Today was a lot like yesterday, a great day! We biked 60.3 miles from Hartville, MO to
Summersville, MO. Once again weather was
perfect, and road conditions and traffic were good. We are now in the beautiful Ozarks: winding
scenic roads with hills that don’t stop.
Similar to yesterday, it is like a constant roller coaster.
I have been meaning to talk about the camaraderie that is
formed on this trip. We are biking the
TransAmerica Bike Route. It was
established in 1976 and is the most popular bike route crossing the United
States. It is estimated that somewhere
between 2,000 and 4,000 people bike the route each year – about half from west
to east like us and half from east to west.
This is Rick. He is
from Belgium. He is biking alone and is
completely self-supported (meaning he bikes with about 75 pounds of gear on his
bike). Like us, he is going from west to
east, and he started his trip about the same time as us. Once he gets to Virginia he is adding a trip
to Washington D.C. onto the end of his bike ride. Because he is carrying a lot
of extra weight on his bike he moves at a slower pace than us. But he sometimes bikes as far as us (or
further) because he gets up early (sometimes around sunrise), bikes late
(sometimes around sunset), and bikes in all weather. Accordingly, we have leap-frogged past each
other on several occasions – six times based on my last count. Each time we see each other it is like old
friends. Greetings, big smiles, and
catch-up on what has transpired since we last saw each other. Even though discussions are brief out on the
road, a special bond develops.
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Rick, from Belgium |
Occasionally other bikers pass us and occasionally we pass
others. But as the trip has progressed
we are meeting more and more bikers who are coming from the east. Today we met about ten bikers coming from the
east, yesterday we saw six bikers coming from the east. We often just wave and smile as we pass. Sometimes we stop and talk. We share stories, highlights, and warnings –
giving them perspective on what to look for as they continue westward; and they
provide us similar information as we continue east. We see many singles, some doubles, and an
occasional group of three to six. We
have visited with married couples, bikers from Europe and Australia, and ages
ranging from mid 20’s to mid 70’s.
Yesterday we stopped at a little convenience store in the
middle of nowhere to refuel. It is on
the bike route and they get many bikers stopping in for water and snacks. They have a journal signed by all the bikers
coming through and they asked us to sign it.
By 10:30 in the morning five other bikers had already signed the journal
and left greetings. Even though we don’t
meet most of the bikers, and the ones we do are brief conversations, there is a
special camaraderie we all share knowing we are all experiencing a similar journey
of a lifetime.
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Another day of biking rolling hills |
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Typical scenery from today's ride |
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More typical scenery from today's ride |
It's so awesome that you're meeting so many people along the way! When you get home, you should read Cheryl Strayed's book, "Wild". It's a true story written in journal format of Cheryl's 1,100 mile, 94-day hike on the Pacific Crest Trail from California to Oregon. She had no hiking experience but was at a turning point in her life and had always wanted to hike the trail. Your encounters with folks along the trail, especially seeing Belgium guy Rick several times, reminded me of her story. You should get Rick's contact info in case you get to Europe and want a riding partner!
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