to Pleasant Hill: a birthday cake for Rachel

August 22, 2017

The storm rolls in at about midnight with loud thunder and tremendous rain. It lasts all night, places along our route today received from 4.5 to 8 inches of rain. We were very fortunate to have had this shelter to camp under. The trees are still dripping when we pack up, but the rain has stopped. Back on the trail we head up the Rock Island Spur trail towards Kansas City. All this rain has made the trail soggy and much harder to ride on. The first kilometers seem to take a long time, we have to lift our bikes over a fallen tree and navigate several wash-outs.

At Leeton we go in search of the cafe. It is about a kilometer off the trail, but worth every pedal push. The food is good and there is lots of it. We also find WiFi there and are able to let Steve, the cyclist we met on the trail yesterday, that we are planning to get to Pleasant Hill today. He will meet us at the McDonald's.

As we ride on the results of last nights downpour becomes clearer. Fields are flooded, roads closed and the rivers are running very high. At the first Big River crossing trees are stuck under the bridge and the water is backing up. The bridge is in danger or washing out. With only a mile to go on the trail we meet another cyclist, only the third today, who tells us the trail is flooded up ahead. We make our way to highway 7 and follow it into town. At the McDonald's we use the internet and wait for Steve to pick us up at about 5 pm.

It is a short ride to the Stoppelman's beautiful house about two miles from town. We meet Robyn, Steve's wife and are given a nice bedroom, take showers and can do our laundry. Everything we needed. Later in the evening we meet their two daughters and son-in-laws and have a nice dinner with good conversation. And a birthday cake for Rachel.

Meeting them on the trail yesterday certainly was a case of instant-karma.