Simon's TransAmerica cycle ride - 2012: Day 27

Start time: 06.48
Start location: Chester
Start State: Illinois
Start weather: warm
Total millage so far: 1346.46

Finish time: 13.00
Finish location: Farmington
Finish State: Missouri
Finish weather: Hot
Miles today: 56.70
Total millage so far: 1403.16
Today's top speed: 42.3
Today's average speed: 12.9

Music played:
Iron Maiden - Live After Death
Iron Maiden - Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son
James - The Best of James
James Brown - 40th Anniversary Collection

Blog for this day:

Great day for cycling. Last night where we stayed had a volleyball tournament which we kinda watched while eating dinner. A few other self contained cyclists turned up too and ate our scrapes. I headed out at sunset to take some pics of the Mississippi and the bridge. It was pretty hard going as there were a lot of trees in the way and the train tracks, so I couldn't get the pics I wanted. So a early start in the morning and we headed out on mass to the bridge to have out photo's taken, and so the van could follow on behind us all as the bridge road was pretty dangerous. Safely across we took our pics at State number 4!!

The terrain was pretty different, very flat, but with lots of water defences as it looks like the river can get pretty high!! The Mississippi is very wide too, great to see too!! :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hUNMmSbkAG8

So on the flats I was in my element, zooming along dam fast, happy me! There were still a lot of tucks about though. Saw some pretty big snakes today too. The usual black ones, a green one and something a bit like the colours and style of an adder. I went across one bridge and there were literally hundreds of swallows flying over and under the bridge feeding, it was lovely. Later on I came across a load of turkeys! I was wetting myself with laughter as they were crazy. Every time I moved or talked to them they would gobble! it was hilarious. Then there was the bird sitting on the cows nose, no way of getting a photo though.

The clouds were doing strange things when I stopped off for lunch, instead of moving in one direction, they were just moving up and forming, odd. Not far on I found Ubald at a distillery, always on the lookout for free beer, I thought I would check it out. Parked up Ubald checks out if he can use the bathroom, this crazy women comes to the door, "We don't open till 11am." "yes but can I use the bathroom", "We don't open till 11am.". It was like an automated voice message. I've heard a lot of that over here, very strange the way people talk. If you ask for something it has to be exact, or if you book a hotel over the phone for that evening, people don't use their common sense and still give out the all the BS about if you need to give 2days notice if you want to cancel etc. Well, I'm booking the room for now, so that doesn't really apply does it! So, this crazy women finally lets him in for a whizz. So we were just relaxing out the sun having a drink of water when she pokes her ugly face out again. "if your going to wait till 11, that's when we open, then you cant sit there because its a liability!, you;ll have to move around the corner!" I nearly burst out laughing. So, stealing the last of their Wifi I was using, we left. I was going to take a photo of the place, but I'm positive she would have came out with the police and say that taking photos of our building is a security risk and you've got to be extraordinary renditioned!! So, don't go there basically.

On the flip side to that, so many people have been helpful and nice. Getting lost coming into town today, I asked a lot of people, while others just came up to me and asked if I needed directions. This one lady had even hosted 5cyclists back in 1976 for the bicentennial, the precursor to this trip. Another guy in a pickup pulled over and gave me directions as I looked lost. I don't think that would ever happen back home. So, thanks very much to those people! Still, I cycled around for an hour trying to find our jailhouse! Groan. At least I escaped the prison after a shower and headed to this great bar & grill, scoffing a burger down in seconds!! perfect. There, I think that is another day down!