Day 17 Warrensburg, MO

June 2, 2018

We got up this morning to passing thunderstorms. Alain checked the weather (as we had NO internet and NO cell service) and thought we had a good chance of staying dry if we took the shortest route to our destination and left early.

We all decided not to continue on the final 18 miles of the Katy, knowing that a wet unpaved trail would not make for a fun ride. Alain re-routed us over a good road that gave us less than 30 miles to ride.

The sky didn't look too bad when we left the motel, but about four miles out, it got very dark, with lightning close by and then started to rain. We quickly took cover under a shed at the farmhouse we were very lucky to be right next to. A man came out of the house and invited us to come up and sit on his porch. About the time we got up on the porch, the storm really picked up. We stayed nice and dry thanks to our "trail angels", a warm and kind Amish couple who made us welcome at their home. They have a roadside farm stand at their house where they sell fruit,vegetables and home baked goods. After about 20 minutes of conversation with this couple, the storm passed and we were ready to ride. Of course, we couldn't leave without buying some of their cookies and caramel sticky buns for the road.

Our bikes stayed dry under this shelter during the storm.

We rode the rest of the way into Warrensburg without anymore rain. We did encounter some nasty rumble strips for about 10 miles, but our captains handled the bikes skillfully and we arrived, safe and dry, at our hotel about 11:30.

Team A was able to check in their room right away, but our was still being cleaned, so the four of walked across the street to a Mexican restaurant for a 3 Margarita lunch. (That's one Margarita each for Jeanna, Viktoriya and Kerry.) They were excellent Margaritas and the food was delicious.

We are finally getting our first rest day tomorrow. We're all ready for a day off. This is an exceptionally nice Comfort Inn, so, with the great Margaritas available right across the street, we have the perfect place for our R&R.

The breakfast area and lobby are very attractive

When we got our room, we found out it was a large suite.

In a hotel room, we usually ask ourselves "Where are we going to put this bike?" In this room, we asked ourselves "Where are we going to put this bike?"

We even had a little happy surprise in the bathroom

Today's ride: 30 miles (48 km)
Total: 809 miles (1,302 km)

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