Columbia Part II - Return of the Cyclist

I spent the last few days leisurely making my way back over the hills to Columbia.

In Farmington I got to Al's hostel before a bad storm hit. There were 80mph gusts of winds, branches flying everywhere and rain so bad no cars were on the road, let alone bikes. Electricity was down in the town for the whole night. I had the hostel to myself so it was a bit spooky! When I cycled out in the morning many trees had come down. Other cyclists had stories of pick up trucks stopping to give them lifts which is nice to hear (lots of Americans have pick up trucks!). Unfortunately the weather forecasts are not very accurate, storms are very localised so if in doubt I will seek shelter!

In Chester I met up again with Justin who I met in Afton,VA. Unlike me he had not used a car for any sections of the ride. Soon after Lincoln and Jordan (plus their ukulele) rolled in. I camped with these guys outside the fire station in Mineral, VA. The four of us went out for Mexican and took an interesting attempt at a selfie which I think will make me laugh each time I see it.

I've met or re-met a lot of great cyclists in Illinois & Missouri and hope to see some of them again out west.

On the way back to Columbia I was getting bored of the main road and took a detour to some back roads around Waterloo. I soon got lost but met a local cyclist named Marilyn who was out for a ride. We rode together for a bit and had an interesting chat. Waterloo is a beautiful town, I remarked how neat and well maintained all the houses and gardens were. Marilyn explained that if your lawn is not cut to a certain length the town council will cut it for you and then send you a huge bill!

I followed Marilyn though some nice back streets and she went out of her way to drop me back on the main road where it was a short downhill back to Corrie and Dana's house in Columbia.

Here are some pictures from the last few days of Missouri and Illinois. Some of the farmland looked very 'english' - other bits not so much.