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Detailed Itinerary-day by day / Leave us a Comment /

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Day 27 - July 15th Rockport, MISSOURI

Took Don early out of Omaha and across the Missouri (because it was illegal to cross on a bike because of the busy traffic) and got him near a bike trail then got kids up from hotel and off we went. Don's 21 miles of trail was hit and miss as there has been so much flooding through here. At many points he was riding through 2 inches of crushed limestone gravel where the road had been somewhat repaired. Pretty tough to do! Spent the evening at a KOA in Rockport that thankfully had a pool - it is SO hot! I don't know how Don does it. He says that the secret is that his body has learned to sweat, really well, by the gallon. He finally rolled into camp after taking almost 10 hours to go only 80 miles.

Day 28 - July 16th Kansas City, MISSOURI, KANSAS

This morning did some more swimming until Jonathan fell and put his two teeth into his tongue. Lots of blood but way more screaming! Ya would have thought he'd cut it off! With enough ice, it is starting to look better. Then we had th ebrilliant idea to follow the backroads to find daddy. After all, we only had an hour to our next destination. I was fully equipped with a detailed map from Google and a Missouri map. Neither agreed - I found this out AFTER I was in Timbuktu, Missouri with no idea where I was going! Turns out the actual roads didn't agree with EITHER map. After THREE hours of driving (do you hear the ca-ching of the gas going through the car) I finally was able to find Don and get on the right road. It was a beautiful ride -for the first hour or two... Looks like a jungle. Could be in Puerto Vallarta like you, Becky! See, I don't need to move to P.V., I could just live in Missouri...!!?? Tempting, but NO! The drivers alone are enough to dissuade that. I have never been cut off or almost rammed into so many times in any other state.

We grabbed Don off of his route East and begged him to come to Kansas City (South) to spend the day. He agreed. So we went into Kansas City and spent the afternoon looking around Union Station and playing in a great downtown water feature. Cooled everybody off -especially James!

Drove through town trying to find a Walmart. What a gorgeous city! And the homes are incredible. Brenda, you would have loved the architecture - old homes, new homes but all big and beautiful. Found a Taco Bell, Krispy Kreme and a Walmart in the Kansas side of Kansas City to spend the night in and called it a day.

Day 29 - July 17th Sedalia, MISSOURI

Today was an incredible day. Took our time at Walmart so Don could sleep in and we could all have a good breakfast. Nothing quite like living in a Walmart parking lot!

Then went to Union Station again. Turns out John McCain was there doing a "Town Hall Meeting." We sat in the third row from the front and listened to him talk. Now, I gotta say that while supportive, we have never been very big McCain fans. But after listening to him for a couple of hours and shaking his hand, we were impressed. We were surprised at his frequent humor. He was also very warm and personable (real?) and has a lot of ideas about this country. Also, he has so much respect for the US and the military and the men who fight for us. Over and over he spoke about "Country First."

The kids were SO excited to have met him and especially to have shaken his hand. James was trying to lift Jonathan up to shake his hand but couldn't quite get him in there amongst the masses. So a Secret Service agent picked Jonathan up and helped him out!

After that, we spent the day at the incredible Science City there at Union Station. We literally had to drag the kids away when it closed after almost 5 hours of doing stuff.

Then we went to "The Plaza" where there is so much nightlife and lots of good stores. Listened to artists playing their music, walked into really nice shops and ate cheesecake at the Cheesecake Factory. Yum!

Off we went to Sedalia, found a Walmart and ended a truly great day. I've figured out it is almost always a great day when Don gets to spend the day with us!

Day 30 - July 18th Lake of the Ozarks, MISSOURI

Don headed off early this morning to start riding. I feel bad that he's riding as we are still headed South, not East, but he wants to keep riding, despite the fact that all my brilliant ideas about where to go take us off his direct route.

We picked him up after about 50 or 60 miles and drove down the the Lake of the Ozarks. Spent a really nice day by the Lake, just reading books, napping, playing games while the kids swam and played. Another really nice family day. We are now halfway through our trip! Unbelievable. We are feeling the need to embrace every second as this is flying by.

