Day 32: Everton, MO to Pittsburg, KS (63 miles, 1648 total)

Kansas! We have officially blasted into our 5th state of the trip!

Well, after a great night's sleep out of the elements in the Everton B&B, all six of us woke up and got ready to roll. The house was stocked with breakfast items so we all helped ourselves as we packed. At about 8, AK and I were ready to go. Unsure of when and if we'd see them next, we said goodbye to all our new biking friends.

As we rolled out, Lucy, the little stray dog, followed us down the road. We didn't make it too far as a coal train came through town right as we were leaving. We stopped and waited for the huge train to pass. While we were waiting, Dale caught up to us and from there, the three of us rode together.

The first ten miles (or so) of the day included the last few climbs of the Ozarks. It didn't take long for Paul and Annemieke, the dutch couple, to catch up to us on their speedy tandem. They said that Sid had planned a late start for the morning to catch up on chores, so it was unlikely we'd see him again today.

Oh, here is something funny about Paul and Annemieke. The two of them ride a fully-suspended tandem mountain bike which is outfitted with front and rear disc brakes. Paul rides up front, so he is in charge of the steering, the gear shifting and the disc brakes. Annemieke rides in back and helps pedal hard to move the big bike. Now apparently, Annemieke does not like to go too fast, so they added third brake the she controls! So, ultimately, she decids how fast they go; I thought that was really funny.

We all arrived in the tiny town of Pennsboro at about the same time and continued on riding within a mile or so of each other.

Shortly after Pennsboro, we were officially out of the Ozark Mountains. Now, I must admit that I think the Ozarks are a wimpy excuse for mountains. Sure, there were a few steep climbs, but for the most part, these "mountains" were nothing more than gentle rolliing hills. They are nothing as compared to the tough Appalachians of VA and KY. However, that said, I could see how an eastbound rider might find them a bit tough as compared to Kansas, and if that is the case, the Appalachians are going to be a nightmare for them. AK kept getting mad at me for calling the Ozarks "wimpy." She said I was jinxing us and the Ozarks were getting steeper everytime I said that. Whatever, the Ozarks are wimpy.

The road became as straight as the eye could see with occasional rolling hills. The weather was perfect in everyway except for a stiff headwind that blasted all day. Being more streamlined than us, Paul and Annemieke powered their tandem ahead of us and arrived in Golden City way ahead of AK, Dale and me.

In Golden City we all met up again at Cooky's, a local resturant that specializes in pie. Dale, AK and I all had the usual lunch fare and then shared slies of pecan, custard, strawberry rhubarb, and bluegoose (blueberry and gooseberry) pie. I'm not a huge fan of pie, but these were all great.

After eating, Paul and Annemieke went to the local library for internet access. Dale, AK and I rode on knowing that the Dutch riders would catch us in no time with their wind blasting tandem (By the way, drafting behind them is a dream.). Dale is actually interested in buying a BOB trailer for the second half of his trip, so we traded bikes for the first few miles out of town. I was actually interested in trying his bike too; it was outfitted with the bar-end shifters that are so popular with bike tourists. Dale is now sold on the BOB and will trade his painners for one in CO.

After battling the headwinds, all five of us arrived together at a small store 7 miles from the KS boarder. We decided to all ride together to take photos at the Kansas border. Up until today, AK and I have no state border photos together and neither had anyone else, so we were all in.

We had read that the people in KS are very welcoming and supportive of TransAm cyclists and so far it has been true. While we were taking photos there must have been five cars that passed honking and waving supportively. Oh, and in MO's defense, the drivers there seemed to improve as we got further west in the state.

After the photos, we all biked the 5 miles into Pittsburg to the Tailwind Bicycle Shop. Roger, the owner of the shop has agreed to tune-up our bikes and store our stuff during our hiatus. On the way into town we met a local cyclist that told us that Tailwind is the best shop in the area, so we can be confident in his work.

Roger checked the chain wear on all of our bikes, sold Dale a new mirror, told us where the local motel is, recommended a local resturant and informed us that Enterprise Rent-a-car has a location in Pittsberg! What? When we called Enterprise the first time, they told us the closest location is in Joplin, MO! Well apparently Roger knows more about Enterprise than Enterprise does because there is a location here, and we have already transfered our reservation.

Next, Dale, AK and I took the Dutch couple to indulge in a fine American delicacy, all-u-can-eat Chinese buffet. They loved it! "We have nothing like this in Holland," they both exclaimed. After dinner we said goodbye to our newest friends and we all hoped our paths would cross again on the trip.

Now AK and I are in a cheap motel for the night. We need to pack away all our camping stuff for the week, and it needs to be dry, so we cannot camp in the local park with the others.

Tomorrow we will drop our bikes off at the shop, rent the car and drive to St. Louis to catch our flights on Thursday. I am flying to Hawaii for Rebus and Nic's wedding and AK is flying to Charleston for Alecia's bachelorette party. We will be off the bikes until next Wednesday. That is a strange thought, and although I will enjoy the break, I think I will miss my bike and the miles in a few days.

Our most devoted journal readers can rest assured that I will continue to update the journal through our hiatus. I feel that keeping tabs on the wedding of Rebus, our motivation for this ride, is quite applicable to this journal. So keep checking back daily!

I am sorry I haven't had any reports on regional soft drinks for some time now. I just haven't found anything new to me except something called "Peach Nehi." It has a label that is very similar to Big Red, so I am afraid to try it. Sorry, I'm gun shy.

My Lance Armstrong tan is in full force now. Although, our tans are a little more prominant on our left sides. Throughout the day, we get more sun on the left. I've started calling my left leg my "south leg."

Jeff