Missouri, my dear, I tried real hard.

June 22
Well, I'm sorry.  First I tried to win Missouriacs with my southern charm and wit. Then I tried to just get used to the terse communication and horrid driving skills of the Missouriac...now that I am staged for my last day in Missouri, I must admit that its a loss.  I don't like the people who live in Missouri. Its that plain and simple.  Their state is beautiful, their protected waterways are exemplary, their hills are impressive and formidable without being ruthless, but the people ...

We entered Missouri  at about 5:30am by crossing a narrow two laned bridge across the Mississippi and it was glorious with promise and forbode (I knew the Ozarks lay ahead).  We were headed to Farmington on a Saturday.  By lunch time we were at the outskirts of Farmington having been harassed by heat and lousy driving and I was suspicious that it would not go well.

 Leaving Farmington with a little less optimism, we rode into the Ozarks National Scenic Riverway (http://www.nps.gov/ozar/index.htm) and I was pleasantly surprised with miles and miles of cobble bottom rivers.  Unfortunately, owing to the ongoing drought the waterways were dry or nearly dry.

Driving skills didn't improve over the next few days, but at least traffic thinned.  We took a day off at Powder Mill campground to enjoy the Current River and walked to Blue Spring.

Then rode past Alley Spring and Mill

There were many more springs, somewhere near 300, but there is a limit to how far off the route I will go to look at a hole in the ground with millions of gallons of water coming out, however cool that is. 

Yesterday we rode 94 miles to get to Marshfield.  I never thought I would attempt such a thing anywhere more hilly than Kansas but each intermediate town only offered tenting in the park (or courthouse lawn) with no water, no toilet, no privacy and the real possibility of being forced to play host to the LCG (local crazy guy) of which Missouri has a plentitude.  So we started riding about 6am and arrived at the Plaza motel in Marshfield about 6:30pm with 2 hours of breaks during the day.

Today was a  56 mile day to get to Running Spring Hunting Preserve & Inn where a guest house with shared full stocked kitchen, bathrooms and your own bed is $20 per person if you sleep on top of the bedspread ($50 if you get under the sheets).  Its an odd arrangement, especially considering you pay on the honor system into a big blue jar on top of the fridge.  But then Missouri is like that.

Tomorrow, we will make effort to arrive in Pittsburg Kansas and that will be the end of Missouri, unless they drive across the state line to pass too close, honk their horn, swerve toward me (from either lane), commit the 'right hook' (look it up).  It wouldn't surprise me if they did, Missouriacs are like that.