Jefferson City to Peers

At the risk of sounding quite repetitive, it is HOT!!! We left Jefferson City this morning about 7:00. It was quite a pleasant ride through more bluffs, caves and shade for most of the morning. We met up with more cyclists today than we've seen the whole time. During a morning snack stop at Mokane we chatted with the grandson and granddaughter of the store owner. We purchased our sandwiches and potato salad out of the deli case, took a seat at a table in the window and were promptly joined by the two. By the end of the conversation we knew everything about them but their names. The boy, going into 4th grade, used his novelty Chinese balls, as an icebreaker. He brought them over and said, "Have you ever seen anything like this? Watch! I strike them together and --- POP!" He went on to explain, "One is flint and one is steel and they can even spark and smoke if I do it right." His sister took up the conversation when he took a breath: "I'm going into second grade and he is going into fourth, but I'm pretty much smarter than he is, especially in math." We were treated to tales of the bullies in school, the firecrackers that exploded in his hand, and in all passed a lively time while we ate. Eventually, Grandpa rounded up his grandson to do some errand, and the little girl was left behind to entertain us on her own. We finished up there and made our way back down to the trail. As we approached the map kiosk, suddenly there were cyclists everywhere. There were a woman and her daughter on a recumbent tandem, accompanied by another woman on a regular upright bike and two couples from Wisconsin, a brother and sister and their respective spouses. As we all chatted, Carolyn from New York, whom we'd met the day before pedaled up and joined the conversation. We exchanged email addresses with her and she suggested that we let her know the next time we plan to visit NY. The couples from Wisconsin had gotten off to a rocky start: they had hired a shuttle to take them from their truck to the trail. As they rode along in the shuttle, they suddenly heard a bang. It turned out that the tire of the one man's bike had been resting against the exhaust pipe of the van, and it melted. So they were delayed while that was fixed. Then, as they started out, he fell and scraped up his leg. He was good-natured enough about it all, and we had a good laugh imagining aloud what his next catastrophe would be. Eventually even the two Grumpy Old Men who had been at our hotel joined us as well. As one of the women from Wisconsin pointed out, "You know, if we were at home we would never go for a bike ride in heat like this." We had a reservation at a bed and breakfast in a little town called Peers. We left the group behind and enjoyed the sights as we made our way. Standing Rock, an anomaly of erosion was a highlight today, as well as some great wildlife: a couple of lazy snakes sunning in the heat, many bluebirds and martins, and the ever-present rabbits. At one point we stopped to drink and stretch in a very quiet spot, and you could actually hear the mighty, muddy Missouri river rushing past. At close to 2,000 miles long, it is an impressive river. The B & B was at the top of a one-mile hill off the trail, but the climb was worth it. It wasn't overly steep and it actually felt good, relief from the saddle soreness of flat riding. Maggie, our hostess, is fabulous. The house is beautiful with a gorgeous wine cellar and beautiful grounds and it was such a welcome respite from the grime of the trail. Maggie's friend David is staying with her and doing some yardwork, so we had a great discussion over dinner. And, they're both Mac people! As the week goes on and the rains of last week become more distant, the trail gets dustier and dustier. Tomorrow we only follow it for about three more miles and then we turn off onto the Great Rivers Route. We will be in Hannibal by Sunday night, and then cross to Illinois. We feel good that our next few days are mapped out, and that they have promised cooler weather by Sunday.