Day 35: Detours
Posted by the girls on Sunday, May 8, 2011
So I think it's crucial that we add to our post from yesterday. After doing our business at the public library, we wandered down Main Street to the only restaurant in town (besides Subway). It was a sort of local cafe. We ordered our food and people-watched as we waited. One of the most interesting sights was of a man dressed in drag. People were joking around with him, so we figured this wasn't his usual attire. After asking, we found out that the local nursing home was having a fundraising banquet. This was their 6th annual men-dress-up-as-women event. This was about to be the most exciting Friday night we had had in a long time!
We walked up to the nursing home and watched about a dozen men strut their stuff in ladies' clothing. We also got some free cookies. Well, I guess they weren't free since we did end up donating for the event. Definitely a memorable evening!
With our luck, it started raining again in the wee hours of the morning. A little before seven, we ran into the courthouse to take shelter from the approaching lightning. We slept on some benches as best we could. When the library opened later in the morning, we spent some time browsing the internet, waiting for the rains to pass. And they did!
We were able to get a late start, but had to pack up our tents and gear wet, which is never fun. We were supposed to take Hwy. 38 to Marshfield, MO, but found out that there were two detours. Some of the bridges were un-drivable because of high waters, so we had to go around. These two detours took us on some hilly, but lovely, back roads. They also added an extra 13 miles to our anticipated mileage. The morning ride went rather smoothly except for a flat tire and skinned knee for Rebekah.
After a short lunch break in Marshfield, we pedaled the last 15 miles to Fair Grove, MO (about 54 miles total). This small town has a pavilion area open for bikers. This area is probably also used for picnics, reunions, weddings, etc. We were so glad to have found a shower, too! We weren't able to shower in Hartville, so we were more than overdue for some cleaning!
The pavilion area is right next to an old mill and a little stream, making it a rather quaint location. There was also a kitchen there, so we got a pizza to pop in the oven from the convenience store up the road. What a delicious way to wrap up our day!
We walked up to the nursing home and watched about a dozen men strut their stuff in ladies' clothing. We also got some free cookies. Well, I guess they weren't free since we did end up donating for the event. Definitely a memorable evening!
With our luck, it started raining again in the wee hours of the morning. A little before seven, we ran into the courthouse to take shelter from the approaching lightning. We slept on some benches as best we could. When the library opened later in the morning, we spent some time browsing the internet, waiting for the rains to pass. And they did!
We were able to get a late start, but had to pack up our tents and gear wet, which is never fun. We were supposed to take Hwy. 38 to Marshfield, MO, but found out that there were two detours. Some of the bridges were un-drivable because of high waters, so we had to go around. These two detours took us on some hilly, but lovely, back roads. They also added an extra 13 miles to our anticipated mileage. The morning ride went rather smoothly except for a flat tire and skinned knee for Rebekah.
After a short lunch break in Marshfield, we pedaled the last 15 miles to Fair Grove, MO (about 54 miles total). This small town has a pavilion area open for bikers. This area is probably also used for picnics, reunions, weddings, etc. We were so glad to have found a shower, too! We weren't able to shower in Hartville, so we were more than overdue for some cleaning!
The pavilion area is right next to an old mill and a little stream, making it a rather quaint location. There was also a kitchen there, so we got a pizza to pop in the oven from the convenience store up the road. What a delicious way to wrap up our day!
