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Day 45 - July 22 - Houston, MO to Ellington, MO - 71 miles Click on the thumbnails to view larger pictures.
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| It was 13 miles into our ride today before we saw the
sun. These morning hours are tailor made for comfortable
cycling. The rolling hills were still there today, but manageable.
In no time we were in Alley Spring and ready for a break.
The Alley Spring area was first occupied by settlers in 1848, and officially homesteaded ten years later. The first mill was built in 1870, with the present day mill, including a steel turbine as power source, being built in 1893. Around the turn of the century, the mill changed hands five times. The last time it was purchased with the intentions of establishing a resort and "townsite" for city dwellers. With the surrounding area badly logged off, and railroads leaving the area, the owner had no recourse but to sell the 407 acres, including spring and mill to the new state park system. Alley Spring State Park opened in 1925, and was transferred to federal ownership in 1971. We had a refreshing break at the park and filled our bottles with the delicious spring water. Soon after we left Alley Spring we had our first look at what the terrain would be like for the next 2 days. The road made a bend to the left, the trees had an unexpected break in them, and there they were - the dreaded Ozarks. The next 30 miles were gut busting climbs that took everything we had to get up, and 30+ mph descents that lasted just a few seconds. The climbs weren't long, just so steep they almost stopped us in our tracks. On the steepest one Carol had to stop and walk her bike for a couple of hundred yards. The first time she's had to do that on the trip. We were sweating profusely on every climb and drinking a lot of water as a result. With about 6 miles remaining to Ellington we were out of water and had to stop at a house and ask to fill our bottles. The lady who lived there was very friendly and said, "Sure, help yourself to all you need." We not only filled our bottles, but also cooled our heads under the outdoor spigot. With another tough day behind us we treated ourselves to another motel. Dinner at Hall's restaurant was good, but the dessert was out of this world. The Strawberry Delight was a cream cheese based pie in a cookie crumb crust and topped with fresh strawberries and whipped cream. Carol's Charlie Brown was the same pie, but topped with rich fudge and whipped cream. What an ending to a long, hard day. |
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