Back to the bike

So here I am. Back on the road! After flying into Kansas City on Sunday and spending a couple of fun days with Gary and RaeLynn I returned to their house in Springfield, MO and picked up my bike and all my gear. Wow! I'm amazed at how different it feels. I guess five weeks of vacation have made me soft and I'd almost forgotten how to ride this heavy beast! I also expected it to be hot and humid like it was when I left for the break but, instead, I was greeted by cloudy skies and a high today of only 70 degrees. Gary decided to do a morning ride and guide me out of town and so my time with him on this trip ended exactly as it had started (Gary had ridden out to meet us when we first arrived in Springfield). We then met up with his friend Greg and the three of us rode for about an hour until it was time for Gary and Greg to turn around and head home. This was quite a sad occasion but I knew I had to continue on, on my own to complete this trek. I don't know how I'll ever thank Gary and RaeLynn for all of their generosity. So I took off east along Rt. 60 and found both railroad tracks alongside the road as well as - what a surprise - Amish horse and buggies! There's even a small rut in the center of the road's shoulder where the horses' hooves have worn down the pavement. Despite my time off the bike, I managed to get in about 63 miles today and am now in the town of Mountain Grove, MO. Now that I'm back on the road I'll do my best to find libraries or other computers so that I can update this blog. So stay tuned for future installments!

Total mileage so far: 2,503

Please consider making a small donation to help cancer survivors (sadly, my mom was not one of them) http://www.livestrong.org/grassroots2008/steveonhisbike