Day 24: Surprise, people, I'm in Missouri!

Miles today: 50.
Other days: I'll add 'em later.

Sorry for the lapse in posts on here, guys. Remember those allergies I mentioned having discovered? I'm not really convinced that it's allergies; I've been experiencing whatever it is since last Tuesday and it developed into an ear infection by Friday night. Spent a much-needed rest day finding a doctor and obtaining antibiotics. In the rain. Oh well: such is the life of a touring cyclist, I guess. It's not the worst thing that could have happened, but I have been super extra tired when we finally end up where we're going for the night, hence the serious lack of motivation to post.

In other news since the last one, we've moved past Kentucky with its scary dogs and Illinois with its terrible roads. The other guys have experienced some bike trouble here and there, Greg being the most unfortunate of them, but I've managed to avoid it lately somehow. Have met loads more interesting people, including maybe about 15 other Trans-Am cyclists, mostly all eastbound at this point. During a stop at a roadside fruit stand we met a guy who'd been walking around the country for 6 years; he said God tells him where to go and he just heads there and preaches. He had some interesting stories about life on the road. During a stop to fix a broken spoke on Greg's wheel, a really friendly man in a convertible pulled up and started a conversation by quoting Jeff Foxworthy ("Did you get a flat?...") and while headed down the road after a few minutes' conversation with him were chased down with boxed lunches he'd wanted to bring us. Seems to have been a recurring theme over the past few days; Danny was chased by a woman wanting to give him a bottle of water (she literally got out of her car and sprinted to him, which worried those of us behind him for a minute until we realized she wasn't mad) and Lou was chased by a woman wanting to give him $8! The first was a cyclist herself and the other had sons who'd done the Trans-America trail, and both wanted to let them know how much they admired what they were doing. There's a lot more that happened but I'll have to add it all when I see the inside of a library next!

As for today, we ended up taking a short day due to trouble with Greg's bike (yes, more) and decided to stop at one of six wineries within about ten miles of each other for a wine tasting. It was, in a word, delightful. Staying tonight at the fire station in Farmington, Missouri, INSIDE a fire truck. A little weird, but kinda cool, and the firefighters are super nice and helpful.

Quote for the day, which actually happened 2 days ago: when we crossed the ferry into Illinois the terrain got a little more hilly, and as soon as Greg rode in to the first stop to let everyone catch up, he says with a tone that clearly showed his pride in himself for having thought of it: "These hills are ILL-ANNOYING!"