Day #28

I’m at in Farmington, MO tonight at a terrific hostel. I’ve heard best things about this place from many of the cyclists I’ve passed going west-> east, so I’m sure this will be my best hostel visit of this entire trip. Here’s a video I just took of this hostel.

This morning I crossed the Mississippi into Missouri. Here’s a video I took at the river:

As I said in the video, last night I was at a shed + shower deal for trans-am cyclists behind the Eagles Bar in Chester, IL. I shared the space with a pair of Britts cycling from San Francisco, CA to (iirc) Yorktwon, VA. They actually got in 105 miles that day–almost double my average mileage. They said the trick was to be on the road at 5AM–that way they could get in 60 or so miles by 11AM, rest from 11AM-4PM (during intolerable heat of the day), and get in the rest in the late afternoon. I keep trying to get up early, but can’t seem to get to bed soon enough to do so! Anyway, We had a nice chat including everything from cycling to international politics. Most importantly, since they came from my specific destination, I got a lot of valuable information preparing me for the road ahead. Good luck Simon & Ade!

I was passed by 2 cyclists during my breakfast at Double L Grocery in Big Clifty, KY. I didn’t get to talk to them, but I ran across a family cycling the TransAm in Sebree who said their names were Mick & Julie. Turns out they’re biking from Orlando to Calgory. Everywhere I go I see their names signed in these journals just a day before mine. Hopefully I’ll be able to catch up to them one of these days…

The heat is still one of my biggest daily battles. Today at 4PM I was sitting in a shaded picnic shelter and my thermometer read 100 degrees. I can only imagine how hot it was during the peak of the day. I also just read that there’s a National Heat Advisory for this area until Tuesday–it sure feels like it!

Here’s the photos I collected from Illinois: