Day 26: Marshfield, MO to Everton, MO

June 27, 2006

56.62 Miles, 4:36:00 Ride Time, 12.27 Average Speed, 38.4 Maximum Speed

I overslept horribly this morning, and didn't get out of the hotel until 10:00, one of my latest starts since the beginning of the trip. Yesterday, I had hopes of reaching Kansas today (probably Pittsburg), but that was now out of the question.

The scenery as I left Marshfield was nice enough, but I just wasn't interested in the ride today. I did perk up when I met three eastbound cyclists. Dot and Cliff, a couple from New Jersey, pulled up first. I talked to them for a minute, then noticed a third person approaching. This was one of the most unusual-looking cyclists I had seen so far - long pants, long sleeves, and most surprisingly, a dark cloth covering all but his eyes. "It's our terrorist friend", Dot and Cliff joked. It was Ken from Australia, a very nice older guy who apparently has a real concern about exposure to the sun. As usual, my mood improved after meeting some other people doing a cross country tour.

Not long after, I met a couple of guys on unloaded bikes, riding eastbound with a support van. They told me they were doing 150 mile days, and they expressed the usual amazement at how heavy my bike was.

I rode on toward Walnut Grove, and then made a stop to look at my maps; I needed to make a decision about where I was going to stop for the day. I called a B&B in Ash Grove, and the lady told me it was $50 (not bad), but then she volunteered that the room had a tub, but no shower. What?! She explained that she and her husband wanted to keep the older house "authentic." The no-shower thing was a deal-breaker, unless my only other option was camping. I actually felt slightly indignant that someone would offer lodging in 2006 without a shower...

I rode on to Ash Grove, where I stopped at a country store and had a smoothie. I considered staying in the showerless B&B in town, but that would have made today's ride ridiculously short. My "Bicycling the TransAm" book said that the only place to stay in Everton (about eight miles up the road) had closed, but my Adventure Cycling map listed a hunting preserve that offered lodging. I called the place, Running Spring Farm, and talked to the guy there. His description sounded appealing, so I told him I would be there within an hour.

Dot and Cliff had earlier warned me about a bridge closing on the way to Everton, and had even given me a map showing a detour. One of the two guys I had met after Dot and Cliff told me they had walked their bikes through the construction area; when I got to the "Road Closed" sign, however it looked extremely noisy and dusty, so I took the detour.

When I got to Everton I stopped at a garage and asked a couple of mechanics there for directions to the hunting preserve. They told me where it was, and then told me about a girl they had seen recently who was crossing the country on a unicycle. I assumed they were kidding me, and rode off to find Running Spring Farm.

I went off the route about a mile, then saw a sign for the place - as I rode down the half mile of gravel road, I wondered what I would find. When I rode in, the owner, Bill, greeted me and showed me around. He explained that he usually hosted bird hunters, but since it was the off-season, I would have the lodge to myself. It was very nice - shower, bathroom, kitchen, television, etc.

After I cleaned up and stored my stuff in my room for the night, Bill came over and told me about some of the cyclists who had stayed at the lodge. I got a kick out of his story of one English cyclist who seemed to have had nothing but bad luck - flats, broken spokes, angry local people who ordered him off their property as he tried to change a flat, etc.

Later, around dusk, Bill came over and told me that I might have company: He had received a call from three cyclists who were looking for a place to stay for the night. Nobody ever showed up, however, and I wondered where in the area they could have found to stay, so close to dark.

I got to bed fairly early, and resolved to do a longer day tomorrow.

Eastbound cyclists: Dot and Cliff, from New Jersey; Ken from Tasmania, Australia. Ken must *really* want to avoid sun exposure - look how covered-up he is (he removed the cloth that was covering his face for this picture).

A couple of eastbound guys, (whose names I forgot), riding unloaded road bikes, with a van riding ahead. One of them had what might be the lightest bicycle I ever picked up.

Inside the lodge - I had the whole place to myself

Today's ride: 57 miles (92 km)
Total: 1,605 miles (2,583 km)

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George HallWell, this is getting weird - even though it's off the Transam route a bit, I also stayed at Running Springs Lodge on my 2015 trip. The proprietor gave me a deal - $25 cash if I slept in my sleeping bag and didn't mess up the linens.
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1 year ago

Jeff LeeTo George HallI recall that he charged me $40 to stay there. I was the only one in the lodge, and slept in a bed. I might have also helped myself to some snacks I found in the kitchen, haha. So I i think I got my money's worth.
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1 year ago