For the second day we were on the TransAm route itself for the whole drive. I have a feeling this will become commonplace as we reach more and more remote locales. I passed five cyclists heading the same way, and we encountered our first eastbound riders. Chris had the chance to stop and talk to two of them, Germans who started in Oregon. We were surprised to see them so early as doing the eastbound trip usually requires a later start because of snow around Yellowstone and in Montana/Idaho. That was part of the reason Chris decided to do westbound. They confirmed that 1) It doesn't make much sense to start in the northwest early in the season as at one point they rode through 6 inches of snow for quite a while, and 2) They are badasses because it didn't seem like too big of a deal to them.
Chris and I chuckled at the thought of any Europeans deciding to come here for an epic bike trip. It sounded like us going to Bangkok or Mumbai for a leisurely road trip, but obviously they were having fun and I'm glad they didn't have too many complaints about us Americans.
The drive was beautiful today. I didn't know what to expect from Missouri, but today was gorgeous farmland all around, with sweeping views of cattle grazing in valleys. The weather was perfect too, mild and partly cloudy, so I knew Chris must be having a good ride.
Speaking of Chris, we were excited to sneak up on him once again. Missouri has ample places to safely pull over for a rest (take notes, eastern Kentucky!), and we took advantage for about five minutes. This is what a bicycle-RV pit stop looks like:
Tonight we are staying in Marshfield, MO. Sometimes you stay at a park where your campsite overlooks a scenic lake. And sometimes you stay at a parking lot nestled between a Holiday Inn Express, a McDonald's, and Interstate 44. The RV Express RV Park is nothing fancy, but it is a place to sleep. Apparently Route 66 runs through here. I am hoping to see more of it tomorrow.
We got an amusing call from one of our neighbors tonight. Our next door neighbor Bill is blind and has a guide dog. Recently his former guide dog retired (he still lives with them, but is no longer a service dog), and he got a new one. It takes a while for guide dogs to learn the ropes of course. Today he went for a walk with the new dog, and instead of taking Bill home, the dog took him to our house and guided him into our house sitter's car. It wasn't until he got in that he realized something was off! I am still chuckling at that one.
August, reading the label on his raisins. "Ma, are you sure these are organic?"
Finally, lest you think it is all glitz and glamour out here on the road, Chris got to do yet another minor RV repair tonight. It was a perfect evening for hanging out outside so Auggie and I watched and played.
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