2500 miles!

Day 58: 22 miles Linn Creek to Eldon, MO

Today we got invited by Scott Hug's sister Amy Pike and her family to stay with them at their beautiful home.

This is the driveway leading up to the Pike house. It must be the longest driveway I've ever seen. After living in NYC for nearly a decade, seeing people have this much space to live in is just unbelievable!


The Pikes and their 4 vivacious daughters.
Carissa the eldest daughter with mom and dad.


Abbey, the baby girl.


Day 59: 51 miles Eldon to Tebetts, MO

The day began with a big pancake breakfast made by Wesley.
We decided to spend the first half of the day hanging out with Amy and the girls.

Mackenzie and Wesley aka Tutti & Frutti


Amanda, the photographer and cyclist.
Wanna join us on our trip?


The girls all ride in the rodeo, barrel race, and rope goats.
Here's one of their baby goats. Really cute, but they poop A LOT!




Mackenzie and Amanda let us ride their horses, Silky and Sunny D.



Debbie galloped on both horses, but hasn't been able to walk right in three days.




We had about 50 miles ahead of us that day, so we said our goodbyes around noon.
The Pike girls and friend, Mattie posing with us for goodbye photo.


How many miles will this driveway add to our ride today?


Thanks so much to the Pike family for having us over! We had lots of fun getting to know you!



That afternoon we passed through Jefferson City, the capital of Missouri.

Fireball in the sky.


We got on the Katy Trail (no cars!) around sunset, then spent the next hour riding through the darkness. The only thing we could see was five feet in front of us. The rainforest-like foliage and the chirping critters around us added to the eeriness. It was the most adventurous night ride we've done so far on this trip.

We stayed at a biker hostel off the Katy Trail that night. The place was really cute, nice bike shop, great showers, but the bunks were horrible.


Day 60: 70 miles, Tebetts to Washington, MO

Katy Trail hostel by day.


The shaded bike path on the Katy Trail was a nice leisurely ride. But beware of the spider webs! They are like booby traps along the trail. We looked like cocooned mummies after 10 miles on the trail.


Did a child draw this sign?



The sun looked like it was burning a hole in the sky as it dipped into the horizon.
We sure don't get blazing sunsets like these in the city.


We stopped at a little diner off the trail and had the best blackberry pie. This place was so great they let you specify the size of the slice you want. We ate almost the entire pie in three slices.
I thought about my grandma as I ate my pie because today is her birthday. Happy Birthday Grannie, I ate a pie in your honor today!

We are heading into the city of Washington to stay with our friend, Sara Tyler's family.
Can't wait to see if our new mommy and daddy are going to be nice to us.

Lots of love to all our readers!!!
We've made it 2500 miles across America!
XXOO

Karin, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore!

Day 51: 65 miles, Great Bend, to Hutchinson, KS

Last we left y'all we were still in Kansas, in a library, waiting for our bikes to be ready. When we went to get the bikes, the guy at the shop told us about the Church of Zion down the street that's been letting bikers sleep there since 1982! He gave us the keys to the church.


Day 52: 50 miles, Hutchie to Witchie, (Wichita, KS)

Missi (Victoria's sister) was nice enough to host us in her lovely home in Wichita. It was SO HOT that day and we were so happy to have some refuge from the heat. She even made us enchiladas for dinner. (Thanks, Missi!!!!)

Missi, her daughter, Kylie, and her son, Joseph

Kylie and her friend made us delicious cookies.

Day 53: 72 miles, Wichita to Eureka, KS

Started out with a rainy morning, which we didn't mind too much, since we'd rather bike in the cool rain, than 105 degrees. Wesley got a flat and we went into a car garage to fix it. Met these guys who told us stories about when they used to keep lions in a pen behind the garage.

We stopped for lunch in El Dorado (pronounced do-rey-do) and continued on. As we rode a UPS truck stopped next to us and pointed to the clouds, "Be careful! There's a LOT of water up there!"

That afternoon it rained something crazy. We got soaked to the bone! We slept in the public park after an all you can eat chinese buffet.

Day 54: 50 miles, Eureka to Iola, KS
Another rainy day. Who says there's no fashion on this trip?

This is Dave. A good friend of Ceci's who came from San Diego to ride with us for a little while.

Stopped in Yates Center for a picnic lunch in the park, and we wandered to the stadium to find a bathroom. The stadium had been dedicated to the spirit of Jason "Buger" Rutherford.

Scariest bathroom ever!

Camped in Iola, so happy to find a shower house & laundry!

The sunset sky was unreal!

Day 55: 66 miles, Iola, KS to Nevada, Missouri!

We stopped at the gas station for coffee where I met Bev, who works there, and was telling me about her local animal rescue project. We were chatting for a bit, and she was telling other people in the store about our trip.

One thing led to another and someone called the local newspaper, The Iola Register, who sent reporter Richard Luken right over to interview us!

From there we biked to historical Fort Scott



One foot in Kansas, and one in Missouri!

Then we hauled arse to Nevada (pronounced Ne-vey-da!)

Day 56: 66 miles Nevada to Galmey, MO

This morning we found out that we made FRONT PAGE of the Iola Register!!! We are front page news!! Not sure how long this link will work, but you can read it at http://www.iolaregister.com/

We had breakfast in a nice little cafe, which had the grossest hand dryer we've ever seen! There was even a warning sticker on it that said: "Use only to dry hands and face. DO NOT hang from towel"

Missouri is SO pretty. There are breezy winds, shady trees, and wildflowers all along the roads.

Met some troublemakers in Weableau

We had lunch at Peggy's where I had gooseberry pie for the first time. The cute teenage waitress told us that we should camp at "the beach" aka Pomme de Terre lake. It was gorgeous. We're in the Ozarks!

Decided to have a wild night out at the Mule Lip (the teenage waitress from before told us NOT to go there unless we had a taser!) I played four songs on the digital jukebox (kylie, snoop, the cure, & m.i.a.) and Karin and I danced our little hearts out on the confederate flag dance floor. I miss dancing!!

portraits at the bar:

Day 57: 49 miles, Galmey to Linn Creek, MO

Stopped for coffee at the triangle where we met Harvey D.

Cows in the lake

what is blood worship?

it's like woah.

We stayed at the Ozark Trails RV park. So nice!They had a pool & a game room that had a TV and mouse trap! We watched a special on TLC about a half ton man.

Tonight we are staying in Eldon, with Scott Hug's sister, Amy and her family. Amy and her husband are both chiropracters and are nice enough to let me sit in the office and work on this blog! (Thanks!!) The rest of the gang went ahead to the ranch. I can't wait!