Days 26-28 : Mother Nature Hands Us a Gift

July 16 – Rest Day in Farmington

July 17
Farmington, MO to Ellington, MO
71 miles

July 18
Ellington, MO to Summersville, MO
48 miles

Sometimes a bad reputation is just a tall tale. We’d been reading, and hearing from the eastbound riders, about the Ozarks. Along with the Appalachians, these Missouri mountains have a reputation among Transamers as having some of the toughest cycling of the route. The steep grades and intense summer heat tag-team to sap the strength from riders and demolish morale. We experienced just this phenomenon our first day in Missouri, as we crawled up 12% grades, drenched in sweat. The bad rep was well-deserved, and for days before we reached it, we’d been dreading a particularly hard 32-mile section between Ellington and Alley Spring that resembled piranha teeth on the elevation profile.

During our rest day in Farmington, a miracle of nature occurred: a cold front moved in and brought unseasonably cool weather. For the past two days, as we pedaled our way through the heart of the Ozarks, we have enjoyed temperatures in the 70’s (!) with low humidity. It feels like we’re back in Seattle, and the cool conditions make the hard climbing so much easier. Today we made it through the tough section, huffing and puffing, but able to enjoy the scenery of forestland and wide, calm, crystal-clear rivers. It was work, but just good hard work, not a sweltering slog.

After 2 nights of camping in city parks we are spending the night inside, in paid lodging in sleepy Summersville, population 548. Camping is allowed in Summersville’s city park, but there are no restrooms. We manage just fine with no showers, but draw the line at no restrooms. Dinner was the fried chicken special at the town’s one restaurant: 2 pieces of chicken, mashed potatoes, green beans, Texas toast, and salad bar for $5.99. We are getting used to these prices! Tomorrow we continue our quest for the Kansas border.

Congratulations to Brooke and Joe on their wedding day!