Distance: 62 miles
Elevation: Seriously, it was up and down all day
Temperature: 80s
We left the town of Kearney bright and early, and we were soon on beautiful back roads winding down Jesse James Road (because we seem to love celebrating the bad guys in this country). This is the 2nd day that we “enjoyed” the hills of Missouri. Missouri makes Cincinnati seem flat in comparison: If you aren’t riding uphill, then you’re riding downhill. Those are the two options. And, the downhills never seem long enough by comparison to the short, steep uphills. However, it really is lovely riding on these roads, where there isn’t a lot of traffic.
After about 15 miles, our route took us to a gravel road that was far from passable. Our intrepid SAG driver was a little concerned that while we were having trouble climbing the road, a garbage truck traveling full bore down the hill, making it clear how the road became so rutted in the first place. So, Kurt gave us a lift to the end of the road, so we could rejoin the route where it was paved and passable.
At that point, it was a lovely ride toward Lexington. When we reached the bridge over the Missouri, we had already planned for SAG support to cross it, so Kurt again gave us a lift, so that we weren’t navigating the highway and a bridge.
In Lexington, we had hoped to find ice cream or coffee, but everything was closed. We stopped in the public library, and two amazing librarians told us about the route we were about to take and suggested an alternative so that we would be on less busy roads than had been mapped by ACA. They also suggested a smoothie place, so they gave us two great pieces of information that made a huge difference in our day!
We knew rain was coming, and the sky began darkening, so we started riding in hopes of avoiding the bulk of the storms, and Kurt stayed nearby in case lightning became an issue. Fortunately, the thunderstorms stayed off to our south, but not the rain, so it wasn’t long before we were in it. However, it wasn’t cold out, so it actually felt pretty good after the heat of the day.
A few miles out of Lexington, Becky’s Wahoo (a bike computer that holds the route maps, travel cues, mileage, speed, etc.) fell off of her bike, so Kurt circled back to pick her up to help her retrace the ride to see if she could find it. Luckily, they found it. Sadly, they also watched it get crushed under the tire of a truck.
Mary Jo and Carol continued on to Higginsville down a little traveled and very pretty back road (Thank you Lexington librarians!). They arrived in Higginsville, traversed the town, and then headed out of town on route 13 to find the hotel where we’d be staying. Route 13 was a highway, so even though it was only 4 miles, it was mentally exhausting. After arriving at our hotel, we decided that we were going to expedite getting to the Katy Trail a day earlier, so that we could get onto the trail and not have to maneuver highways anymore.
Highlights:
Beautiful back roads
No thunder and lightning over us
Tasty dinner at the local Mexican restaurant
Lowlights:
RIP to Becky’s Wahoo
Rte 13 - Ugh