St. Joseph Mo to Chillicothe MO

6 hours 23 minutes to ride 87 miles.

Leaving the hotel with the two groups that we usually ride with. We had to stop at a spot 2 miles past the hotel which was the scene of Barry's crash in 2005. We had a short ceremony / exorcism, consisting of the laying of a rose and placing a couple of bandaids on the spot as well as a symbolic one on his arm. We then rode up the hill to where the staff had put some balloons on a post with sayings such as "savor the day". It was suppose to be rolling hills today but there is 5,000' in elevation gain.

Cyclists call the state of Missouri "Misery" because the roads are in such poor repair. They have not been fixing them. These are the worst roads we have ridden on to date! The shoulders are narrow and in poor repair on the major state route and the secondary roads are just in general poor repair. The only wildlife we see today are raccoons that have been run over on the road.

The first SAG is at mile 31 in Maysville. People are so friendly here. They are all interested in what we are doing and how long do we ride and even the types of bikes we are riding. We continue on SR 6E until almost the next SAG. With the shoulder so narrow and the rumble strips you have to pay total attention to the road so there is little chance to look at the scenery. We get on to SR V - yes that is the name of it (V). The road is no better but a little less traffic so you can avoid the potholes and debris easier.

The second SAG is at the top of a hill so everyone a little out of sorts getting there. It is also getting hotter. After the SAG we stop at Lock Springs to read an inscription that is suppose to inspire us (photo). Leaving there we have a stretch of fairly flat terrain and think that we have finished with the hills for the day. As we come around a corner we recognize that we are finished the "rolling hills" but now will have to climb. These hills have 8% grades so tough on everyone but especially on the couple riding the tandem.

The last cruel joke is when we actually get to Chillicothe and realize that the 3 miles to the hotel are all up hill. DQ just before the hotel so most people stop there and discuss how tough the day was with the elevation gain.