Not real impressed with campsite, poorly maintained but at least I had the choice of sites and privacy. A little past 9:00 I headed for Cuba where I loaded up on food at a local Save Slot and had breakfast sitting on a bench just outside the front door. The curious looks and and questions are funny. No, my bike is not pedal assist. Oh my, California? God bless you. My reply: Somebody has to do it. Or, it is kind of a sickness. Ok, so I got back on the road. Five miles down the road, a headwind started followed by the hills. As well, to deaden the roar of trucks on Interstate 44 fifty feet away I stuffed my ears with tissue. There has been very little magical about route 66. The wind and hills reduced my speed from 9-10 mph to 7-8 mph. A ride of twenty-seven miles to Rolla should not have been a big deal but it felt like I was dragging an anchor. I was beat by the time I found a hotel to rest my weary body. In a weeks time this is my second headwind day. My strategy is to make it from one town (with accommodations of some sort) to the next. Tomorrow, I will cover thirty miles to St. Robert or Waynesville a few miles more. The topographic map beneath road map looks very hilly, not good. I will take it slow and steady but definitely call it a day at St. Robert. Joplin is a ways off but regardless of the hills and wind I need to make it to that point before making any decide if I should or not take a train to Los Angeles and go east with the wind at my back. Joplin is parallel to northern South Carolina so the weather will not be a factor.
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