Don is hurting. Even when he coasts downhill on his bicycle his legs tense up by the time he starts pedaling again. He has to work through the pain and strain constantly. He doesn't complain at all. Just deals with it. Mom, he swears your minerals are saving his legs. And your Glucosamine, Sheryl! Without those two, who knows how he'd be doing! But there are only 2 weeks left of riding - only a 1000 miles or so. ONLY. =) So he's getting there! We're all very proud. He just pedals and pedals. Rotates those little chicken legs time and again and doesn't seem to need to stop! He's amazing. (Note from Don: I don't feel real amazing when I can barely make it up a set of stairs. After I have been on the bike for a while, my legs feel okay. I would have thought that my legs would be getting stronger, not so worn out. I think that the problem is that they aren't getting enough rest time. But it really isn't all that bad, just a little painful. And I am getting closer to the finish line every day.)

Day 31 - July 19th Camdenton, MISSOURI

What a great day! We started the day by swimming in the Lake of the Ozark. You can pretty much walk halfway out into the water and still be at shoulder depth. The kids loved it. And yes, Mom, I remembered to use hydrogen peroxide in their ears, afterward! Actually, it went like this. I warned the kids that they'd be best to stay above water to not get ear infections. James thought I was nuts. Cause he's 14, you know! So he swam underwater anyway. He told Don what I'd say with this "isn't that crazy" tone to his voice. Whatever, didn't b other me much (but I did hope he'd have an ear ache by tomorrow!)

We then headed down to Camdenton, Missouri, where my family went to New Tribes Mission when I was a little girl before we headed to live in Mexico. We were there about 3 years. It was so cool to be there. I must have been 3-5 or so when we lived there. This very sweet man who had been a missionary for 25+ years in Papau New Guinea, Gordon, took us around the campus. I recognized so many things - the place I found my first bike, the missionary barrels where we got our clothes, the mailboxes, the soccer field, the house we lived in. What a great trip down memory lane!

It was a super hot day, felt like it was about 120. We were dripping and glistening the whole day. So Gordon invited us to take a dip in the lake there. They had a great rope swing where we spent the rest of the evening swinging and dropping out into the water.

But the highlight? Was when Gordon's wife told us that if we went in the water, we could get ear infections (her family all had) and it would be really important to put hydrogen peroxide in our kids' ears when we were done. I was right! Oh, the joy of someone else telling my 14 year old his mom is smart and right. Made my day! =) Today was off the beaten path so a rest day for Don.

Day 32 - July 20th Jefferson City, MISSOURI

We made a mistake last night. Slept in Walmart on a Saturday night. That was our first mistake. People were tearing around in cars and I don't know what all much of the night. Apparently the Walmart parking lot is a happening place in Jefferson City!

Second, it never cooled off last night. Now, I'm not talking about a little bit of heat. I'm talking about a moisture that sits on you and is nasty! We tried putting moist towels on ourselves to cool down. It helped a little. What a long night! Things not to do again.

However, this morning we found a great church to go to! It was a baptist church that reminded us so much of home. Annie and Jonathan both went to Sunday School while the other two stayed with me. We sang and listened and just loved it. Elsie said, "It just felt so good to be at a real church again!" We've been having church together in the RV when we can't find a "real" church but not the same. And, it was even air conditioned!!!

Then we did laundry in another air conditioned place and then we went to see Wall-E, in yet another A/C place. Is there a theme here? So by the time we got done with all of that, it was about 4pm. We were on our way to the library at the Capitol and then 50 miles away to meet up with Don in Hermann where there is a pool, adorable German town, and electricity for A/C!

I called Don on my cell phone - yes, we finally have coverage -and he was absolutely BEAT. I've never heard him sound like that before. He was barely coherent and sounded exhausted. He told me my numbers were off for the day and that the trip to Eureka was way further than I'd told him. Eureka? He was to go onto Hermann, which was a 50 mile trek. I asked h im where he was and he told me he was 25 miles EAST of Hermann. We had had a miscommunication!! He had biked 25 extra miles in heat that was almost unbearable. I can't believe he did it. When he heard the news, he was blown away. Didn't respond - just absorbed the information and was overwhelmed. He was on speaker phone at the moment so Elsie could hear him, too. He just about broke our hearts! We wanted to hug him so badly.

At that point, he was about 5 miles from the next town. He biked to a coffee shop that had A/C and lemonade and sat there, waiting for us. I called him for directions to get there and he told me directions that didn't exist. Took about 3 phone calls to figure out where he was. Picked my sweet honey up, called the KOA we were supposed to be at tomorrow night, switched the date, and here we are. Don took a dip in the pool and is looking much better. We also have A/C, which feels like heaven.

