I was warned about this section of road. It was up and down with more ups and downs it seemed. People did not like driving this section of the road because of the sharp turns and steep hills. As soon as I left Ash Grove the hills started. The hills were commonly in the 7 to 9 % grade range and portions could even be steeper. I did hit one 12% grade on one of the inclines. Today was scheduled to be a relatively short day because the next day was going to be even longer with more climbing.
Today was also the day where I went deeper into the Ozark mountains or whatever is left of them. These are not mountains in the true sense of mountains. Over millions of years they have been erode to little stubs. There is very little rocky outcrops but many hills and valleys that are either tree covered or covered with marginal rangeland. Some places have a broad plateaus at the top. Not only were the Ozarks eroded by the above ground forces but also those from below. The land below is limestone and is honeycombed with deep pockets of underground water and many springs and seeps.
It was a day of incredible humidity. So incredible that I took shelter in a Walmart on the outskirts of Marshfield and stayed there for almost an hour for the lightning to stop before I could ride the final mile to the hotel where I was staying for the night.
Today’s stats: total mileage 47.15 miles; average speed 11.7; maximum speed 39.5 mph; total elevation gain 3409 feet; total elevation descent 3005 feet.