That’s what they call one of the main segments of our ride today. It’s known as one of the most dangerous routes in Missouri, because of the endless steep hills + the fact that it’s only a 2 lane and is missing a shoulder for a good portion. A lot of accidents have happened on Blood Alley. Imagine biking 62 miles on such roads. Yeah, that was us today. EPIC... or, foolish? We are mostly trying to follow maps created by Adventure Cycling, but the routes for today, mainly the Katy Trail, are flooded. So we took the recommendation of our Warmshowers host from last night to shoot down Hwy 21. It was a straighter and less wet shot, but crazy hilly. Our elevation gain was 3,761 feet. The sun was beating down on us most of the day so we took frequent breaks to prevent heat exhaustion. We finally made it to Washington State Park just before dusk where we were greeted by sweet campground hosts.
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It was our 3rd day through the hilly Missouri terrain. And even though it was our longest so far - 65 miles - it was our favorite. The morning was gorgeous, smooth roads winding though lush greenery, the smell of pine trees giving me fresh energy. The sun hadn't come out in full force yet and there weren't many cars around. Just us in the woods on our bikes. The locals have told us we're biking along the foothills of the Ozarks, the most extensive highland region between the Appalachians and the Rockies. I didn't even know till I looked at a map, but the majority of our rides have been through the St. Francois Mountains. We had a few stops in middle-of-nowhere Missouri, and everyone could tell we're not from around here and they'd strike up conversations with us. The people along our journey have been so friendly and helpful. One lady at an express station warned us, "There's a black bear around here. Yeah, his den is in my backyard. So if you come across him, just make yourself big and loud." We never got to see him, but we did have a couple close calls with dogs. We had learned on our last trip that dogs feel the need to chase the spinning wheels of a bike. And sometimes they come to attack. As soon as we hear barking, we unclip our shoes and start booking it. Well apparently the dogs in Missouri are lazier than the ones we had attack us in Iowa, they gave up fast.
Today our goal was Cape Girardeau but we were ready for dinner by the time we reached Jackson. We knew of a Warmshowers host in Jackson so we hit him up and ended up sharing a meal together. We had so many fun cycling stories to exchange. He also gave us a lot of tips about the routes we should avoid and the secret shortcuts. Shout-out to Rich! We had called a Warmshowers host in Cape earlier, and when we asked about her availability tonight she replied, "Well I have a couple other cyclists on their way in right now, so it'll be a party. You're welcome to stay here." So began our adventure meeting Judy and our new cycling crew. When we rode in on Judy's street it was dark. We heard a couple voices cheering, "you're almost here!" we laughed and followed their voices. "Look up!" we saw some shadows waving to us from the rooftop of a beautiful, old mansion. They came down and met us, we got cleaned up and then enjoyed an evening hearing stories from other passionate cyclists. Judy is a legend. She grew up in the home that we stayed in, it was designed and built by her grandparents in 1904. Judy was a rider in the first ever Trans-AM in 1976 (a 3,000 mile tour from coast to coast). She has toured on "every continent that isn't frozen over." New Zealand was her favorite country to bike in. She has taken each of her grandchildren on a tour. And to this day she is cycling and hosting other cyclists along their journeys. It's because of her we got to also meet Mike & Mark, the other cyclists rolling through. These two had met up along their solo tours and stuck together for a couple days. They both expect to be on the road for 6-12 months. It was amazing that these guys were coming from the east and we are heading east, so where they had passed through today is actually where we will be heading tomorrow! So they showed us videos of what we have in store: lots of flooded roads. We arrived in St. Louis by rental car just past 8pm, and then got in a bit of biking as the sun set. We were all jazzed up until we hit the bike trail... Sounds backwards but let me tell you. Our first mission was to find our Warmshowers host. We knew we had to cross the Mississippi River to the East side. The night was muggy, and the riverfront was gnat city. It's hard to breathe while biking through clouds of gnats. And those weren't the only critters out - the frogs! The pavement before us was literally jumping. These hopping creatures were splattering on our legs and beneath our tires as we sped to escape the Egyptian plague. Then 3 deer joined us, running parallel along the trail. Partway down the trail all of a sudden we saw water flooding our path. It hadn't been marked or closed so we had to renavigate. Our host gave us some local tips via phone. It was a crazy 10 miles launch into our tour. When we finally reached our Warmshowers host, we were enthused to hear that they had a swimming pool we were welcome to take a dip in. Shout-out to Erik & Lynn! We took a late night swim, then crashed. Ready for our first full day.
It’s happening! All the surreal feelings fell away last night as we did the final packing prep, bike tune-ups, and then this morning when we hopped in our rental truck and said goodbye to “normal life.” It’s strange saying bye to things you take for granted daily, like your bed, your variety of clothing, and the simple freedom to shower.
As I write, Dad and I are driving toward St. Louis, and we are reminiscing along the way about the tour 6 years ago, because we are passing some of the same towns we biked through. Welcome to our space of mental “gearing up.” We usually say “gearing up” in reference to putting on our butt-padded biker shorts, cleated clip-in shoes, and our grippy gloves. But what we’ve also been doing for the past 6 months of training, is gearing up our minds. When people hear about this tour I often get the reaction, “Wow, I could never do that!” And I always tell them, “Actually, you can.” It’s true! This type of feat is about mind over matter. Take it from us: on the first tour in 2013, my dad had just recovered from cancer surgery and became a survivor; I also faced some health issues that made it hard for me to believe in my body’s ability to achieve such great heights. But we both watched our bodies adapt & get stronger. We learned about how to have power over fear, and how God designed our bodies and minds to work in conjunction. This morning before we hit the road, we prayed together, and we thought of the kids in China that we are doing this for. Many of the kids who have been orphaned are not given the chance to play, or stretch their muscles, they may be left in their cribs all day. They might have been born with a disability, and they can’t even bike around the block. Hope Station celebrates the victories in play therapy & physical therapy. Thinking of that in connection to this bike tour really motivates me. I want these kids to believe in themselves, as we are still learning to do. I want to use the legs I have to conquer a mountain that seems impossible, because I want kids to have the same opportunity someday. After all, we serve a God who loves to do the impossible. We're at it again.
We've felt the itch to continue the TORCH tour, but year after year, other things crept in and took precedence. Well, after 6 years, we're back to finish what we started. So, two weeks from today, Mariah and I are flying to St. Louis to pick up the where we left off, and ride our bikes all the way down to the Gulf. Well, that's the plan anyway. We realize (ok...Mike realizes) he's not getting any younger, and this will be a completely different ride than in 2013. Then there's the weather to contend with. For some reason, nature has chosen this year (again) for major flooding and tornadoes and all kinds of weird weather. In spite of the physical challenges, we still have the wanderlust and the thirst for adventure. We're excited to meet new people and see new places. And we're also very excited to be doing this for a good cause - to support and bring awareness to the children living in China, who need a champion to speak up for them and love them and care for them. That's why we're excited to continue the TORCH Tour. Stay tuned for more updates and posts as we embark on this great adventure. Mike and Mariah Wilder |
We're using TrackMyTour to give updates via waypoints along the Torch Tour. Click on the direct link here or search for the Torch Tour at TrackMyTour.com.
Read more about what we're raising money for here...
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