The ride was scenic and beautiful.  I may be in the minority but I really enjoyed the rails to trail morning part of the ride.  The afternoon was challenging due to a lack of shoulders. Think: lots of rumble strips but you could begin to see – in the distance – some of the Ozarks which made it worthwhile   

We arrived in Springfield to quite the warm welcome from Pastor Ron and the Glenstone Baptist Church.  They spent all day smoking meats for us and really rolled out the red carpet (including arranging for the disaster relief trailer for some refreshing showers and cooking 3 meals for us).   We’ve been eating quite well on this stretch!

We were all very sad to say goodbye to our pal Rossie this morning as he headed back to NC to heal up.  He plans to meet up with us in the Wilmington area for the home stretch.  I know I speak for the whole crew when I say that we are all very much looking forward to that reunion. We will keep an eye on his duffel bag and think of him fondly each day when we pack the trailer!