23/8/2011 Columbia to Portland
D121, T6.4, Av18.17, Total 4591
Hot, 35 and super humid, easterly head wind
Arriviving at an internet cafe early and enjoying a mediterranean salad. Posting the last two days entries was done as was a couple of email replies.
The MKT trail head was located and off I set to intersect with the Katy and head east.
The day was clamy and a developed head wind was buffeting me. It was pedalling every metre.
One consolation afforded to me was there were few other users on the trail, great!.
It was a day of, frogs, whitetailed deer, grasshoppers, garter snakes, squirrels and turtles.
Wildlife in this country abounds, unlike other travels in Asia where even butterflies were absent. Especially Thailand.
As the heat intensified and the humidity tagged along, water was being consumed at a rapid rate.
I pulled off the trail at Jefferson City, the capital of Missouri. To say the capitol building was impressive is an understatement. This building was was all encompassing with a french like boulevard leading up to its chosen location atop the most prominent point in the city.
I found a cafe, had a meal, sitting in a lounge chair, having eaten, fell asleep for an hour, the bar girl, so thankfully on my part said she didn’t want to wake me.
The trail to the city centre across the Missouri river included a scaffold like engineered blessing that elevated cyclist to the road bridge level. Dont let anyone tell you that a bike track can’t be built in a particular spot.
Refreshed, Portland looked like a realistic destination.
With empty containers and arriving at Tebbets and finding no facilities open, a lovely elderly couple took me into their house, gave me snacks, icy water and topped up my bottles. So considerate of them, it saved me.
In 1994 a flood had left a line 6ft up their walls, the Missouri River with Grafton and the Mississippii on its mind, is some 400m from their house
Closer to Portland two guys were on a bridge trying to spear fish with a bow and arrow. One of them mentioned he had just signed today on a house.
Three bedroom, double garage, 15 years old on five acres in Portland all for $40000.
Could rented for $425/month. It would be like buying a house in Nana Glen for that. He was 22 and it,s his second pad. His wife had just had a sprocket, good on them.
Incidently, they had not speared a fish.
The most fertile lands here are called bottom lands, they are alluvial and have the water table no more than a metre below the surface. In earlier days, 80 acres of this land could support a family, now much of it is coglomerated.
Arriving at Portland just before dark, the few houses about 300m from the river were present along with a small bar.
Walking in, there were five guys lined up on seats with a spare in the middle,I parked on it, one guy said “have you been swimming”, over a couple of beers that led to about an hour of yarning.
These guys were serious locals, Darlene, the bar woman knew what they drank, vocal exchanges as drinks were finished did not exist. One guy would just fire his empty can across the bar into a bin, Darlene recognising the sound promptly put another in front of him.
They were nice people, salt of the earth, giving me a hard time about an Aussie Nascar driver doing well. A guy named Ambrose.
Walking across the road to the camp ground that consisted of one trailer and a small shower shed, setting up was done in the dark
The Petzel E-Lite gets my thumbs up big time, it weighes nothing and is bright enough for this task.Batteries are the hearing aid type, also very light.
A shower and hand washing was done, sleep coming easy was a given.
D121, T6.4, Av18.17, Total 4591
Hot, 35 and super humid, easterly head wind
Arriviving at an internet cafe early and enjoying a mediterranean salad. Posting the last two days entries was done as was a couple of email replies.
The MKT trail head was located and off I set to intersect with the Katy and head east.
The day was clamy and a developed head wind was buffeting me. It was pedalling every metre.
One consolation afforded to me was there were few other users on the trail, great!.
It was a day of, frogs, whitetailed deer, grasshoppers, garter snakes, squirrels and turtles.
Wildlife in this country abounds, unlike other travels in Asia where even butterflies were absent. Especially Thailand.
As the heat intensified and the humidity tagged along, water was being consumed at a rapid rate.
I pulled off the trail at Jefferson City, the capital of Missouri. To say the capitol building was impressive is an understatement. This building was was all encompassing with a french like boulevard leading up to its chosen location atop the most prominent point in the city.
I found a cafe, had a meal, sitting in a lounge chair, having eaten, fell asleep for an hour, the bar girl, so thankfully on my part said she didn’t want to wake me.
The trail to the city centre across the Missouri river included a scaffold like engineered blessing that elevated cyclist to the road bridge level. Dont let anyone tell you that a bike track can’t be built in a particular spot.
Refreshed, Portland looked like a realistic destination.
With empty containers and arriving at Tebbets and finding no facilities open, a lovely elderly couple took me into their house, gave me snacks, icy water and topped up my bottles. So considerate of them, it saved me.
In 1994 a flood had left a line 6ft up their walls, the Missouri River with Grafton and the Mississippii on its mind, is some 400m from their house
Closer to Portland two guys were on a bridge trying to spear fish with a bow and arrow. One of them mentioned he had just signed today on a house.
Three bedroom, double garage, 15 years old on five acres in Portland all for $40000.
Could rented for $425/month. It would be like buying a house in Nana Glen for that. He was 22 and it,s his second pad. His wife had just had a sprocket, good on them.
Incidently, they had not speared a fish.
The most fertile lands here are called bottom lands, they are alluvial and have the water table no more than a metre below the surface. In earlier days, 80 acres of this land could support a family, now much of it is coglomerated.
Arriving at Portland just before dark, the few houses about 300m from the river were present along with a small bar.
Walking in, there were five guys lined up on seats with a spare in the middle,I parked on it, one guy said “have you been swimming”, over a couple of beers that led to about an hour of yarning.
These guys were serious locals, Darlene, the bar woman knew what they drank, vocal exchanges as drinks were finished did not exist. One guy would just fire his empty can across the bar into a bin, Darlene recognising the sound promptly put another in front of him.
They were nice people, salt of the earth, giving me a hard time about an Aussie Nascar driver doing well. A guy named Ambrose.
Walking across the road to the camp ground that consisted of one trailer and a small shower shed, setting up was done in the dark
The Petzel E-Lite gets my thumbs up big time, it weighes nothing and is bright enough for this task.Batteries are the hearing aid type, also very light.
A shower and hand washing was done, sleep coming easy was a given.