September 15, 2022 - Springfield to Carthage, Missouri

After a quiet night at the church, we were up and ready to roll by 8:15. Father Ray and one of the parish volunteers came over to give us a blessing for safe travels today and throughout the rest of our trip.


We learned that Madonna Del Ghisallo is the patron saint for bicyclers, so we had her on our side today, too! It's a good thing, because today was a LONG and hot day!

The roads today varied from really good, to mediocre, to really horrible.


Fortunately, there hasn’t been much traffic on any of them, so Tobey (and me in the RV) were able to pick and choose which side of the highways we wanted to ride on! We both saw several hawks today. One swooped in front of the RV and landed on a low tree branch. Tobey spotted one that wasn’t so lucky and had crashed on the road.

Along Highway 96, we stopped at one of the Sinclair Stations which is now a museum and gift shop. We were both impressed with all of the memorabilia the guy had. We wished the gas pump was operational and the price was still 15 cents a gallon!



As tempting as it was, Tobey decided not to trade his bike for this one!

Not too much further down the road was another old Route 66 stop. None of the building were open, but it was interesting to see.

And another "Root 66" sign!

As much as Tobey and I both love dogs, they were a big problem today. I wasn’t far behind him on one road and saw three farm dogs come racing down their driveway toward him. I blasted the horn for a couple minutes non-stop and it distracted them enough Tobey was able to pedal on with all of his limbs. He motioned me to go ahead, and when we caught up later, he told me he was chased three more times! Once he got off his bike and put it between him and the dog and kept yelling at it until it went away. YIKES!

Our lunch stop was in Miller, Missouri. He had been pedaling almost 40 miles by then. I drove through the downtown and spotted a pavilion put up by the local Lions Club. Awesome!

There were lots of other sights along the way. Some of them pretty funny!

We took a few more stops to cool down and get more ice water as he made his way west to Carthage. We detoured north quite a bit because of road closures on Highway 96 (and it was busy with no shoulders!). He rolled into Carthage about 5pm after riding 78 miles today.

September 14, 2022 - Lebanon to Springfield, Missouri

Tobey got on the road early and was on his way to Springfield. The sun was out and not much wind – YEAH!

Again, rolling hills, narrow roads, and light traffic. The temperatures were ramping up and it was hot! We stopped in Marshfield for lunch. After a short break with sunscreen re-applied, he was back in the saddle and on the road. The RV park in Strafford let us fill our fresh water tank so we are good for another five days or so.

As we came into Springfield, Tobey went by a Pedalers Bicycle Museum, but it was closed. Bummer! It looks like it would have been a fun place to visit.

We are staying at the Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Springfield. It’s very beautiful. Milagros, the parish secretary, and Father Ray were so warm and friendly. Thank you for your kind hospitality!

Today's ride was 61 miles. It’s another quiet night and no internet. Early to bed and on the road toward Carthage in the morning.

September 13, 2022 Doolittle to Lebanon, Missouri

After a quiet night, Tobey was up and on the road by 8:30. The sun was out and there was little to no wind! Yeah.

Just outside of Newburg we crossed the Little Piney Creek. I parked and walked back to get a better look. It was so peaceful I didn't want to leave! And there were wildflowers all along the road.


But continue on we did. While the road was narrow, there wasn't much traffic which Tobey and I both appreciated. He had hills, but at least no wind!
When I got to the Devil's Elbow Bridge, I had to call Tobey to see how tall the RV was because there were signs for "Low Clearance" and I didn't want to take any chances! Fortunately, we are just under 11 feet tall, and the bridge clearance was 13'8". While I was waiting, he caught up to me so I got to see him go across.


A little further down the road we came to Uranus, Missouri. It's mostly a tourist trap, but I stopped anyway because Tobey's sister, Patty, always gets us fudge from there. Yes, we got fudge, too!


It's a bummer that today was Tuesday ... the "museum" to see the world's largest belt buckle is only open on Wednesday and Saturday .... oh well! I'm not sure it would be worth it to stay an extra day to see it!

The scenery along the was was reallly great - lots of trees, rolling hills, and open meadows.

We took turns leap-frogging our way along Route 66 and stopped in Hazelgreen to have lunch and a rest break. Two miles southwest of Hazelgreen Tobey was able to stop and take a picture of the Gasconade River Bridge which was permanently closed in 2014. Built in 1923 before Route 66 became a "thing," it has three types of trusses and is now one of the only bridges of its type left on the historic byway as it passes through Missouri.
We continued on into Lebanon and are staying at the public library tonight. They have small, but well-done Route 66 museum inside and it's free! We enjoyed seeing the memorabilia and reading the stories of local residents and their business ventures.


Tobey is not the only bicycler who wants good roads. As early as the 1870s, there was a movement in the area to improve roads for the bicyclers!

Today's ride was 58 miles. On to Springfield tomorrow!

September 12, 2022 Sullivan - Rolla - Doolittle, Missouri

The order of the the day was wind - at least the sun was shining!

Tobey was off and pedaling about 9:30 this morning and had head winds, side winds, wind. Tobey said it isn't fair that he even had to pedal going downhill in order to go downhill!

We meandered along Route 66 following what is more like frontage roads that parallel Highway 44, but at a much slower pace. We made it to Cuba in time for lunch! We had seen the signs as we made our way there and decided to stop at "Mo Hicks BBQ". So did a bus full of 50 people! Fortunately, we got ours to go and had lunch in the RV. We split a pulled chicken sandwich, coleslaw and chips and both had plenty to eat. It was pretty good, too!
Cuba is known as "The Mural City" of Missouri. With a population of just over 3000 people, there are 14 different murals painted on the buildings throughout the town. You can read more about the murals here: https://cubamomurals.com/  These are a few we saw as we went through town.

Ah, the things you can see along Route 66!

After a break in Saint James, he was off again enroute to Rolla where he went to college. We stopped by his Delta Tau Delta frat house and he went inside to say hello. He said the guys were friendly and it was interesting to see that the house hadn't changed much in almost 50 years!

Back on the road, he pedaled on to Doolittle where we spent the night.  Today's ride was just over 51 miles but felt like much more with the wind. No internet tonight, so will post tomorrow.

September 11, 2022 - 50+1 Reunion to Sullivan, MO

We have been in the St. Louis area attending Tobey's 50+1 high school reunion. It was a good time and he had the chance to reconnect with several friends which he had not seen in at least 20 years - many 51! The party is over and so the goal is for him to ride his bike from Larson Park in Webster Groves, Missouri to the Colorado border.

It started raining last night and continued off and on all night. This morning it was still raining - not a great way to start the day! We arrived at the park in the RV and he was on the road by 9:45 with a light rain and quite a bit of wind. I always feel bad that I can stay in the RV and play leapfrog with him as he makes his way down the road.

His route is taking us along historic Route 66 through Missouri to Joplin. Fortunately, the rain lessened as the day went on and by lunch time, the rain had completely stopped and he was able to dry out!

We are spending the night in Sullivan, Missouri after his ride of 62 miles up and down the rolling hills of Missouri. He is a bit tired, but happy with his progress today.

April 21, 2022 - Fort Collins, CO

Our apologies!!!

We are having some issues with our blog website and an old post (from 2012) went out accidentally.

We are not in Mexico – although it does sound like fun!