Hopkins 4K for Cancer

June 17, 2005

Fayette, MO
Today we departed from Montgomery City rather early, 830AM. I knew
that when wake up call was 730, something was wrong. And by wrong, I
mean we had a long day ahead. Our gracious hosts from the Presbyterian
Church made us breakfast to order, which was a first. "Do you need
more pancakes?" Silence at first, we all look at each other, but then
"yes!" And more came. Also I personally liked the
egg/sausage/cheese/biscuit sandwiches that were prepared. There was
also some cereal and ham. Sometimes, simpler is better. When food is
put in front of us, we seem to eat too much. The "light" breakfast
that was requested by us and provided in the morning was just right.
As for the ride, it was Weijie's last day as trip leader for his leg
and he wanted it to be a special one. Well, it definitely was special.
We had changed directions that morning just a bit, and whenever that
happens, things seem to go wrong. We were going and going, we were
supposed to turn onto 'U' or 'W' (major roads in Missouri are labeled
with letters like that) and then work our way toward SR-54. My group
was somewhat in the middle when we came up to SR-54 without seeing U
or W. Weijie had the brilliant idea of pulling over to ask for
directions at a flea market that was right there. As we were in the
process of asking, another group had passed us making that the
majority of the riders ahead of us. You can probably see where this is
going, and we did indeed learn that we should have turned. Everyone in
my group pulled out their cell phones and whatever walkie-talkies that
were available and started making phone calls to the groups up ahead
with the simple message: turn back.
To make a long story short, nobody turned back, which added another
10 miles to an already long day (85 miles). Little did we know that
they didn't want to turn back and went for the makeshift detour, so we
spent quite a bit of time walking around the outdoor flea market and
talking to the vendors. Attaching small stuffed animals to one's bike
has become a fad on this trip and there were plenty to choose from.
After about 45 minutes, we went on our way down SR-54 toward Mexico
(there was also a city called Paris, kind of like a world tour!).
Sr-54 was simply scary. The shoulder was very poor and the trucks
barely gave us room, and were going at high rates of speed. I rarely
worry about my own safety during the trip, even at 50 mph downhill.
This road was the exception. Potholes were everywhere and I had to be
on my highest alert. Thankfully it only lasted a few miles before a
useable shoulder opened up to us, then it was easy and relaxed riding.
However, I must say some drivers in Missouri do not respect cyclists
at all and even go out of their way to make a point of it. There was
one pickup truck that kept on honking at us. About 3 miles down the
road, it came back! I was in the back of a 4-rider paceline when I saw
it come flying up to the front of the line and slam on its brakes. The
truck actually skidded for a second and matched our speed, honking
continuously for a good 20 seconds (try counting that out on a watch).
I thought of calling the police, but too late for me to get their
license plate before they finally sped off. This was perhaps the
angriest moment on trip for me, really sad. Anyway, it wasn't far to
lunch.
We got a phone call that Pizza Hut had donated the buffet lunch to
every rider. SCORE! We picked up our pace and hauled to the city of
Centralia just a few miles away. Inside, it was more than what we
could ask for. Cool air, plentiful water, pizza, salad, and shade
under trees outside for naps were all very refreshing. I wish all
lunch breaks were like this one, but we take what we get.
After lunch, rolling hills dominated the rest of the ride. It was
really beautiful going through the Missouri countryside, like a slow
roller coaster with green pastures and trees on both sides with little
traffic. Sometimes we yell, "hey cow!!" to try and make them get up
and run. It's funny when the whole heard starts charging in one
direction because of us. Yes, I know this sounds immature, but it
kills the time! The water break was in someone's driveway. The family
(mom/dad/2 boys/dog) actually stayed outside with us and chatted while
we ate watermelon and rested in their shade. Like the lunch, it was
one of the better breaks we've had on this trip. These last miles put
us in a good mood when we rolled into the city of Fayette and its
First Baptist Church.
We cleaned our bikes and shuttled to showers at a local middle school.
Riding in the back of a pickup truck is really fun, especially after a
nice shower with the warm, setting sun casting the last hour of its
rays on our skin. Dinner was called almost immediately, and the
members of the First Baptist Church welcomed us by applause. We were
told to expect good food, and all I can say is wow. It was a potluck,
and perhaps the best one of the trip. Not only was there a variety of
main courses, only half of which I was able to sample, but I counted
exactly 25 different desserts to choose from. I won't lie, I ate too
much, and I wasn't the only one. We were all very satisfied.
Our second pow-wow followed dinner. It's basically a meeting for the
riders only to simply talk, whether that be venting their frustrations
and offering ways to improve the group as a whole, or talking about
the good moments of our trip. It was two hours long and we still
didn't get through everything we needed to talk about. I felt,
however, that everyone felt better when we finished. We all look
forward to the rest of the trip.

- David