Distance: 77 miles Summerville, MO to Kyle’s Campground, MO
Ride Time: 6:41
Average Speed: 11.5 mph
Maximum Speed: 39.1 mph
Altitude Gain: 6286 feet
We started off the morning moving backwards. Since we left Summerville with the bike in the truck, we had to drive from Eminence back to Summerville to start the day. About half of the distance between these two cities, we saw a cyclist that had all his gear in a trailer behind his bike so I figured he was at least 10 miles ahead of me. As I was unloading the bike, I noticed that I had a flat tire. It seems like a tire repair always is such a theft of time that I could be riding. The valve stem was bad so I replaced the tube. My ride for the day commenced.
The ride from Summerville to Eminence was mostly uphill. I continued to ride. I rode next to an area where they were logging to clear out some of the thick trees. The logging truck passed me going up a steep hill with hardly any room between us and it scared me. As I came around the corner, I notice the cyclist we had seen this morning with his bike and trailer off the road. I stopped and I met Dave for the first time. His rear tire was loose and it was rubbing against his frame as the weight of the trailer pulled against it. He said he needed some new parts, but a little adjustment made it so he could continue. He is from North Carolina and had started his trip across the USA in Astoria, OR. He was hoping to get to Yorktown by August 2. He thought my bike was making it easy for me. I must admit that having Kathie being my support was making life so much easier for me. Dave had a red sleeveless shirt that he always wore and it made him easy to see from a distance. He said he had been stopped too long and wanted to get moving again. As we got started on the hill, I rode my bike and he was pushing his. He asked me how many times I had had to push my bike up a hill and I answered him that it hadn’t happened yet. He said he had made it over the Rockies without pushing, but now in Missouri he had to push his bike several times. I agreed with him that Missouri hills have been killing me physically. Dave said he was going to stop for the night in Ellington. Ellington was where I was going to meet Kathie for lunch. I thought I could get some good distance on him today. Kathie said he had become my rabbit.
When I met Kathie in Ellington, she was so excited and wanted to tell me about a store she had gone into. She had walked into the tiny town and entered a store that sold everything from fishing tackle to jewelry. Upon entering, she overheard the store clerk on the phone saying she would pray for the person she was talking to. When she got off the phone, Kathie mentioned to the clerk that it was good to hear her express her spiritual thoughts to others. Roberta and Kathie made a quick connection. They continued to converse and Kathie browsed through the store. Her eyes spotted a towel in the store that had a trailer on it with the words “We are making memories all over this country” written on it. She said, “I think I need to buy this towel.” Roberta, said, “You most certainly do. I will give you my employee discount.” While ringing up the purchase, Roberta stopped and kept staring at the screen. Then she turned to Kathie and said, “God told me to give it to you.” Kathie had her card out to pay for it and said, ‘You don’t need to do that.” Roberta looked right at her and said again firmly, “God told me to give it to you.” Kathie then asked her to sign it as a memory of their meeting. Roberta spent some time contemplating what to write while Kathie continued to browse around. She didn’t want to disturb her and also felt like she needed to find something to purchase so she wasn’t just walking away with something for free. Roberta turned the towel over so she was writing on the back. She wrote a very special message. She told Kathie that this is what God wanted her to know. They embraced with tears. Roberta said “I don’t want you to leave.” Kathie told her that they would always remain friends. As she walked back to our trailer, she felt so much peace and comfort. She even found a penny along the way!
We found a campground for the night. The man on the phone said we would recognize the campground by the big Budweiser sign in the front. Riding further on to Kyle’s Campground allowed me to get another 40 miles in that day. Kathie had spent some time conversing with Kyle in the bar while she waited for me. When I got there, the gravel was so thick that I fell right off my bike! Keep in mind that this is where people go to drink, and I was the one falling down. We were the only people in the campground. It had two small cabins that had a board for a bed and open windows where glass used to be. Kyle said that is where he bedded down those who were unfit to drive home from his bar. Sleeping in one of those cabins would have cured me from drinking real fast. We had a good quiet nights sleep in our cozy, clean trailer.
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