Spoke too soon – Day 36

Date: Monday 13th September    

Route: Houston, Missouri – Ellington, Missouri 

Distance: 79 miles

Total climb: 5667 ft

Net climb: -321 ft

For breakfast this morning, we ventured to a local diner. Opting not to disturb the signed ‘Table of Knowledge’ occupied by locals, we settled on a table for four people, forgetting again that our orders usually require a surface designed for banqueting. Oatmeals and cooked rations devoured, we returned to our grand hotel to complete the preparation routine, in one of the slowest times to date.

Our start promised to be unpleasant, with the route heading along a road frequented by logging trucks. Rolling out of town, we had our share of jumpy moments as these behemoths of the road thundered past, sometimes within less than a foot of our bikes.

I’m delighted to say that we made it past the worst of the traffic, to Summersville for lunch. We were directed to House’s Haunted Hut, for a BLT with fries (Jay) and a hot dog (me), ahead of an afternoon of climbing. Although tempted by the table football and the advertised pool ‘tournie’ tomorrow night, we managed to prise ourselves away and head deeper into the Ozarks.

A steep descent led us down to Jacks Fork, where we saw people swimming and kayaking in the crystal clear river and springs – generating incredible envy in the heat. The steep drop was mirrored by our toughest climb on the trip to date, in terms of gradient. A punchy 400 vertical feet of forcing the pedals round in lowest gear was a shock to the system, but a fun challenge.

We met Team Stockham for a soda in Eminence and relaxed by watching the country music channel on in the diner. Just before setting off for the final stint of the day and more climbs, we bumped into a local who warned us to put high visibility gear on for the road ahead. Given that Jay’s top is a bright yellow, he had little to do. However, I had to fetch my yellow top and put it on over my jersey – not ideal in the heat and humidity, but nonetheless sensible.

Apart from the hills, the day was relatively uneventful. We made it to Ellington over more steep climbs and avoided too many fall-outs with local traffic. The Ozarks have proven to be very scenic, with the rollercoaster hills, crystal clear waters and rocky outcrops overlooking the rivers and streams.

We stayed at the only motel in Ellington, which appeared a little out of place with huge pillars on the front of it. Food was sourced from Hall’s restaurant, just before it closed for the evening. Washing was done at the laundrette in town. All tasks completed, the only concern hanging over us was a broken spoke I had picked up on the rear wheel – probably due to the steep climbing today and having (for the first time in a few thousand miles) to get out of the seat to force my way up one section.

Tomorrow, we will need to find a bike shop, since I still cannot remove the cassette with the tools we have.

FP