My first impressions of Missouri were less than favorable: within the first 50 miles, someone had leaned out of their enormous truck to yell “get off the road,” or something like that. In Farmington, Missouri, the gas station was filled with people who were pretty much straight-up stereotypical rednecks. It seems like Missouri is a little conflicted about bikers though — for every person who was giving me the finger out their window, there was someone with a bike rack on the back of their truck.
My first night in Missouri I stayed in a little town called Pilot Knob, which was not particularly gripping (although it had some nice scenery.) At this point, I was officially in the Ozarks: the annoying little mountain range between the Appalachians and the Rockies. The next day I ran into another cyclist at lunch who was none too pleased about the Ozarks — he kept saying, “but it’s just so uneccesary!” Which it is, really. The route could have gone around them without too much bother.
I don’t really hate the Ozarks, but they are completely exhausting. The road goes up, and then down, and then up, and then down, without ever reaching any particularly large elevation. Thankfully they appear to be relatively short.
Last night I stayed in a little town called Eminence, at a nice B&B called the Maple Tree Inn. The proprietor was extremely friendly, my room was gorgeous, a delicious breakfast was delivered to my door, and they gave me a great rate, so I was put in an excellent mood. Which I needed for this morning’s ride, which was more of the Ozarks, starting with a nice long climb.
Posted by: sam