Appleby’s Part 1 – Day 37

Date: Tuesday 14^th September

Distance: 47 miles

Total Climb: 2957ft

Net Climb:366ft

A logistical nightmare.  Where to find a bike shop in the middle of Missouri that could fix the spoke on Fred’s rear wheel?  The Google presented us with two possibilities – Poplar Bluff and West Plains; both were about 60 miles away.  We opted for Poplar Bluff and set off from our peculiarly lavish looking motel at around 7:30, without breakfast.  The plan was to eat while the bikes were getting looked at.

Unfortunately the plan went awry when we arrived at the Poplar Bluff bike shop to find that the owner had been involved in a cycling accident and so the shop would not be opening.  The only remaining option was to head to West Plains.  We called ahead to confirm that the shop was open and headed back out in Tammy the Texan Chariot.

It was around 12 noon by the time we found the West Plains Cyclery and dropped off the bikes.  We popped next door for a belated brunch in an authentic fifties motel (with plumbing to match) and before we had even finished our milkshakes the bikes had been repaired and tuned up.  In yet another act of unprompted kindness, the owner of the shop did the repairs for free and wished us luck on our way.

With the bikes prepared, we headed back to Ellington with Team Stockham and finally set off at 3pm (massive thanks to Team Stockham for their efforts in driving the 250 mile round trip to get the bikes fixed).  It is always difficult to get going when we start late in the afternoon, but we made a decent stab at it, and clocked up 47 miles through the rolling Missouri countryside before stopping at the small town of Bismark.  There was little to note during the ride, save for our stop in Centreville.  What had initially been planned as a “foot down” at the diner/general store became a somewhat longer stop as we talked to a lady and her daughter who had seen us on the road the previous day.  They were interested in why there were always cyclists riding along the road that we were on.  We told them about the TransAmerica route and some of the highlights of our trip.  It turned out that they were an intrepid pair of amateur historians who were in the process of transcribing all of the cemeteries of the local counties; apparently no-one had done this necessary task since 1986.  A strange hobby, no doubt, but their enthusiasm for their endeavours was great to see.

 After Team Stockham arrived at Bismark, the bikes were loaded into the car and we headed off to the larger town of Farmington, in the hope of finding some accommodation.  We secured a room in a Super 8 motel on the outskirts of Farmington – essentially a giant retail park.  For dinner we made our way to our friendly neighbourhood bar and grill – Appleby’s.  It was a revelation; sport on TV, a number of different beers available and the ability to order a meal that came with vegetables.  Although I had previously mocked them (without any reason whatsoever) the good people of Appleby’s now rank as unquestionable number one in the chain-restaurant league for the trip.

JBS