Day 30 - Kirksville, MO to Quincy, IL
73.7 miles official miles
no bike time
Today started out in a miserable fashion. It rained all night and we awoke to 20mph winds and heavy rain. The ride was pushed back for about an hour with about half of the group opting not to ride. I was one of those who opted out of the ride. After two falls and a hairline fracture, why risk it. Besides, the van was much warmer as the temperature was about 50 degrees outside and 75 inside the van. The first week I would have done this without question. In week 5 the answer is different.
Fortunately for the riders, the weather improved after the 40 mile point and all but one of the riders who started the morning finished. Bill Salamone got so chilled he is still trying to get warm. I didn’t feel I could bike in this kind of weather, so I cost the MS Society some money today. I felt I would be miserable and cold, so I wimped out. Today was the first day that I didn’t ride and until today I was part of a select group that had only missed completing the one desert day. There were four of us and now there are only two left that have completed all but one day. Another rider on staff has completed every mile.
We took a straw poll to see if we should continue the tradition of sprinkling sand we had gathered at Manhattan Beach at each of the state line signs. I suggested when we got to the border that we should all do something other than sprinkle. I was thinking perhaps tinkle on the Missouri state line given that Missouri was not very kind to us. Bad roads, headwinds and hills. Maybe we should be appeasing the wind gods instead.
I did stop and take some pictures. We passed 2,000 miles today so we are not about 60% complete. It seems like years ago sometimes and other times it seems like yesterday. We have two more biking days before a rest day in Illinois. Then our next rest day is Erie, PA, where I will get to see my wife and children.
The answer to the question of who is Blagojevich is that he is the governor of Illinois. Obviously with a name like that he is a Democrat. And yes he does like to spend big. Also, Tracy the Crossroads leader has been putting a lot of pressure on the guys to shave their legs. About half have complied. Should I shave my legs? Would my wife find me more attractive or more of a girly man? What do the readers think? And Barry J. (you know who you are, don’t stack the vote).
Quincy was first settled in 1818 and in 1825 came to be known as Quincy after John Quincy Adams. Quincy is in Adams county. Quincy is located at a bend in the Mississippi river and they still remember the great flood of 1993 where the river crested 32 feet above flood stage. The bridges were closed for 40 days. Quincy was named an all-American city and touts itself as an ideal retirement community. That is just what I am doing right now. Retiring my poor body until tomorrow when I can fight another day.
Signing off……..
