Thursday July 20, 2006 0 miles - Total so far: 2,300 miles

Sarcoxie, Missouri is not on my map route, but it was near enough for my sister's friend, Roxie, to offer a day's rest in her rural home. She gave me a quick tour of the Joplin area yesterday, including a stop at a local chocolate shop (yum!), then fed me a delicious meal. I slept 9 hours last night and stayed indoors the entire time today...working on a watercolor painting, planning the next several days of cycling, chatting with Roxie and her father, and just enjoying not having to be exposed to that horrible heat and humidity again...it was 104 degrees outside, but comfortably air-conditioned in the house. Roxie fixed another fabulous dinner and I went to bed feeling well-rested and ready to hit the road again tomorrow...when the weather will hopefully cool down somewhat.

Since I don't have any photos for this day (what was I thinking?), I've included photos of some cyclists I've met recently. Brent is from Oregon and stayed at the same city park campsite with me in Eureka, where we also took advantage of the "free for cyclists" city pool. He is a recent college graduate determined to do some traveling before getting a "real" job. Chris and Loree are from Portsmouth, England...travelling to Oregon. They gave me some good tips on route changes through Missouri and I directed them to the "cyclist oasis" homes in Kansas and Colorado. These information exchanges are always a part of encounters with other cyclists.

The sunflowers were the only life form enjoying those sunny 100 degree days in Kansas!