'Tis Wet Out Here (June 17, 2015)

Lots of rain the past three or four days ... lots.

As summarized in the previous post, I had gone "off route" in search of less climbing.  Mostly I succeeded ... not so much four days ago riding from Rolla to Lebanon (Missouri).  I mistakenly put my trust in Google Map which turned out to be a huge mistake.  After typing in the start/finish points, I selected the route that indicated I would be following the Old Highway 66 route.  I guess what they really meant was the "REALLY,  REALLY OLD Highway 66 ... route included about five miles of extremely remote and steep single lane paved road and about ten miles of even more remote unpaved  steep single lane road.  Most unenjoyable and very discouraging.  Add in getting soaked by rain twice (second time the last ten miles into Lebanon), and it made for a most difficult day.  After a so-so Mexican food dinner, I returned to my motel room around 8:30 and sat down to do some crossword puzzles ... awoke in the chair around 1:30 A.M.  Long and tiring day.

During my (dry) approach to Lebanon, I talked with a State Trooper to see if bicycles are allowed on Missouri Interstates (in Tennessee they are not).  Indeed bikes are allowed, although he clarified that I should stay in the safety lane.  I told him with just a touch of sarcasm that I had thought about riding in the fast lane ... fortunately he had a sense of humor.

The advantage of riding the Interstate is that there is almost a total lack of steepness, and the pavement surfaces are mostly quite good.  Plus the safety lane is approximately 12' wide, so you can ride far removed from the traffic.  I think riding the Interstates is actually safer than riding roads that have no shoulder/safety lanes.

So I rode I-44 from Lebanon to Springfield, then Springfield to Carthage (again, all in Missouri), and got soaked two times each day.   It is fairly warm, so it is not too uncomfortable.  I am in Pittsburg, KS this morning, looking out at a downpour ... looks like another wet day.  Back on the TransAm route and looking at about two weeks of riding flat Kansas rural roads prior to reaching Colorado.

Quick summary ... today is the start of week thirteen, and I have logged just over 4,000 miles since leaving Globe, AZ.  On a side note, I realized yesterday upon entering Kansas that over the past seven summers of touring, I have been in 41 of the 50 U.S. states (have not been in Connecticut, Rhode Island, South Carolina, North Carolina, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Alaska, Hawaii and Colorado).  It was not, and is not a goal of mine to ride in all 50 ... just an observation.

Time to head out into the rain ... oh, joy!