Sean's Day 7 -- A very long day
Hi Y'all!
The day started on the Katy Trail, which was awesome, and then took me on back roads that weren't very well suited to cycling. All told, I rode 62.23 miles today (a total of 323.15 miles biked so far, plus 50-60 in the car for safety reasons).
Bret and I had a great Mexican lunch in Washington, MO before I headed south and he went to St. Louis for the day.
A note on Bret -- yes, I've been spelling his name incorrectly and am extremely embarassed. It is "Bret" and not "Brett." With a name like "Sean," this tends to be something to which I tend to pay attention, but I blew it and he finally corected me. Yes, I can be quite a dork.
After Washington, I rode 30 miles or so. This included getting lost -- Bret and I still aren't quite sure how that happened -- and then figuring things out an making my way into St. Clair. The getting lost was kind of cool, though. Lots of Missouri country side. At one point, I stumbled onto the "Phoebe Apperson Hearst Friendship Park," which seems to have been set-up as some sort of rest stop in what is essentially someone's yard. It is kept up nicely, with a little foot bridge and a picnic table. It seemed kind of odd to be out in the middle of nowhere, but very welcome!
I made it down to Lonedel, but the roads were getting pretty scary. Actually, I got kind of stranded because the dark caught me and I had to wait for Bret to come and get me. From there, I had him ferry me on down to Farmington, to avoid those roads, and pick up the TransAmerica Trail.
A note on the trail -- it is actually, primarily, a set of roads that have been identified as safe for bicycle riders. I haven't always understood that it is more roads than actual trails, but I do now. I'm still not yet sure how this will affect the trip, but you will know as I do.
It is 4:41 and I'm going to get back on the road as quickly as possible. I'm going to make it as close to Dixon, KY as possible between now and tomorrow at about 2:00, then we'll leave the trail and go by car to my Mom's house in Madisonville, KY, where she is having a party for us. The morning after the party, we'll rejoin the trail EXACTLY where we left it and start pedaling.
By the way -- and I'll probably mention this from time to time -- while I let Bret drive me short distances from time to time for safety reasons or because we have to get someplace more quickly than I can bike there, we never include that distance in the amount I've biked. The vast majority of this trip, for me, continues to be butt-on-bike, with an occasional auto-accomodation when absolutely necessary.
Have a great Tuesday!
- sean
Sean Spence
MS Advocate
www.MissouriToManhattan.com
seanspence@earthlink.net
The day started on the Katy Trail, which was awesome, and then took me on back roads that weren't very well suited to cycling. All told, I rode 62.23 miles today (a total of 323.15 miles biked so far, plus 50-60 in the car for safety reasons).
Bret and I had a great Mexican lunch in Washington, MO before I headed south and he went to St. Louis for the day.
A note on Bret -- yes, I've been spelling his name incorrectly and am extremely embarassed. It is "Bret" and not "Brett." With a name like "Sean," this tends to be something to which I tend to pay attention, but I blew it and he finally corected me. Yes, I can be quite a dork.
After Washington, I rode 30 miles or so. This included getting lost -- Bret and I still aren't quite sure how that happened -- and then figuring things out an making my way into St. Clair. The getting lost was kind of cool, though. Lots of Missouri country side. At one point, I stumbled onto the "Phoebe Apperson Hearst Friendship Park," which seems to have been set-up as some sort of rest stop in what is essentially someone's yard. It is kept up nicely, with a little foot bridge and a picnic table. It seemed kind of odd to be out in the middle of nowhere, but very welcome!
I made it down to Lonedel, but the roads were getting pretty scary. Actually, I got kind of stranded because the dark caught me and I had to wait for Bret to come and get me. From there, I had him ferry me on down to Farmington, to avoid those roads, and pick up the TransAmerica Trail.
A note on the trail -- it is actually, primarily, a set of roads that have been identified as safe for bicycle riders. I haven't always understood that it is more roads than actual trails, but I do now. I'm still not yet sure how this will affect the trip, but you will know as I do.
It is 4:41 and I'm going to get back on the road as quickly as possible. I'm going to make it as close to Dixon, KY as possible between now and tomorrow at about 2:00, then we'll leave the trail and go by car to my Mom's house in Madisonville, KY, where she is having a party for us. The morning after the party, we'll rejoin the trail EXACTLY where we left it and start pedaling.
By the way -- and I'll probably mention this from time to time -- while I let Bret drive me short distances from time to time for safety reasons or because we have to get someplace more quickly than I can bike there, we never include that distance in the amount I've biked. The vast majority of this trip, for me, continues to be butt-on-bike, with an occasional auto-accomodation when absolutely necessary.
Have a great Tuesday!
- sean
Sean Spence
MS Advocate
www.MissouriToManhattan.com
seanspence@earthlink.net
posted by Sean Spence at 2:27 AM
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