(Warrensburg, MO to Jefferson City, MO)
Rather than a play by play of the day, like I usually do. I thought I’d try more of a stream of consciousness post, reflecting on some of today’s events and musings in a disorganized and non-comprehensive fashion.
First, shout out to Melody and Jeff for being lovely hosts in Warrensburg, Missouri. Such a delicious breakfast spread with rich scrambled eggs from their hens, bacon, oatmeal, pop tarts, tea, and coffee.
I started listening to an audiobook version of Crazy Rich Asians. So entertaining. Less heavy than my previous audiobook, The New Jim Crow (great book and very important to read, though). On this trip, I’ve also enjoyed reading (in order of enjoyment, most to least) Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri, The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen, Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn, and Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut. I just started Choke by Chuck Palahniuk. Good times reading :)
It’s so humid in Missouri. Just about as humid as it was in Kansas! That makes sense, I guess, being that they are adjacent states. I was a sweaty mess today. We biked 95 miles, but I hopped in the car after biking 90 because I have a rash on my bum. Bummer.
Sean also ended his ride early, because he ran over a block of wood which caused him to fall off of his bike onto the road. He scraped his arm. Sean roadkill.
Sean poses with his opponent after his fall
Speaking of roadkill, there is more roadkill in Missouri than I have ever seen. Mostly raccoons and other small mammals, but also some odder creatures. I was really surprised to see dead armadillos on the side of the road.
At this point, you might be wondering about the title of this post. It’s simple, really. Today, we biked past a town called California.
California in Missouri
Some people in Missouri are really nice. When we were resting at the car, three or four cars stopped to ask us if we were okay or if we needed anything. Some people in Missouri are not really nice. There is this weird thing that some people do. Specifically, some people driving pick up trucks. They slow down a bit as they pass you and then speed up, releasing a cloud of black exhaust. I had heard about this before the trip, that some people remove a filter from their car so they can blast bikers, but it was shocking to experience it. I don’t really understand why…
We are staying in Jefferson City tonight and are biking to St. Louis tomorrow!
Thanks for reading,
Maceo