Day 25 – Wednesday 6/22/22

Lexington, Missouri to Basswood Resort, Missouri – 87.5 Miles

Figuring out where I’m going to end up each day sometimes takes a lot of time the night before. There always has to be a place to stay at the end of the ride, so that’s qualification #1. If those places are more than the distance I could realistically cover in a day, they’re out of play, but may be possibilities later. Terrain and weather are important factors as well. On a day with a lot of hills, the average speed can drop by 2 to 3 mph, possibly reducing range by 12 to 24 miles. Weather is always variable, but wind, rain and heat all effect the day’s outcome. After looking at the map, I decided that I needed to put in an above average day in order to get around Kansas City and begin moving north. Now, about them there hills….

The elevation profile showed over 3,000 of climbing, with most of it in the last 2/3 of the ride. Other than the Katy Trail and the southernmost part of the state, Missouri is either going up or going down. Flat roads do exist, but generally not in the places the Adventure Cycling Association is sending me. When I left the hotel at 7:00 AM, I knew it was going to be a long ride.

Lexington was named after the city in Massachusetts made famous by the American Revolution and was also on the Santa Fe Trail, so that theme is used wherever teams play sports or goods are sold. Leaving town in the morning, I got to see this:

The good news at the start was that I’d be riding on a state highway, with a wide shoulder and manageable traffic. It didn’t last long, but it was fun for about 10 miles.

I crossed the Missouri River on Highway 13, and then continued on towards Henrietta.

Henrietta is a small place, primarily focused on farming, but they do have other streams of income, such as the Ray County Jail.

It looked like there were railroads running through town at one time, but this old station building is all that’s left.

I was pedaling in some remote corners of Missouri, when this vintage school bus showed up in Orrick.

Missouri road signs can be entertaining if you’re hot, tired and bored.

Roads are rated on a scale from 1 to 10.

Missouri lets people and organizations sponsor sections of the road. I don’t know who this woman was, but her parents must have been Beatles fans.

It must rain a lot here.

Sorry, Jacob.

There’s obviously a dairy farm to the left.

Is it a Rapper, a candy or just a road?

Meanwhile, back on the road, I was approaching Lawson. The climbs were tough, but the downhills were mostly enjoyable. When you can’t see the road ahead of you at the top, you’re going to be going over 35 mph real soon.

Lawson had a Subway and an ancient water tower. How many towns can say that?

Around mile 55 I’d already climbed enough hills and was focused on finishing up as soon as possible. Until these guys showed up. They were building a new bridge across a stream that was directly on the route I was taking. There were no detour signs anywhere, just a pile of dirt and rocks. After looking at Google Maps for several minutes, I turned around and added 5 miles to my day.

The goal for the ride was to get around Kansas City, and now I was north of it.

About 70 miles in I passed through Paradise, a resort area near a large lake. Paradise Cafe had great ice cream, which I happily consumed before riding the last 17 miles to Basswood. When I got going again, the scenery improved.

The last several miles were still hilly. I’d been waiting for the time when I’d descend a hill and there wouldn’t be another one right in front of me. That day wasn’t today. When I finally pulled up to the Basswood Resort, I had to climb their hill to get to the registration building.

The Basswood Resort is a trailer park \ hotel \ campground \ outdoor recreation place that I’d never heard of. Apparently, a lot of others have, as there were huge trailers and motor homes all over the property. I got a room behind and under the registration desk \ camp store. It was a bargain for the room, and I had a lake view from my private fire pit seating area.

It was a tough day today, but I’m set up for a reasonable route tomorrow. I should be leaving Missouri after 12 days, and that will be considered progress!