Day 28 Roller Coasters, Bridge Construction and Porta-Potties

Day 28
Chillicothe, MO to Kirksville, MO.
75 Miles and 148 Hills.

After a month of being together 24/7, Ruby Jean and I are closer than ever. RJ stays in the room with me and gets a wipe down every night. Since this ride has started she has performed flawlessly with the exception of some early wheel issues and the standard flat tires. I know that when I'm hot and tired that she is as well and it is very important that we take needed breaks during the day.

                      Here we are sharing a rest in the reading room.

                     

Today was "roller coaster day", the mechanic that on the tour counted the number of hills on the ride today and the final number is 148. The majority of these hills came late in the day when the heat and humidity had us hoping that the day would end soon.

We had a section of road that was closed on todays route due to bridge construction but thanks to our fearless scouts and leader we were able to work our way through the construction area. It was actually a fun addition to a day in which 50 miles of the ride felt like a roller coaster (except you couldn't coast up).

We had new asphalt for about 25 miles and it was very smooth but very hot. The winds today were not a factor but tomorrow looks like they will be kicking us in the teeth again.

After todays blast furnace ride having the water from the ice chest poured onto my head felt fantastic. The front desk person at the hotel gave me a funny look when I walked into the lobby dripping wet with Ruby Jean at my side but after a month on a bike I'm pretty much immune from funny looks.

I forgot to take my camera to dinner tonight so I missed getting pictures of Thomas' 2 birthday (so far) on the ride. Once again we had Thomas wearing a sombraro and taking a straight shot while we sing happy birthday, we should be able to have another birthday or two for Father Thomas before the ride ends.

George update: George did not ride today but his gashes are healing well and he is in good spirits. George rode shotgun in the truck and helped out on the course today, he might be back on the bike in another day or two.

Two big events tomorrow:

1. We pass the 2,000 mile mark!

2, We cross the Mississippi River into Illinois.

Forcast is for highs in the mid 90's with humidity in the 85% range and a headwind.

I guess the good news is we only ride 75 miles tomorrow but that will leave us with 107 on Monday.

Please send cooler temps and lower humidity.

Dream BIG, Jeff