Day 23 (5/16/22) 3 States or was that 4?

Start:                  Miami, OK

End:                    Joplin, MO

 Mileage:             33 miles

Elevation:           875 feet

 In a strange twist, Tish is out riding her bike, and I’m waiting for her.  We’re in Joplin, MO, and she found a great bike trail she wanted to pedal after dinner.  I actually wish I went with her.  It looks beautiful.

 As I mentioned yesterday, I pedaled a lot of today’s miles yesterday, so today was a short day.  What I didn’t get in miles, I made up for in States.  The day started in Oklahoma.  Tish found a much more scenic exit from Miami which was fabulous.  She took it in the car as well.  Both of us missed the same turn but managed to get to where we needed to be.  I then clipped the top corner of Kansas for about 12 miles and finished in Missouri.  The Kansas segment, while short, was just fantastic.  Take a look at the picture accompanying today’s entry, and you’ll see what I mean.  Baxter Springs was a very pretty town.  Joplin is great as well.

 About that 4th State…I’ve never been to Arkansas and while planning the trip realized the State line is just 40 miles from Joplin.  I convinced Tish to make the drive this afternoon, because there is no way I’ll ever be this close to Arkansas again.  Given I’m 58, there’s really no arguing with that logic.  She indulged me, and we had a great time just talking about nothing along the way. 

 Regarding the State game, Tish and I have always run neck and neck.  I came into the trip with a 1 State lead and pushed it to 2 when I got to OK last week.  She narrowed it to 1 when she got to OK and then for a few hours this morning moved ahead of me with MO and KS this morning.  The Arkansas detour tied it up at 45.  She will win, as she’s going to cross off her remaining 5 during this trip.  As I mentioned earlier, I’ll be stuck at 48 at the conclusion of the trip but will knock off Vermont and Alabama by the end of the year.  How can a guy from NJ nevrer have been to Vermont.

 We went to Cracker Barrel for dinner.  A first for both of us.  Surprisingly, I enjoyed it, but it doesn’t take much for me to be happy if I get breakfast for dinner. 

 And with that, we wound up in the park where Tish’s bike path is.  While I was taking here bike off the rack, a cyclist rode by with panniers which is an open invitation to ask, “where you headed?” and “where did you start?”.  Scott, who is from San Diego, started in Florida over a year ago and is headed to Los Angeles and back.  He’s doing his touring with an RV, parking in one city/town and then pedaling ahead and back to the RV prior to moving on to the next destination.  He’s going to make it back and forth on both the bicycle and the RV.  Pretty cool. 

 Oh, and Tish LOVED her ride.

 What am I Grateful for Today?

Let’s go a little lighter today:

  • Low mileage days

  • Cracker Barrel pancakes and hash brown casserole

  • Riding under a canopy of trees in the Springtime

  • The smell of an East Coast (and Midwest) Spring day

  • Tubeless tires

  • The record heat wave seems to have broken in the Midwest

  • Texting friends while on the road

  • Detours off the main roads

  • Cool Route 66 motel and business signs

  • Our portable air generator

  • Riding my bike all Monday morning

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Day 24 (5/17/22): A Dog Day in Missouri

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Day 22 (5/15/22) Good News, Bad News