Day 33 - July 21th Eureka (St Louis), MISSOURI

Well, it's 9am. Don's still in bed - feels like he's been hit by a mac truck. The kids just got up to go swim and play. We're working on rearranging our schedule as we are a day early. We might throw in a hotel today - with A/C! And just stay there. Not move. Tomorrow was supposed to be a rest day with the family in St Louis, so maybe we'll just take 2 rest days as we now have an extra day. Hopefully Donny will get his electrolytes all balanced out and get feeling better. He's been drinking TONS of water and Gatorade and minerals, etc. We're going to add some tablets to his diet that a pharmacist I met at church yesterday recommended. He said the humidity here is bad and much worse than you realize. He said that it is basically impossible to keep hydrated without using electrolyte tablets or something. Really?Hadn't noticed. =)

Day 34 - July 22th St Louis, MISSOURI

Yesterday afternoon was great! We put a really low ball offer on Priceline for a hotel in St. Louis and they accepted it. So we stayed at a beautiful Sheraton Hotel. The kids swam, watched TV while Don and I rested. It was just what we needed.

Got up late, ate a huge breakfast at the buffet and the hotel and pulled out of the parking lot. As we did so, Elsie yelled "watch out for the bike" followed by a bad scraping sound. I ran out to check and found that indeed we had once again managed to crush the back tire on Don's bike. It sticks out a foot past the car. Well, it used to. =) So, changed plans for the afternoon. Don drove around town to different bike shops until he found one that carried his recumbent wheel. Paid a bunch of money and came to find us.

Meanwhile, the kids and I spent the day at a really cool and bizarre place called City Museum. It has caves, tunnels, and on and on that you climb through, over in, around. It is 5-8 stories high with holes and slides all through it. The rule is, if you can fit through the hole, go for it! The kids would pop in one place and out in an entirely different part of the building. It was truly unique and a lot of fun.

Then we went to the Arch in the evening. What a beautiful night for a walk. It has cooled down enough to be pleasantly hot. And we have A/C at our RV site, so yippee! They showed us the little "pods" that you ride in to go up the Arch. They are pretty small. I sat in it to try it out, even bought a ticket, but at the last minute decided not to go up with the family. Ever since my MRI I don't do well in small spaces for prolonged periods of time and that was VERY tight! It's 4 minutes up and another 3+ back down. So the kids went with their dad and had a great time. I had a nice time walking around the base where there is tons of history. I now feel even better informed about America and feel quite content (not that I'm defensive or anything!!)

Day 35 - July 23rd St Louis, MISSOURI

Donny hit the road this morning had a good day. The bike worked well and his body did, too. Have I said yet how proud our family is of him? =) He's amazing.

The kids and I went to the Grant Farm, owned by Anheuser-Busch. It was beautiful. Rated #7 on the Zagurat ratings of family things to do in America. It's a big park that they took you through on a tram with animals roaming around and then a petting area at the end. They also have gorgeous Clydesdale Horses which we greatly enjoyed loving in.

Managed to find our way out of the city (after mistakenly heading towards Memphis, TN for a bit). Goodness there are a lot of turn-offs! I made it across the huge bridge, Becky! Feeling very proud of myself. =)

Crossed into Illinois, found a Walmart and a library to do some updating in and then will go find Donny and head to our campsite for the night. It's so nice to have a cell phone that works again! Don and I can keep in touch and it's been great.

We have someone more interested than not in the piece of property we have for sale. Your prayers that the sale would happen and at a reasonable rate are much appreciated! What a huge blessing (and burden off our backs!) that would be.

Update back at the farm on GreenBluff for those following our very fascinating story: The Altmeyers with ServiceMaster, who are clearly the best at this stuff and amazing to know and work with, have been putting our rental home back together. The carpet, drywall, etc. all got torn out and replaced. Our new neighbors in that house have been very gracious about it. We are so thankful! Especially as our two dogs and how ever many cats are left have ended up living at the rental home in our absence. Our housesitters still hadn't shown up as of three days ago and so our animals have been just surviving. Our wonderful neighbors have been feeding for us. Got a call two days ago that the horse and donkeys were breaking out so another neighbor, Doug Simpson, took them in to his property for safe keeping. This has been SO embarrassing to have things fall apart due to housekeepers not showing up as expected. And you all know how much I love to be indebted to people doing things for me... At this point, I think we owe the WHOLE BLUFF!!! Thank you all!!!