missouri as “Roadkill Alley “. I saw more dead critters in those 5 miles than all the other miles combined that I rode through Kansas. My personal goal was to get out of Kansas quickly and to not be added to the roadkill count. Obviously since I’m writing this, I was successful.

A quick review of Kansas before I move on to Missouri. The people were really, really nice and friendly to cyclists. They have good laws to protect cyclists on the roads and drivers (truckers included) gave me plenty of room whenever it was possible. For the most part, Kansas roads are maintained better than Colorado roads and they were really pretty free of litter. And I love that they post Bike Route 76 signs to make navigation really easy. Support services were a bit lacking due to the large gaps between towns and the impact of so many closed businesses or reduced hours. What I will remember most are the people I met and the ones who were so interested in my journey and so committed to helping cyclists (e.g., the guy at Lizard Lips in Toronto, Tara at Cake Batter Batter, the woman at Coffee Place that steered me away from Derricks Motel (and as a result I got to meet David and Krista and the kids), I could go on, but I’ll stop).

Hey did you know that there are armadillo is Missouri? I thought they were just in Texas. Well there are and unfortunately as of the last couple days, I can tell tou that there are at least three fewer.

One of the things I immediately noticed when I crossed into Missouri was that the little pumpers were all gone and they were replaced by lots of huge wind turbines. Personally I feel better about wind turbines than I did about little pumpers. But I wonder… is there some major geological barrier that keeps the oil in Kansas or do the regulations make it too difficult to drill in Missouri? Missouri also has ribbon candy roads, but the ups and downs are bigger and seem longer. And that was just the most western part of the state. As of tomorrow the real climbing begins. Not high elevation, just relentless short steep climbs. Oh and did I tell you it’s supposed to rain the next two days?

Exciting things about today’s ride: First, I left Kansas and entered Missouri, but you already knew that. Second, I completed map number 100…a ton more to go but a milestone. Third, I got pecan pie at Cooky’s Cafe in Golden City. I must digress here for a moment…you may recall the horrible pecan pie I had in Kooskia, ID. Well this pie was a million percent better. It was delicious!!! Cooky’s has been serving and taking care of cyclists since Bike Route 76 was established. The place is an icon among touring cyclists. Oh and all the locals that come in sit and engage with the cyclists. They are truly interested and supportive. Fourth, I met Michael, another cyclist going west to east. We chatted for a while, exchanged experiences, and then rode together for a couple of miles. He’s staying in Ash Grove and I went on a bit to Walnut Grove. Finally I met and had a good conversation with Robbie Lee, a local and a musician in Ash Grove. No wait…I forgot two things. Thanks to Dwight and Jean for allowing me to hang out and camp at their winery. Definitely better than sitting in a hot public park waiting for the sun to go down…and they had a shower available for me. And that’s the final thing…I got to shower and to engage in another display of public nudity (last time was the hose shower behind the BLM office in Riggins). (You’ll have to see the picture to understand this one…and no I’m not in the picture 😉).

Definitely have a sign of the day for you. And there were just so many good barns that I may have to post a couple.

Alright then, time to add the pictures, then post this and then set up my tent.

Sign of the day. It was either Leaving Kansas or Welcome to Missouri. I chose this one.

My last view in Kansas. Those are some straight rows!

One of my first views in Missouri. I really liked the cows/cattle in the front and then the wind turbines partially obscured by the trees. News flash, it’s windy in Missouri…guess I should have known that with all of the wind turbines and all 😳

Barn 2, my personal favorite with the stone construction

Michael chowing down at Cooky’s. I don’t even want to tell you all that I ate!

That’s me and the waitress at Cooky’s. She talked me into a slice of heaven…I mean pecan pie…same thing right?

Hey Mrs G…I bought a business and we’re moving to Missouri.

It’s Robbie Lee. Well that’s really his stage name. Don’t recall his real name. Cool guy.

This is Jane of 7Cs fame and the Winery owner, along with Dwight, who opened up their place for me to rest and sleep.

This is the shower. Notice anything missing other than a naked me? Yup no curtain. Oh well it had hot and cold running water and I needed a shower. Hopefully a video doesn’t show up on TicTok.

Bye for now

Ian

Today's ride: 83 miles (134 km)
Total: 1,713 miles (2,757 km)

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Michele GordonYa know love …..I think this is gonna be a good state …..your post already sounds sooooo much happier 😉☺️
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2 years ago

Gary NuttWhew, bro, it was looking a little dim for a while there. But based on the picture of you with Cookie, things are looking better now. Good pecan pie does that to you. You have already detected more diversity in what you see as you ride, e.g., 3 dead armadillos. The shower at the winery is hilarious.
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2 years ago