The innernet at last grin Amazing how many ways you can avoid it on a bicycle. PIcsand narrative to wait until my next day off I guess. Meanwhile here's the crib notes.

OK, I'm losing track but day 14 was the day before yesterday when I left Corning AR heading North headed for Poplar Ridge MO.

Poplar Ridge was surprisingly large, took an hour of rolloing up and down hills alongside traffic at noon to get through, after which I headed out of town on highway �W�. then �KK� towards Lake Wapello. Hills again, entirely unexpected, steep as back east. At 1:30pm for the first time on this trip I was actually overcome by heat and had to lay out under a tree for 30 minutes. Got up after a bit and �rode long, rode gentle� to Lake Wapelo, clouds from a mondo heavy-duty front building in.

Once I crossed the dam headed west to my relief the terrain leveled out. I dont mind hills, I really dont, but they take time. The rain caught me at 5pm just south of Puxelo (??) but the Lord provides, and right there was a biker bar owned by a longhaired, tough and exceedingly capable individual named Art. We sat and talked for two hours as torrential rain and wind came and went outside. Art talked of the troubles and travials of keeping the druggies and meth-cookers at bay on the one hand, and appeasing the locals and the sheriff on the other.

7 pm the skies cleared, I declined Art's offer of a roof and a meal, hard to describe, but saddle time is everything in this endeavor, and I had ninety minutes before dark. Funny episode on the way; I'm riding down road, mean-looking chocolate lab runs out to chase me, close enough to make me stop and get off bike.. Owner calls dog, dog ignores him. Owner tries to chase dog back into the yard, dog runs around him to growl and bark at me (turns out it was his daughter's dog). Owner gets so mad he throws big rock at dog, a near miss. Dog, being a lab, retrieves it grin

Duck Creek WMA is BEAUIIFUL. Just as its getting dark I roll in. There's a good natured gentleman named Dan sitting there at a picnic table. His truck had been towed (water pump?) he was waiting for his daughter to get him from Cape Girardeau, 50 miles away. We have a good conversation, my bug repellent was a lifesaver for both of us as it got dark. His daughter and fiance showed up, nd after they left I took to the tent. A lot of mosquitoes, but not as rabid as te ones back in Arkansas.


More....


"...if the gentlemen of Virginia shall send us a dozen of their sons, we would take great care in their education, instruct them in all we know, and make men of them." Canasatego 1744