This mornings departure was uneventful considering we were saying goodbye to Chillicothe, famous for being the home of Sliced Bread !  It’s hard leaving famous places but it’s time to move on. Legs were fresh considering yesterday’s beat down and its time to take the last train to Kirksville, so off we roll. 

I’m amazed as everyday I comment on how we haven’t seen one deer. With all the open country, we haven’t seen one. We have seen Proghorn and big horn sheep but no deer,  but we pass more farm equipment sales yards. Then there’s a highway sign that says ” caution planting season be alert for farm equipment”. It’s a carefree easy ride today under more clear sunny skies. 

The feature of today’s ride is 148 rollers, endless ribbons of farm road with undulating downhills that you bomb and right into a rolling climb. It’s fun  and the time flys by. At mile 50 we are treated to a lunch stop at a cute country store. 

When we pull up however we are told there’s construction detour and we’ll be adding 20 miles to our  78. So a van goes ahead to scout out the washed out bridge. The word when the vans return is we have an option either ride the added 20 or forge the washed out river ( big creek kind of ) so we take that option and it was a muddy mucky mess as everyone crossed it differently, I went barefoot others kept shoes on. Some pushed their bikes I carried mine. The mud was heavy clay so feet, shoes, and wheels and brakes got caked ! The clean up was about a 30 minute affair then off we rolled, semi cleaned up. 

Following that the real highlight came as a surprise. Just two of us stopped 2 miles before we reached our hotel for a fly by food – water stop. I noticed about a mile before this convenience, general store a confederate flag flying in front of a single wide shangrala. So we walk into the Mayville Geneal store and I ask the 3 counter girls what goes on in Mayville.  ” well you’re looking at it I guess “. Ok so then the fun starts as we starting picking up waters, and pizza slices the locals start parading in. I hear a totally different accent now, heavy redneck. A couple of landscape type guys are there, one looks like a typical rodeo bull rider. Their tee shirts reveal their occupation, lawn care ” You Grow it, We’ll Mow It”. Then next walks in a young buck who I can tell is keen on one of the counter queens. He’s small talking himself into a hole. But I can sense he’s getting around to building the nerve to ask Sadie to the rodeo  ! 

So seriously this store sells everything you’d ever need to flourish as a good old boy redneck. ” can I git  you anything else Jethrow Bowdene ?. ” reckon not, I got my Budlight, Skoal, Winchester amo, and candy cigarettes”.  Seriously they sell ammunition and candy cigarettes! 

So we settle into the 2 rocking chairs out front, yep honest and we eat our pizza and watch the show roll on. Unfortunately it’s hard to enjoy the quiet peaceful country because the locals pull up and keep their engines running. We got a choirs of diesel trucks all ideling just feet in front of us. But the show is too good to leave. We’re sitting rocking away in our Spandex watching them and they’re all watching us in amusement. So then the my favorite pulls up to the gas pumps. He leaves the store with what might be about a 58 pack of beer but the best part is his fashion statement. Obviously a local tend setter he’s proudly strutting his cowboy boots and shorts !  This is classic stuff and I’m beginning to wonder if I’m being filmed for Punked the TV show or something. I’m waiting  for Andy and Opie to pull up in the squad car next. 

Just another day on the road.