45.56 miles, 3:38 hours, 12:52 average
We got a very early start, before 7am after a stay in an old, but very nicely refurbished motel in Houston, and a great steak dinner. We are trying to get most of our miles out of the way before noon as it just gets too darn hot and humid. Icky, Sticky, we are just sweaty or sticky 24 hours a day, wishing for our dry climate of home.
It was cool and beautiful early in the morning, and not a bad ride despite the hills. We must be getting used to them. At mile 17 we stopped for our "banana break". I think I saw a red headed woodpecker. I saw something red fly into a tree and something black and white fly out from the same spot, so that's my deduction! And a bluebird later in the morning.
Green fields, barns, goats protected by dogs, one a white great pyrennees. At 9am we were in Summersville for a cup of coffee, scrambled eggs, and rhubarb raspberry pie. Pies and cinnamon rolls are the first things we ask about now when entering a restaurant for our morning snack. These baskets, made by local Amish, sell for next to nothing here.
On to Alley Spring in 14 miles. The old mill is quite a beautiful building. The spring puts out an average of 81 million gallons a day into a 6ft deep by 150 feet wide pool, with not a ripple, then comes cascading down the gates at the waterwheel. This particular waterwheel, instead of powering the grindstone directly, powered a turbine that powered the grindstone and produced electricity to run a few lights. The old machinery and storage bins were fascinating.
Sorry, no photo of the beautiful building, maybe we'll add it later.
Then we were off again, just down the street to inquire about kayak rentals. We are in the Ozark National Scenic Riverways, with the Jack's Fork and Current Rivers. We decided to stay another night, do some touring by car this afternoon, and play on the river tomorrow. Since it was still early in the day, we thought we would get a few more miles down the road on our bikes, first, as the next riding day would be the hardest in these here hills. So off we rode as Bill went to set up camp in the National Park Service campground. He was to pick us up later, after what we hoped would be another 13 miles. Well, we only made it 5 miles, a bit beyond Eminence. It was just too darn hot to be doing the hills, we were ready to explode from the heat!
Bill came for us and the bikes and we were off to Rocky Falls and Big Spring. The falls were very pretty, but the direction of the sun didn't allow for good snapshots. We were actually more amazed by the 7 different kinds of butterflies in a small area near the edge of the pond, perhaps enjoying some minerals from the mud.
On to Big Springs, this one producing a daily average of 215 million gallons a day.
No comments:
Post a Comment