Day 11 Hills, Heat, and Wind, OH MY! 6-25-18

Lebanon to Springfield, MO

I really try not to complain too much, but today was tough!  I started with sore, tired legs from yesterday's crazy long ride, and yet here were those hills again.  In addition, not only was the temperature in the 90's, but there was a strong wind for the majority of the day, and it seemed to blow in only one direction (into my face).  The combination of hills, heat, and wind was fairly challenging, and i was extremely thankful I rode "just" 67 miles.  I will miss the nice people of Missouri when we leave the state in a day or two, but I will NOT miss the hills.  

As I have said before, one of the best parts of this ride is meeting interesting people from all over the country/world.  Today I ran into Steve and Al, who were riding West to East.  They left the Santa Monica Pier (our final goal/destination), and were trying to ride to New York.  We chatted on the side of the road like lifelong friends, as the cars whizzed by us, oblivious to what was going on.  (Except for one woman who stopped, and began clearing out the back two rows of her Suburban, thinking we were broken down, and needed a ride).  Steve and Al were riding for Breast Cancer research, and if they provide a website, I will certainly pass it on.

We had another mishap with Mack the Silverback.  As Debi was driving, a vehicle also pulling a trailer approached from the other direction, and was too close to the centerline.  Debi now thinks they may have even touched slightly, but the result was a few minutes later she noticed a piece of trim had come loose on the driver's side, and ended up under her tire.  Luckily, it didn't puncture any tires, and a handyman at the KOA in Springfield, MO (where we are spending the night) was able to put a few bolts into it to (hopefully) hold for the rest of the trip.  One day all of these issues are going to make for great stories!

Bike miles today:  67.0

Total miles on the bike:  576.5