On Friday morning, I woke up at Kyle's Campground at the bar that John owns. Stewie came through early for his daily toiling of the area and was still awfully kind to me; reminding me it wasn't just a social drunk we were experiencing the previous evening. John drove by two hours later and invited me to drive into town with him.
Stewie, John, and I drove to Lowes to checkoff a bunch of supplies that the two needed to fix up the bar. Afterward, John graciously bought us all lunch from Captain D's and we headed back to the bar. I helped the two fix up the bar for a few hours before Marcela would arrive for our weekend camping excursion.
Before Marcela arrived, the working men were treated to some of Rita's famous homecooking. Stewie called me in to join John and him as we dug into the greatest "open" pork sandwiches I've ever had. I don't even like coleslaw and I was shoveling that down as well.
Eventually, after driving over three hours to pick up helpless, little, old me; my saving grace pulled into the bar parking lot. Rita was courteous enough to share her pork with Marcela as well. Just as everyone was so warmly welcoming to me, it was no different with Marcela. All attention was given to the guest with no shortage of questions. After dinner, I stuffed my bike into Marcela's trunk and off we drove to a campsite.
Over the next two days, Marcela and I would have one of the most fun weekends I've had in a long time. We meshed like peanut butter & jelly; a huge reason being our love for music. The tunes played repeatedly for the whole weekend. Moments of silence were a rarity. If there was no music, there was no shortage of conversation.
Previous to our adventure, Marcela had just bought a new tent, wanted to get out of Carbondale for a few days, and go on a road trip. Check, check and check. Marcela was taking a little vacation and as we agreed, "I was taking a small vacation from my vacation". The first night, we camped at Jack's Fork River, which was awesome. We went swimming in the river that John, Bob, and Stewie had described as numbingly cold (false) and kicked back, enjoying each other's company.
Yesterday, the two of us got a breakfast buffet in the town of Eminance. Afterward, we went on a canoe "float" from the town, down 8 miles, and quite literally, to less than 20 ft. away from our campsite. As we got to our tent, we packed up our gear just as it began raining and went to another camping area by the name of Alley Springs, 15 miles down the road.
As we accidentally passed the campsite, we ended up stumbling upon a 2 mile hike and seeing the old historical mill at the spring. A heavy, dewy mist encompassed the spring and surrounding area. It was like walking through a lucid dream or a natural landscape with those smoke machines used in plays.
Afterwards, we retraced our steps back to the camping area and set up our tent much more quickly than we had the evening before (I'd screwed up every step in the manual and you would've thought I was working against Marcela).
Today, Marcela drove me to the town of Marshfield. I've been having fun this entire journey biking solo across the United States but it was absolutely wonderful to spend a few days with another human being. Besides the total enjoyability on my behalf of sharing the company of Marcela, she drove my bike and I a bunch of miles because she cared! Hell, the lady wanted to drive me all the way to Pittsburg to ensure I stayed safe! It made me sad to say goodbye to Marcela but it won't be the last time I see her.
I had a really short ride today of about 16 miles to the town of Fair Grove. Hopping back onto the saddle was like... riding a bike? It felt awkward for the first mile but pretty soon, I was cruising and relishing the freedom once again. Good news: no broken spokes so far. I'm only about 80 miles from Pittsburg where I have a tire waiting for me, which brings me to my next point.
Katie fucking Hinchey! You are an angel! Out of worry for my safety, she got a wheel sent to Pittsburg to make sure I continue to ride with minimal danger. I can't even express my gratitude. People are awesome... especially Katie and Marcela :)
So much for keeping it relatively general. My fingers are cramped.
County Line Bar in Middlebrook, MO. Despite not showing up on any maps or GPS, I personally know it for their amicable staff and hospitality. John, Truma, Rita, Bob, and Stewie took special care of me
As opposed to bathing in the cold water outside shower, I elected to clean up in the fresh water stream behind the campground. Stewie found this very amusing.
Stewie was around 30 years old and I came to learn he's been everywhere since serving in the Army. He fought in Afghanistan and Iraq for too long and has been to over 10 different countries. He got out about a year ago and spends 3 days a week working for John, and the other days of the week working at the largest furniture store in the United States... it's an 80 acre hanger... 80 acres. Stewie was the bee's knees.
Across from the bar, there was an old truck from the 1920's. As I was waiting for Marcela, Stewie told me how that tree had grown through the truck bed. He said, "If they ever wanna cut the tree down, they'll have to take the whole damn truck with it". I wanted a closer look but Stewie described the surrounding grass as "tick heaven", which immediately got my skin crawling.
The lovely and amazing Marcela.
Marcela's "spaceship", as I called it, seeing its first night of action. It also proved to be waterproof as it witnessed a thunderstorm the next evening. Better than my tent, I can tell you that.
In Eminence, Marcela and I found this sign hilarious.
My baby and I cheating our way to the West. And I don't feel a single sense of guilt whatsoever.
Blazing a trail westward.
Got a bit lost and ended up on a rocky, little road outside Hartville, MO. However, the stream around the bend was asking us to swim in it... so we appeased her.
Current Home: Fair Grove, MO
Aw <3 I never saw this. Can't wait to see you!
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