Day 62, Pittsburg, KS to Ash Grove, MO

Miles – 73

Miles From Start/To Finish – 2,836/1,509

Ave Riding Speed – 5-29 mph

Hours Start to Finish – 8

Weather – Mostly Sunny and 91

Kim said my alarm went off at 5 & 5:15am and all I did was roll over. Kim got up and made a little noise rambling around our hotel room at the Holiday Inn Express and I could hear that, so I got up. Our goal was to have a little hotel breakfast and be out the door by 6:30am. We showered, packed and had a lite breakfast before rolling our bikes out the door at 6:50am.

Kim said the humidity was 100%. The condensation was dripping from the hotel sliding doors as we exited.  It was light out, but no sign of the sun. All we could see was a heavy haze across the landscape and the air was still. We rode south on Main Street through the old downtown Pittsburg so we could pick up our trail. On the south end of town, we turned east on 4^th St/Hwy 126. 4-miles east of town we crossed in to Missouri and “we’re not in Kansas anymore Toto” (see 1939 The Wizard of Oz.) For 29 more miles we rode through farm country and took in the lightly rolling 2-lane highway with little traffic.

We pulled into Golden City, population 765, with the idea of freshening up our water and getting a snack. Kim spotted the Cooky’s Café off to the right. It’s a pretty famous place in the TransAm bike lore and supposed to have awesome pie. Cooky was the nickname of Cecil Ambler. He and his wife Ellen first opened the place in 1942. We stepped in to the narrow restaurant, just wide enough for the booths to the right, a walkway and the cooking station and pie fridges to the left. The bubbly waitress said she’s been working there for 25 years. After looking at the menu we went for the breakfast offerings. I had the usual, eggs sunny-side up, bacon and hash browns and Kim with pancakes, bacon and hash browns. While we were waiting for our meal Kim asked if we could fill up our water bottles. The waitress said to bring them and she’ll fill them with ice and add water. It was a very nice gesture. Breakfast was like a home cooked meal and delicious. We never did get that pie!

Heading out of Golden City we headed south for 5-miles on Hwy 37 and turned east on Hwy A. The terrain was changing up on us and the small rolling hills began to increase their intensity, both higher and steeper. We had been studying our map and were trying to figure out how there could be all these spikes, looking straight up and straight down, on the elevations map. Well, now we know. For the next 23 miles into Everton and for an additional 7-miles, back on Hwy 160, into our destination, Ash Grove, we got just a small taste of what the rest of Missouri is going to have instore for us. We’re going to need to put on some heavily tinted rose-colored glasses (see Rose Colored Glasses by John Conlee) to see the beauty around us and not just focus on the steep climbs. I think if we get some early starts and by-pass the hottest parts of the afternoons, we’ll be fine.

We did meet a fellow rider today, just outside of Everton. Mitch was riding solo and started out in Maine. After riding route 66 he picked up the Trans Am heading west to Missoula and then plans to get on the northern route through Washington.  

Once Kim and I pulled down main street we headed for City Hall. That’s where we need to pick up the key for the hostel we’re staying in today. We walked in and met Jennifer, who took down our information and gave us the key. In Ash Grove, the city runs the hostel. Jennifer explained that it’s actually a house in the middle of the city park. There is a city pool right next to the house, but it’s closed on Mondays. She gave us directions and snapped a picture of Kim and I in front of city hall. We rode about 4 blocks and through the park to the white house in the middle of the park. It has A/C, bathroom, shower, full kitchen and 2 large open room with folding tables and chairs.

After getting a lay-of-the-land we got back on our bikes and rode to the grocery store we spotted when we got into town. I was starting to get that agitated feeling again when we walked in. I was hungry and thirsty! We got pickles of course, polish sausages, buns, pork’n beans, watermelon, PowerAde and Kombucha, plus bananas and yogurt for breakfast.

Upon returning to the hostel, Kim started wiping down the counters and tables down and noticed there wasn’t any dish soap. She wanted a clean feeling so she returned to the store for dish soap. While she was gone, I powered through the jar of pickles and juice.

We showered, had dinner and now Kim is relaxing on one of the provided cots, while I post our days adventure. Planning for a 6:15am start tomorrow, but we’ll see how it goes. Should have a good shot at it as we’ll be in bed by 7:30pm tonight.