I was excited to continue down the MR and go through Hannibal, MO. A friend told me about the Mark Twain Diner and said that it was a must.
I put it in Google Maps and began to head that way. Unfortunately Google Maps doesn't differentiate between paved and unpaved roads for cyclists. My enthusiasm for the morning ride was dampened a bit when Google Maps took me off of a paved road onto a mostly hard packed farm road.
As I said, it was mostly hard packed so there were a few tricky areas along the way. It was also bumpy and on one downhill section I hit a bump that tossed a water bottle or two out of their holders. I had to stop and turn around in order to retrieve my bottles. I was happy to finish that section and return back to the paved road.
I finally arrived at the Diner and enjoyed some fried chicken and veggies. This would serve as good fuel for the afternoon. I also took time to charge up my phone and portable battery for the night of camping ahead.
The afternoon ride was similar to others out in the countryside though this one was along a 4 lane road until the turn off to Bowling Green. I was happy to make the turn east and head to the Campground. Before the turn off I was surprised to come across the Gailey Branch in Pike County, MO. I texted a picture to my family and my brother David had passed by it before. Pretty cool heh!
I arrived at the Campground and the Manager was really nice. He directed me to my site, it was nice as well. I set up camp then prepared some dinner. After dinner I showered then got into my tent, the temperature was dropping. It was to be unseasonable cold, this made for great sleeping weather.
Tomorrow I will meet up with the Chambers, looking forward to a great visit with them!
