Sick of the rain...

We've been rained on every day since we entered Missouri. However, it has been the most beautiful ride we've had yet. Maybe we were just sick of the arid environment we were used to.

The past 3 days have been a work out on highway 160 East along the southern border of Missouri. The hills roll consistently with rough pavement and intermittent rain storms to make it more difficult. We camped at the home of Dennis and Mary just outside of Theodosia, MO. We shared stories over lemonade and fruit while the frogs in the yard drowned out our voices with their calls.

I blew out both of my Kevlar tires after the roads took their toll on them. I was able to reach (via phone) Chris, of West Plains Bicycle, who staged some new tires for our arrival. The swap out went well. Riding is smooth now.

It was strange to look back and see the rain follow us like a curtain of discomfort just waiting to catch up and ruin our socks again. At a few points during the ride we found ourselves out riding the speed of the storm. Even road crewmen were yelling out "that storm has your name on it". A few days of being damp caused us to do some laundry here in Poplar Bluff, MO.

Dogs: We see our fair share of dogs along these country roads. Many of these dogs have never seen bikers and are not tied up. This, along with the lack of an owner, causes them to chase us. While we do carry pepper spray, we learned that a little display of ALPHA MALE is all it takes to cause a tucked tail. They return home, shameful. Human on a quiet contraption moving down the street (ONE), Dog that has nothing else to do (ZERO). Our score is pretty high.

We should hit the Mississippi River tomorrow as well as KENTUCKY.
wish us luck.