Today was a good day on the bike - even though we had a lot of climbing today. My Garmin showed 2,652 ft of climbing. We climbed the same couple hundred feet multiple times throughout the day. Most of the hills were a reasonable grade (7% or 8%) but there were a few that were very steep. I saw 13% on one hill, with my slowest speed of the day of 2.9 mph. Yes, it's possible to stay upright going that slow!
After a slow breakfast at the same place we ate dinner last night, we finally hit the road about 8:30am. We only got a couple miles down the road before the hills started and Rhonda and Jon were out of sight. I got this picture rolling out of Pulaski.
Today's scenery was different than yesterday. There were lots of trees with scattered houses between towns. But instead of fields of crops or orchards, there were just meadows with native grasses and wildflowers. Since we were in the hills, there were some pretty vistas looking off in the distance.
This is definitely an area used for outdoor recreation. There were a lot of ATVs on the road today (they're allowed to use the road to get to and from the trails) and signs for all the various trails. I didn't get any pictures of those signs because they always seemed to be partway up a hill, or near the bottom of a downhill with another climb coming up. This area is also used for snowmobiling in the winter. There were lots of signs for those trails as well. That is something you'll never see in Texas!
There was also an Amish community in the hills. The first sign was the horse "evidence" on the road. I then came upon this sign to watch for horse and buggy along the road (along with snowmobiles! ).
As I rolled ever so slowly to the top of a climb, I saw this Amish barn/shed on the side of the road. Most of the time we never actually see the homes/farms as they are on side roads. You can see they have several wagons and a buggy inside the shed.
I took short breaks at a couple of convenience stores today but there really wasn't anywhere for a meal until we got to Boonville. I had plenty of snacks for stops on the side of the road when I found a nice shady spot that was at the top of a climb.
I snapped this picture a couple of miles outside of Boonville. Most of the day was beautiful and sunny with only a few threatening clouds this afternoon. I was wondering if I was going to get wet. Since I am a slower climber than Rhonda and Jon, I missed the downpour that drenched them as they rode into Boonville. I guess it's not so bad to be slow!
Tonight we are camping a couple miles outside of Boonville. The owner has special rates for cyclists and provides laundry facilities as well. He warned us that he had a band scheduled for tonight, but told us he would find us a quiet place somewhere. He delivered on his promise. We are camped above a flowing river at the back of the campground and can't even hear the band playing. Perfect - we'll be able to sleep as early as we want. We're all tired tonight!
Tomorrow could be dicey in the afternoon depending on what Hurricane Henri does. We were supposed to be camping again tomorrow but made a hotel reservation instead. We will watch the weather and adjust our plans accordingly once we see where the storm hits and the forecast for our area.
No comments:
Post a Comment