Week 6: MO-IL
Total Mileage: 2,539 mi
Total Elevation: 80,917 ft
Flat Tires: 7
Mental Breakdowns: 1
(all totals are cumulative)
The miles started to catch up with Pat last week, but his determination—and a steady diet of daily milkshakes—are keeping him going. He hasn’t taken another rest day since Utah and spent most of the week riding the Katy Trail. A stretch of rain forced him into a hotel with massive cockroaches. He pepper-sprayed a raccoon that kept rummaging through his panniers, trying to steal his food (the raccoon was so persistent that Pat ended up abandoning the campsite and starting his ride at 3 AM). For laundry this week, he showered with his clothes on and wore them until they dried.
One of his favorite stops so far was the Katy-Rock Junction campground in Windsor, Missouri. It was spotless and had a fully equipped garage for cyclists on the Katy Trail.
Pat’s reading Under a War-Torn Sky, a book he picked up for $1.09 at a consignment shop in Missouri. He expects to reach Indiana this week.
Oh, and a bartender in Missouri gave him a trail name: Top Tube!
Highlights: Sleeping on a picnic table under a pavilion during a rainstorm
Lowlights: Hours of rain
This week, he ate:
5 milkshakes
coffee with oatmeal mixed in
2 tortillas
2 burritos
donut
5 energy bars
2 bags of chips
pistachios
cheesecake parfait
3 yogurts
container of watermelon
3 cookies
3 foot-long subs
veggie omelet
toast
energy chews
energy blocks
homefries
2 chicken sandwiches
3 salads
3 fries
bagel
3 cinnamon rolls
3 bananas
biscuits and gravy
cereal
2 scones
2 bags of Fritos
2 snickers
6 bags of nuts
a lot of pickles
pickled carrots
tortilla chips
potato skins
trail mix
muffin
honey bun
pretzels
orange
7 Nutri-Grain bars
3 pouches of tuna
7 granola bars
2 bags of peanut M&Ms
2 regular cheeseburgers
2 double cheeseburgers
baked potato
king-size ice cream cone
