Day 24 – Tuesday – 6/21/22

Marshall, Missouri to Lexington, Missouri – 50.4 Miles

Each day on the road includes times of isolation and contact. The Adventure Cycling routes, by design, keep riders away from larger cities for safety and scenery. When I leave a town in the morning large enough to support a hotel or a campground, it’s likely that the next inhabited place I pass through won’t be quite as big. Still, somebody lives there. Who are they?

I’ve had plenty of time to think about that question as I move between those points on the map at 10 mph. The ACA passes judgment with map symbols, assigning colored stars to indicate the level of services available to a passing cyclist. A green star indicates all services are available, such as a post office, lodging or restaurant. An orange star indicates that something’s missing, while a red star essentially means “keep pedaling”. When I’m low on food or water, I look for green and orange stars and then calculate how long it will take to reach them. It’s sometimes like finding an oasis in the desert and does wonders for morale on a difficult day.

Those “No-Hopers” in the red star towns must be pretty miserable then, living in dots on the map without a Starbucks or McDonald’s. Right? I haven’t found that to be true. Even in the smallest places I get a wave or questions about the trip from people who are sincerely interested in what I’m doing. What they don’t realize is that I’m just as interested in them. Their frame of reference to the world was shaped by circumstances they grew up in. We might disagree on some things but hearing about their experiences and views on life is refreshing because it’s often something I wouldn’t have thought of.

What comes through in any contact with anyone so far is how genuinely nice people naturally are. Politicians and News organizations will claim to know what Americans want, then spend all of their time trying to convince us that half the country wants to destroy the other half. It’s not surprising, as that’s how they make their money. I’ve ridden from Florida to west Missouri at this point and have yet to have been yelled at or honked at by any driver. I haven’t been threatened or inconvenienced by anyone, and people have gone out of their way to help keep me moving down the road. Thanks to all!

When I looked at the weather map this morning, the entire area was under a high heat warning. The forecast was for 98 degrees with a fairly strong wind from the SW all day. With a prediction like that, I knew that I wasn’t going to push things too hard. The night before I had debated whether to put in a long day of just over 110 miles or just do about half that. Weighing it all, the heat, additional climbing and overall gain didn’t justify adding another 60 miles. With just over 50 miles to ride in the end, it was a just right.

It didn’t take long to get out of Marshall, and even less time to find that highway 20 out of town wasn’t too safe. The road featured a wide shoulder but looked like someone had just tossed gravel and sand there and called it good. It was unrideable. Due to constant truck traffic, my strategy for survival was to ride in the road until a truck approached, then veer off onto the dirt to let it pass. This kept my speed down and continued for several miles, but the traffic eventually died out and the road became peaceful.

If you’re familiar with farmland, you know what it looks like. That was the extent of scenery today. Corn, wheat, soybeans and some cattle were present on both sides of the road. Pictures of that weren’t worth the time to stop, but there’s always something to look at. Vacant buildings are one.

When Highway 20 got better, it was worth another picture. Traffic was less and the hills were mild.

A Sinclair convenience store unexpectedly appeared after a Red Star town had just been passed. I hadn’t seen a working Sinclair gas station in decades, so it was a “must see”. A long time ago their dinosaur mascot was enticing to me when the family car needed fuel. Unfortunately, Dad always went to the cheapest station, so putting a dinosaur in the tank was a rare treat.

One of the world’s premier car collections was the next attraction. That ranking is dependent on a total restoration of each vehicle, as these were all shiny and new at one time, but not so much today. Just like me.

There aren’t many trees around, as the farmland dominates the landscape. However, a roadside cemetery had several.

I rolled into Higginsville and decided that I had a craving for Subway. After a foot-long Subway Club and two large, iced teas, I was ready for the last 15 miles to Lexington. Ascending a hill just west of town, I saw a man waiting by the right side of the road. I thought he was going to get his mail, but as I got closer, he held up a bottle of water and asked if I needed any. I said “No” as I had four bottles on me, and the iced teas were still doing their job, but pulled over for a chat. Mark’s house is on the ACA’s Lewis and Clark Trail route, so he’s used to seeing cyclists pass by. He’s also a rider himself and does group rides with his friends. We talked about cycling for a while and things to see in Missouri, and he gave me some valuable tips for the next few days. Thanks, Mark!

When I talk about being isolated on the road, this is what it looks like.

I turned the corner onto State Road O and headed toward Lexington six miles away.

My hotel is on the route of the Santa Fe Trail. If I end up in New Mexico instead of Washington, this is where I went wrong.

I walked over to the Sonic Drive-In for dinner because there weren’t any Michelin Three-Star restaurants in town. Destination tomorrow is undecided, but I’m on track to get around Kansas City in the next few days, and then push north afterwards. Weather predictions for the near future are good, and I’m feeling fine. Thanks for reading.