And We’re Back

This break in the action has been brought to you by:

• Two graduations in the Bay Area

• The 26th Annual Buddies at the Butte golf tournament in Central Oregon

• The Cavanaugh family reunion in Colorado Springs

• Courts For Kids in Africa (Pemba, Zambia followed by Victoria Falls, Chobe National Park and Cape Town) sfor 2 weeks,

• Trips to Seattle and San Diego for (wait for it ... wait for it ... wait for it - I've been waiting 40 years) Baltimore Orioles baseball

• A trip to Maine for a hike on the Appalachian Trail and a visit with recently published author and college friend Lydia and her family

• A trip to Peter Luger's Steak House in Brooklyn followed by a matinee of the Book of Mormon - one of the funniest shows I've ever seen. Complete with tears. Apologies to any one that doesn't agree with me on that, but you're wrong.

Not much time for riding this summer. When I did have time, I happily rejected the notion and went to play golf. I opted not to inflate the tires on my spare bike, as that would have been 5 minutes I'd never get back. It would also have deprived me of a convenient excuse. I have ridden 492 Peloton miles this year, so there's that.

Lots to unpack here tonight, so let's dive in. After leaving my bike in St. Louis for necessary repairs (many thanks to Dan for overseeing that process), Dan met me in St. Louis today. We headed back to his sister's house, picked up the bike, and headed to our starting point. In the first of several tropes, we had our first flat tire of the trip before we even started. This time it was not me. Since Dan is riding on tubeless tires, he had to head to the nearest bike shop about 15 minutes away, to add more sealant. I waited with the gear and chatted with Dan's sister while we waited.

We got on the road around 1:00pm and within a half mile, we got back to a familiar look. We were once again riding within a few yards of the interstate. On this stretch of Route 66, we will be paralleling I-44, as we work out way toward Tulsa, Oklahoma. Another familiar look was all the dead armadillos (among all the other roadkill). We even saw a double homicide (or the leftovers of it). They might be covered in armor, but they're still no match for vulcanized rubber. But I also saw something I believe I have never seen. I saw a LIVE one! I think it's 1 of 1. It may be the only living one not in captivity.

I can tell one major difference already, though. While Illinois was unbelievably flat and boring, Missouri is most certainly not. We had somewhere between 2500' and 2800' of elevation gain on our 45 mile ride today. Looking back at our ride in May, we did about 4500' total over about 320 miles. We will probably over that total by the end of the day tomorrow and we won't have 100 miles under our belts yet. These hills are the definition of "rolling". We'll eventually find some flat ground as we keep heading west, but the next several days will be more of the same.

Finally, we finished the day at about the only non-fast food restaurant we could find - the omnipresent Cracker Barrel. We had hoped to go to the Applebee's and watch some Monday Night Football, but we didn't want to walk a mile and a half each way, and shockingly, we couldn't get an Uber in Sullivan, Missouri.

It's been a busy 24 hours, but the absolute best thing about today is our daughter A-Aron's 26th birthday. For those that are keeping score at home, this is the year WE get a present on her birthday, as she is now too old to be on our medical or car insurance! 👏👏 In fairness to her, I think she is as excited about that as we are. It's been a long haul for her through undergrad and her Master's program at Santa Clara and we are very proud of her dedication, perseverance, and success.

Ready to roll from Route 66 State Park in Eureka, Missouri

Panzerschwein! Alive and well.