Simon's TransAmerica cycle ride - 2012: Day 33

Start time: 07.01
Start location: Marshfield
Start State: Missouri
Start weather: Drizzly
Total millage so far: 1612.18

Finish time:13.03
Finish location: Ash Grove
Finish State: Missouri
Finish weather: warm
Miles today: 57.89
Total millage so far: 1670.07
Today's top speed: 44.3
Today's average speed: 14.6

Music played:
Massive Attack - Blue Lines
Metallica - ...And Justice For All
Metallica - Kill 'em all
Moby - Go - The Very Best of Moby
Moby - Last Night

Blog for this day:
We were promised rain in the night but luckily it didn't come! phew. There seems to be a high chance of it raining when we camp out. A few things from yesterday which I had forgotten. OK, so I am covered in small bruises caused by over 10 of these big bug things hitting me. No idea what they are, or what their problem is, but they happily keep flying into me, my helmet, glasses, face etc etc. Bloody things hurt! Also yesterday the Amish were about again, the signs were up, there was horse poo in the road, but no sign of them! Shame. I did see some sitting out on their porch, I think a mother and kids running around, I gave a wave and she waved back. No chance for photos though.

So this morning, I was awoke at around 3am I think by the bloody trains hooting their hooters!! So god dam loud! Wish they would be fined for waking people up! grrrrrr. I'm in Ash Gove at the moment writing this blog, sitting outside a Mexican restaurant, opposite is a undertakers. The high street looks like there should be a saloon with swinging doors ready to burst open as a gunslinger walks out. But no :( More trains going past loaded with coal. Another one, it must be a mile or so long caring hundreds and hundreds of thousands of tons of coal, dug up out the earth ready to be burnt. Crazy! Never seen anything like it, it's shocking as seeing one of them, you know that many more go through every day too.

Yep, early start then, no rain last night but it started to drizzle and rain kinda hard, on and off while getting ready. I thought sod it while some of the others waited for it to clear. I headed out. I still cant believe I am doing this trip at times, how lucky I am and how good my life has been. I don't think I would have ever thought when I was at school or working at Crapways that I would ever do anything like this. I hope I can do something just as crazy again. So it was drizzly during the morning, nothing too heavy and with my good music, I was putting in the miles. I didn't notice that I should have turned left instead of continuing on the main road though, so I ended up doing an extra 4-6 miles this morning. Still, I got to say hi to the cows twice on that piece of road. Maybe it was meant to be. I had read on previous blogs while researching this trip that there is an amazing restaurant in Fair Grove, several people had raved about it, so i thought I would pop in. It was a little off the beaten track, and I only managed to see a sign on the main road when I had finished and was heading back out again. So, go check out Odd Fellows. It's run by a Brit, does excellent food at amazing prices. Very comfy, the locals are great and its just what you need while out cycling. So I popped in for a cup of tea and ended up having a big beakfast and some lovely homemade cake, blackberry and pear, with cream!

I spoke to the guy who ran it, I unfortunately never got his name. Top guy, very helpful and funny. We chatted for a bit, I'm still on my quest for clotted cream, and he has had the same problems getting hold of it himself. Just as I was leaving another nice guy came in with his girlfriend, fellow cyclist but on a day off. He liked my BMC and worked in a bike shop back in Springfield. He took lots of pics of me and my bike, but again I never got his name and he was a nice guy too. We chatted for a bit but as it was drying out from the drizzle, I wanted to push on. I find it's a shame I feel I can't stay longer and chat to the locals especially as most of them as are so nice. I would have stayed there all day drinking tea and yapping. Feel bad about it really. It would have been good or better, f we had met on the road while out cycling as could have chatted more then. Hope it doesn't come across rude when I have to shoot off like that. So, with some free teabags from the English owner, I headed back onto the road.

I got chased by a nasty persistent dog who i had squirt with water lots of times to get him to eff off. Then later on I think there was a dead Rottweiler by the side of the road, I wonder if he was chasing a cyclist down. Zooming along I only noticed after I passed, were some Amish working on a house, it was on a downhill so I was reluctant to go back. Yes, the hills were just amazing today, better than yesterdays which were pretty dam good too. Real roller coaster ups and downs and ups again, so high that they disappeared into the sky! They gave the best scenic views, so I took lots of pics, hope it comes out on video well too. Today's music was pretty dam good too, nice bit of Metallica - Kill 'em all. It was a short day again though, so that helps. Also helps not thinking about how many miles you have done, or have left. Just ride and get on with it, think about something else. What is also good about the trip, you almost feel like your on Le Tour with the water sag waggon pulling up alongside with more water! Feels great especially if your whizzing along yourself and having a great day!