Hank – This morning I received an email from Judy, our Warmshowers host, who agreed to host us tonight. Yay, we sleep in a bed tonight.

We left the campground and rode through Perryville to US Hwy 61. From there we turned south and started our day of ups and downs. The climbs were steeper than usual for a designated US Highway so we were dropping down to our low gears often. After cresting we’d coast a bit before crawling up the next hill. The frequent breaks helped a lot.

We stopped by Walmart to restock our dehydrated meals and bananas for the next couple of days.

We got to Judy’s house in Cape Girardeau a little after 4:00 pm. Judy is a firecracker. She’s 81 years old and still very active. She has toured on every continent except the one covered in ice. Her first tour was in 1976, the Bike Centennial ride across the country. She was 38 at the time. She also taught herself to be a bike mechanic. And she had a 1982 Toyota van that has a couch/bed in the back and room for a bike. She says it’s great for camping. The van only has 115,000 miles on it so “It’s just broke in” according to Judy. She doesn’t know how many bikes she has but I counted at least 11 in the house and basement.

One thing I really liked about Judy was that after she showed us where we would sleep and shower she asked, “Would either of you like a beer?”

Her grandfather built the house she lives in. Her grandmother designed the house. And Judy grew up in it before heading out into the world. After her parents passed she moved in.

Judy had a show to go to so we didn’t get to spend a lot of time with her this evening. Kathy and I walked downtown to get a small bite. Then we went back to the house to rest and recover from the today’s exertions. Judy says she starts the day with a big breakfast so she’ll send us off with a full stomach. I’m looking forward to it.

Kathy – We rode 47 miles in overcast skies with temps in the mid 70’s. We had a light headwind but it kept us cool so that was good. Today was our last day of climbing significant hills on our way to Memphis, Tennessee. Yippee! Happy Dance! 💃🏻🕺🏻

We checked Google Map for Cycling and it said today we would have 1,332 feet of climbing. Since Google often says there is no elevation gains as we continue to climb hill after hill, I decided to turn on my Fitbit watch to cycling to see if it matched Google noted elevation for the day. Google Map: 1,332 feet of climbing, Fitbit watch: 2,350 feet of climbing. Based on our riding day, I believe the Fitbit. 😄

I don’t mind gradual climbs now, however I am still not a fan of the steep climbs which we had a lot of today. No matter how I try to flip it to a positive, I can’t seem to like steep climbs! I concluded that I must not have gotten the, “Happy Steep Climb” gene. 🧬⛰ 😜

So the legs are a little tired tonight. Looking forward to minimal elevation tomorrow. 🤗🤗🤗

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