Day 23 Week 4 Monday 12 May 2025

Going from Augusta to Tebbitts Missouri today, all along the Katy trail.  An easy 70 miles with little elevation gain as we continue to follow the Missouri River.  It started out cloudy and drizzly for the first half of the day. The rain stopped but still cloudy at the end of the day, but threatening thunderstorms.  Tonight we are staying in a hostel with bunk beds inside, so no need to set up tents which is nice.  There were no nice little towns to stop at for lunch,  We ended up taking our lunch break at a grocery store in McKittrick, about 38 miles into the ride.  The Missouri looked pretty high and current was strong- it’s a big river, but interestingly no ship traffic.  I would have expected a lot of barges, but according to the internet it is currently not economical given competition from other modes of transport including trains and road.  Theo, the guy who had the accident several weeks ago, is back riding with us!  His face is almost completely healed and so he is now getting his bike legs back. Our group is finding its rhythm.  We have Timmie who likes to shoot ahead and get to camp early, Terrie who like to go slow and steady. Terence, Tom, Chet and Mel who like to take their time and see the sights, Than and I who tend to go somewhat fast but like to hang with the slower group from time to time and Deb who migrates in and out but rides a lot by herself.  Everyone is getting along well and riders are very considerate of others in the group.  We are only 23 days into the ride, we’ll see how we hold up  after 70 days together!