I knew today was going to be a tough ride. Afterall, we are in the Ozark Mountains. The part of the Ozarks we are in is very different than the Ozarks depicted in the Netflix hit ”Ozark”. We are not near the Lake of the Ozarks. We are riding a section of road that goes up and down. Up 250 feet, down 300 feet, up 350 feet, down 200 feet over and over.
We left Ellington around 8 am and headed west. Immediately the road started the roller coaster ride. The road is narrow with no shoulders or a very narrow shoulder. In addition there is a rumble strip along the white edge line rendering the shoulder, if there is one useless. Some of the hills were 10 to 14 percent in grade. In one case it was over 16%. My bike computer does many things including showing the grade of the road. It is GPS based so it has to be somewhat accurate.
The ride from Ellington to Eminence was tough. It took Sue and I just under 3 hours to cover the first 30 miles because of the terrain. We stopped at the Dairy Barn in Eminence for cold nourishment. At 11 am when the Dairy Barn opened up people were already lining up for ice cream. By 11:30 all the tables were full. After 50 minutes of waiting, eating and waiting Greg and Bill showed up. They looked exhausted and between down. Shortly after they got to the Dairy Barn Sue and I left. We were rested and fed and planned to make our way to Houston. Plus we wanted to stop at Alley Spring & Mill National Park. The grist mill and spring are on the backside of the commemorative quarter for the State of Missouri. The grist mill and spring are reported to be the most photographed feature in Missouri. After seeing the mill and spring I can understand why.
As we were preparing to leave Bill and Greg arrived. Bill was looking for a campsite and beaten. It was only 36 miles into the day’s ride. We convinced them to take a look at the mill and continue on. After leaving Alley Spring and Mill there was a long uphill climb to a plateau where the land was flatter, but not flat. We continued on to Summersville and stopped there for refreshments. It was hot so it was important to get plenty of liquids to drink. After waiting 30 minutes there was no sign of Bill and Greg. They knew where we were going and they knew where we were planning to stay so we moved on. Again the riding conditions improved. The uphills were not as steep and there were a few long downhills.
As we approached Houston we turned a corner and started downhill. From the distance we could see a man walk across the highway to collect his mail and go back. As we got closer he recrossed the highway and it was apparent that he wanted to speak with us. We stopped and he asked where we going and where we planning to stay. We learned that his name was Wes and that we could stay with him because he had a separate apartment with a kitchen, shower, washer and dryer. We were hesitant because we knew that Bill and Greg were behind us and they knew where we were staying. Wes asked us if we wanted to take a look at the place. We left our bikes near the highway propped against a hay bale and hopped into Wes’ 4 wheeler to take a look. After traveling a few hundred feet and into the trees we entered an oasis of beauty. The ”shack” as Wes called it was fantastic. It was everything we needed and more. Plus, Wes seemed like such a honest, sincere, and genuine person. I did want to check in with Greg and Bill to see where they were, but my phone was still on the bike. Back to our bikes we went and when I checked the phone there was a message from Greg saying they were exhausted and staying in Summerville. We quickly jumped onto Wes’ offer.
We had a great time talking with Wes and appreciated the hospitality he provided. Wes is a recent widower after loosing his wife to cancer last November. Before his wife’s death, Judy and him, hosted cyclists over the years and we would be the first for this season and since her death. It was evident that Wes misses his wife and has many very fond memories from the life they shared together. That night after we were cleaned up the 3 of us went into Houston for dinner. The dinner was very good and it was so much fun being with Wes. The next morning Wes took us back into town for breakfast.
Wes, thank you for everything from the accommodations, to the hospitality you provided, and the stories. It is meeting people like you that makes a trip like this special. The generosity you showed us clearly shows that there are good people out there and I will remember that more so than the ones that scream at us or expel rolling coal from their gas guzzling trucks. Thanks Wes!
Today’s stats: total mileage 67.86 miles, average speed 11.5 mph, elevation gain 5,627 feet, elevation descent 5171 feet, maximum speed 42.0 mph.