Day 40 I slept till 5am this morning. It was a good night in the tent. I think the sound of the river helped. I got dressed and packed up and set out after 6am. The first twenty minutes was tough, tough, tough! After that it was up and down for 14 miles till I arrived in Ellington. At Ellington I stopped at the gas station and met Riley and Andy. I asked Riley what he thought the best route was to Cape Girardeau, MO. Riley said 21 south to the double H to 34 east. I looked at the Missouri map that a kind lady in Summersville gave me and agreed with Riley.Ellington is in a bowl so to get out of it you have to climb.
As I set out two west bound cyclists were coming into Ellington. We exchanged greetings and went on. The climb wasn't bad. At the top was H and then the double H. The ride down the double H was great. After a while it got hilly. Then I crossed the Clearwater Dam. The lake and State Park were beautiful. After the Dam was the Clearwater Cafe. I didn't eat before starting out so I was hungry. They had a great Grilled Chicken Salad! The Server told me about the climbs I would encounter between the Cafe and Piedmont. She was right on with her information. The three climbs were challenging but not bad.
I arrived in Piedmont and stopped at Wal*Mart for more Propel powder. I chatted with a few folks about my ride then I set off for Marble Hill. In order to get to the Cape I would have to ride in excess of 120 miles. With legs that were a bit sore from the Ozarks I knew that would be hard to do. The rest of the day was up, down, flat, up, down, flat.... It threatened to rain several times and I could hear thunder off in the distance. That all seemed to dissipate. After a quick cold drink break 11 miles outside of Marble Hill I was ready to get there.
There were a few climbs but the downhills helped the final 11 miles click off. As they were clicking off though I heard thunder behind me. I looked back and saw some wicked looking black clouds moving quickly. I made a quick stop to take a picture of the Marble Hill sign then hurried in to town. As I rode by a house the folks outside hollered to me that a storm was coming. I knew there wasn't any camping in Marble Hill but there was one local hotel. I found it and got all my equipment moved in just as the storm let loose PTL! \o/
The guy at the counter was super helpful. He helped me get everything inside the hotel and inside my room. He said we could settle up later. A restaurant was attached to the hotel so I went to check on the hours and menu. Laura, the Server, provided me with the info I needed. I got cleaned up and returned to the restaurant. The meal was great. It was also great to talk with Laura about my ride and Celeste.
When she found out how long I had been riding and how little Celeste and I had seen each other she expressed pain for both of us. I asked her about her family and she told me about her three kids. She shared with me that she married young and was now divorced. I got the sense from talking to her that she is a great mom to her kids. She said she knows God has a plan. I gave her my card with my blog address. She said she would pray for me.
I went back to the room to blog and go to bed. I was tired after waking up early and pedaling 94 miles.
Tomorrow I am going to try to make it to Golcanda, IL.
As always, prayers appreciated!
bob g
STATS - Mileage Today 94, Pace 13, Riding Time 7:58
Total GTD cumulative miles: 2,215
