After leaving Champaign we headed to Springfield, Illinois where we spent the night at the University of Illinois campus at Springfield. It was nice to sleep in real beds for a change and get showers! From Springfield we headed south to Edwardsville where we camped at the outdoor recreation center at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. It was a nice night so I chose to sleep under the stars but woke up the next morning covered in dew! There was a pool at the outdoor recreation center in Edwardsville so after arriving on campus we swam, had a sponge water toy fight and just relaxed until heading off to dinner.
Our next stop was in Chester, Illinois on June 14th. Chester is the home of Popeye! Prior to dinner a few of us rode our bikes to the Popeye sign along the side of the road entering town and climbed it to take photos. Chester is on the border of Missouri along the Mississippi so we crossed into Missouri first thing the next morning (June 15th). It was pretty amazing to cross the Mississippi by bike and beautiful with the morning mist and sunrise.Crossing into Missouri was a surprise for some of us who had forgotten that Missouri is not flat. I had forgotten about the Ozarks, which we hit right after crossing into Missouri and were like a rollercoaster of up and down hills for the next few days. Our first stop in Missouri was in a small town called Ironton where we spent the night at the First Church of the Nazarene and met with their Youth Group. From there we headed to Eminence, Missouri where we spent the night in the gym of Eminence High School and enjoyed Ice Cream at the Dairy Shack! For those who don't know Ice Cream has become a major reward on this ride as we are consistently seeking out ice cream stops at the end of the day!
June 17th landed us in Hartville, Missouri. Personally it was a rough day on the bike as my right calf was in a giant knot all day making it hard with all the hills. Riding with the Caboose we made a number of stops first at a scenic overlook then we climbed the Flat Rock Lookout Tower where we were able to get an amazing view from above the trees. After lunch we hit a storm and sought shelter at a closed store where we got creative and used pizza signs and crates to keep us dry. (Photos to come - stay tuned!) Once we reached Hartville we enjoyed a dinner of Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup along with many cookies and baked goods from our host the Hartville Church of God.
As my calf was still bothering me I drove the support vehicle on the 18th, catering to the other riders and making a trip to Springfield, Missouri to visit a bike shop and pick up some things my teammates needed.
Yesterday's ride into Girard was a good ride and the day off on Monday helped my legs, as they felt fresh! We covered 84 miles in 5:23 averaging 15.62 miles an hour. The first part of the ride was a little hilly before it flattened out as we approached Kansas. We stopped for lunch in Pittsburg, Kansas and are now at the First Baptist Church of Girard. Alex and I made a Chilly type meal with cornbread for dinner last night and Dan, Sehee and I made French toast and scrambled eggs for breakfast this morning!
I want to say hi to Mr. Shue and Mr. Tuthill's fifth grade classes at Valleyview Elementary School back in Oneonta who I talked with on the phone this morning. Thank you for all your support and I hope you all have a safe and fun filled summer!
I will try to post some photos later today if I get a chance.
Till next time,
Sandra
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