Sunday 13 May - These hills are so easy!

Farmington - Ellington

65 miles
4 hours and 15 minutes in the saddle
37 mph max speed
13.3 mph average speed

We are now officially in the Ozarks, hill climbing all day. We had dreaded these hills, but in fact it is a lot easier than the Appalachians which were both steep and long. Or perhaps, we are just a lot fitter after 23 days of cycling :)

We have had yet another glorious day for cycling, it has been hot and sunny. Missouri is a state criss crossed with rivers and streams. It makes for lots of green fields and blossoming wildflowers along the roads. It really is very pretty in Missouri.

This morning we cycled through St Joe's State Park, on the outskirts of Farmington. It is off the AC route, but was strongly recommended to us by a triathlete we met along the way. It was an excellent diversion since it took us on a bike path right through the forest. Along the way we had our first sighting of a rattle snake sunning itself on the path. We cycled past and then Stephen decided that he wanted to get a photo of it. Unfortunately, he was out of luck, because a passing runner had decided to move the snake off the path and into safety in the undergrowth! Yikes!!!

Tonight we are staying in Ellington, a sleepy little Missouri town. It can be a real experience going out for meals in these towns. Today is mothers day. We stopped for lunch in a small roadside cafe. Elderly parents and a middle aged daughter had chosen the cafe as their venue for celebration. The daughter was dressed up for the special occasion wearing a white, pearl embroidered skirt and matching top and white sequined shoes. She would not have looked out of place in a wedding. But, eating a burger in a greasy cafe she looked like a very odd one out.