All dogs do not go to heaven, they do however "entienda el español"

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Day 35 Pittsburg, KS to Ash Grove, MO
Total Miles: 74 (2323.4mi to date)

Another motel, another late start. It seems every time we get a motel and intend to just veg out and relax next to the air conditioner and watch TV we realize that we have a lot to do. We have laundry, bike tune-ups, dinner, showers, etc. and the next thing you know it is 11PM or midnight and we are still awake. This of course means that waking up the next day early is not going to happen since a good night of sleep is a necessity in a hotel. So we got our bikes tuned up and they needed it after 2000miles and I needed a new tire (it was getting worn out and cracked) and that went fine (many thanks to Tailwinds Cyclist for staying open late for us).

In the morning we finally got on the road by 11am (quite a late start) and right as we rolled by Tailwinds Cyclists we heard what we thought was a gunshot but was in fact our first tire malfunction (and by malfunction I mean Jess’ tire exploded) People in cars stopped to see what had happened because it was so loud. After a quick fix at the bike shop we were finally on the road. It was pleasant riding for the first half of the day going to Golden City, MO since I was able to catch NPR radio from the University in KS. Good radio and some news make it easier to ride. In Golden City we had lunch at the famous Cooky’s Café and enjoyed pie while Jess read the cyclists log that has a wealth of information about the ride in each direction (we added information of our own). This brings me to my next point:

ALL OF THAT ADVICE IS VIRTUOSLY USELESS. I say this based on the fact every single person who writes in that log the following phrases, “to those heading east, the worst is yet to come” or “to those heading west, the worst is yet to come” has no idea what they are talking about since they haven’t done the part they are commenting on. Now if on the other hand there was an entry that said, “Hi, I’ve ridden the Transamerica and the Western Express both east to west and west to east and here is my opinion” maybe I’d care. So from now on when people ask me how is the rest of the ride heading west I’ll simply reply “It’s really easy and you’ll have no problem with it” When it comes down to it all that is required to succeed on these “difficult” sections of the route is the ability to slow down your mind and accept the fact that today your cruising speed will in fact be 4 mph, and that’s it. The rest of it depends on your personal reaction to the environment around you.

So the second half of the day was not as easy as the first since the Missouri hills have now begun, they are in fact pretty steep, but they are short. You basically ride down a hill really fast, then you pedal really hard to keep momentum up the next hill then you gear down, stand up, and power over the top…. repeatedly. It really is as it is described in the map, “a self propelled roller coaster ride” The dogs are getting more aggressive, I may soon resort to pepper spray to defend myself (Jess is using an air horn, right now I yell at them in Spanish since I know about the little known fact that all dogs understand Spanish)

We eventually arrived in Ash Grove after having only gone 74 miles today and decided to stay there since it was a really nice park with showers. We cooked our dinner and watched some people play Frisbee golf in the field near our tent and finally ended up going to sleep around 10PM after discussing strategy for tomorrow and reading some local information and magazines. Tomorrow we move closer to the Ozarks and the end of the trip (I really am beginning to feel the pull of the end, I imagine that feeling will only grow stronger)

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Comments

[Jessica'sMom]

the end of the trip
The end of the trip is filled with hugs and people who will be SO HAPPY to see you!