Day 57-59

Day 57 Walnut to Golden City

We set out to find the infamous Cooky's Cafe, located in Golden City that we had heard so much about! I think everyone we ran into headed West mentioned this restaurant and the delish homemade pies! We said our goodbyes to Bernie and rode 22 miles to Girard where we enjoyed a nice Subway sandwich in the air conditioning! We ran into three westbounders who warned us of the dogs in Kentucky once again and the pie we have been eagerly awaiting!

We stopped at the bike store and Mark bought a new helmet, it's white and shiny! We crossed into the border of Missouri, which for now doesn't look too much different than Kansas. We caught a tailwind when our route was headed straight East which was the first day we had experienced that kind of riding in a very long time! I think Kansas didn't like us too much and was trying to get us out of there!

I stopped to tinkle because it's hard to hold it when you are on a bike! I was crouched down in a ditch by the side of the road and as I went to hike up my spandex, something wasn't right! Not exactly sure how it happened but my shorts were filled with tiny little fuzzy like thorns, along with my gloves, socks, shirt and HAIR! Mark found it funny while it took me a while to get them all out!

We had to take a detour which added 8 miles onto the ride because of road construction and finally reached Cooky's Cafe right before closing time! Yummy food and superb pie! Mark had strawberry rhubarb and a piece of blackberry pie while I tried chocolate banana! All the pies are made daily and they gave us a whole apple pie for free that they were planning on tossing!

We took showers at the city park where we slept under a pavillion but got attacked by Mosquitos in the middle of the night! I woke up and found Mark in the tent, so I happily crawled inside for shelter from the little critters!

Day 58 Golden City to Fair Grove

Today we experienced our first taste of the Ozark Mountains! Small climbs yet steep grades, up and down, up and down, and up and down! When you get to the top of one you can see about another six in the distance! It's almost like a self-propelled roller coaster ride!

We grabbed some lunch at Willy B's diner and enjoyed the AC! It was a scorcher outside and the humidity was in full effect! We got back on the road and rode the roller coaster again for the last half of the day! Mark began to get angry at the hills and I could hear him yelling from afar!

We planned to stop in Fair Grove where we pitched our tent under a pavillon built by the historical society, with bathrooms and hot showers! Yay! We went to a cute cafe called the Oddfellows and it had some similar features to my future cafe (mine and Lisas 8-10 year plan)!

It was bedtime finally!

Day 59 Fair Grove to Hartville

Today I spent the majority of the day thinking about why people do the things they do. I believe that sometimes people in general, get in such a routine that often times it's easy to loose sight of the reasons they do the things they do. When you find a reason to perform a certain task, it makes it a bit easier to complete it. It's easy to get wrapped up in our own lives, having selfish thoughts, and focusing on simply what affects only ourselves. Instead, it's important to realize the big picture, the forces behind the actions we take, and the reason we wake up every morning and live our lives.

The reason we are riding across America on two wheels is to give children a classroom of their own and learn, laugh, and live through their childhood. Yes, we all have hardships and issues, and sometimes it feels like the hardest thing we've ever experienced but when you grasp the big picture, sometimes our problems are just small ones that can be fixed easily. I think everyone is guilty of having these thoughts and it's very easy to get sidetracked now and again. Reminding yourself of why you do the things you do, makes the world of difference!

While we were at Bernie's house, I read a quote in his bathroom which I'm sure you are all familiar with, "Life is 10% what happens to you, and 90% how you react to it." I love that saying because its so true! So everyone should remember that today and try not to stress out when something happens, take it like a grain of salt and get through it!

Sidenote: One other thing that Bernie said, "Two things happen to you when you get old; 1. You become forgetful 2. I forgot..." I got such a kick out of that!

A thunder storm woke us up mid morning, but we were safe and sound under the pavillion. It lasted til about 10, so we just kept going back to sleep....so nice!
After the storm passed, we were talking to the lady who owned the cafe, and her house was struck by lightning!

We began riding in the cool air, although it was definitely still humid. We loaded up on snacks at Wal-Mart, the biggest store we have seen in a while and ate some cereal for an afternoon snack. We rode through an Amish community, where we saw warning signs for a horse and buggy and dodged all the dead armadillos on the road..so sad. Up and down, up and down, up and down. This is the longest rollercoaster I have ever been on!

We rode about 43 miles to Hartville, a tiny town, with a four way stop, a Subway, of course and a laundry mat! We saw some people on horses headed to the corner store and knew we were in a small town. It had been two days now that I hadn't done laundry so I grabbed our dirty clothes and headed there. Once I got there, I put the clothes in the washer and realized there was not a laundry detergent or coin machine. I walked to the store and when I got back to the laundry mat, the door was locked with my clothes inside. I started cracking up and waved down the sherriff. He told me where the owner lived and I knocked on his door but got no answer. It wasn't even 8 o'clock yet, the time they said they closed, small towns do what they want I guess! I was there promptly at 8:30 in the morning, after a yummy breakfast and then we headed out to the next destination!