Shark's Teeth
Day 18 - Nevada, MO to Camdenton, MO (97 miles and 5,300 feet of climbing)
We all knew today would be a tough day given the route profile that looked like sharks teeth. All day we were going up or down with few flat sections. After riding through the flat lands of Kansas, the change was welcome but the riding was challenging. The scenery was also different. We saw forests, lakes, rivers, rock faces where the construction crew carved the roads, and hills…lots of hills. I cannot say we are in the mountains yet. We are in the Land of the Ozarks which is a reservoir created by impounding the Osage River in the northern part of the Ozarks in central Missouri.
Shannon and I started the ride early at 6:30 because it was predicted to get near 100 degrees by 3pm. When we walked outside, it was already 80 degrees and there was a lot of wind. Luckily, it was a strong cross/tail wind all day long which made the riding much easier. Shannon rode for 3.5 hours and covered 41 miles. Her legs were fine, but her hands have been bothering her. She cannot feel three of her fingers and will need to do some extra stretching and use more hand positions while on the bike. The roads in Missouri were much better than Kansas. We had a wide shoulder all day long. There was cloud cover for most of Shannon’s ride and it even looked like it might rain at one point. We each felt one drop, but that was it, thank goodness. I know we will ride in the rain sometime, but not today!
Robin relieved Shannon and the sun peeked through the clouds for an hour and it got hot. We stopped at a Casey’s General Store for chocolate donuts and Coke to refuel. After Robin’s heroic ride yesterday, she was feeling a bit tired; she managed 34 miles and called it quits at the next rest stop. I continued on to Camdenton with the help of the strong cross/tail wind. The steepest hill was in the last 5 miles, but was no problem after all the other mountains we have climbed.
We are staying in a resort on one of the finger lakes and will rest and recuperate tomorrow as we plan the final push to the Atlantic Ocean.
