I know that this will be my last day of serious hills in Missouri. I also know that in Farmington there is a cyclist only hostel that people have told me about for weeks already. It sounds like a good destination for the day and with a heat bubble scheduled for the next day, a good place for an off day. Today was already scheduled to be the hottest day of the year, so far, for this part of Missouri. My bike computer hit 108 and I would like to know what it feels like with the humidity.
The hills are becoming a little longer, but still 9 to 11 % grades and little more spread out with more flatlands. There must have been a stretch of 10 miles that seemed flat today. I had not seen that since Kansas. Oh Kansas you were much easier to peddle than Missouri. You were relatively flat, favorable crosswinds, and no humidity. So far Missouri has been all hills, no wind, and lots of humidity.
On one section of road outside of Farmington I misread my map not once but twice and ended up adding a few extra miles to my daily total. I blame it on knowing my left from my right, or maybe it was the heat, or maybe I was tired. Maybe it was all of the above.
In the town of Bismarck I encountered a situation that just seemed to weird. I guy named Joseph started talking to me about all his bike trips including one that took him to Winnipeg years ago. He did not know that I grew up outside of Winnipeg, but he was very interested in my bike and setup. He even asked if I needed a place to stay for the night but I had already made arrangements. When he drove away his car had Arkansas plates. I know Arkansas is the state south of where I am, but it was weird. No harm was done and I moved on.
When I got to the hostel there were already two west bounders there. Maggie from the Bronx and Zack from Asheville, NC. Maggie is doing my same route just the other direction and Zack is zigzagging across Missouri and will eventually end up in Los Angeles. Neither has a timeframe to complete their trips and going at their own pace.
The hostel is the best yet and has a washer and dryer for cyclists, TV, computer, but no stove top. Which is okay.
Today’s stats: total mileage 69.29 miles; average speed 12.1 mph; max speed 37.6 mph; total elevation gain 3720 feet; total descent 3688 feet.