Day 32 (Eminence to Farmington)

(86.4mi,12.1mph,6844ft)
We had been warned about the steep hills east of Eminence, and the steepness of the Ozarks in general, but they weren't bad. Some were steep, but they were all short. We stopped in Ellington for lunch and met a group of 12 on 6 tandem bikes. Two families of 6 with kids as young as 8! It was hot riding after lunch, but we had some shade and a breeze that made it bearable. We rode another 60 miles to Farmington (with a shortcut that cut off 7 miles. We're one for three on successful shortcuts) and found an inn for cyclists that we had been hearing about.

Day 31 (Houston to Eminence)

(43.7mi,13.9mph,2279ft)
Got another early start and rode to Summersville for a snack. We had heard from other cyclists that there was tubing on Jacks Fork River near Eminence, so we stopped in Alley Spring and found a rental shop. They were able to take our bikes to the spot where they would pick us up, so we floated instead of riding for 5 miles. The river was slow, but very cool and refreshing, and my waterproof speaker provided us with music. We spent 5 hours floating on our tubes before we reached the pick-up spot with fresh sunburns. We had dinner in Eminence and the Methodist church is letting us stay in their basement. The hills are supposed to be tough tomorrow, so it will be nice to have a cool place to sleep.

Day 30 (Fair Grove to Houston)

(81.4mi,13mph,3463ft)
Left at 5:40 and rode 40 miles to Hartsville for breakfast. The hills weren't bad, and it was under 90 degrees before 10am. We stopped in Bendavis before we arrived in Houston around 1:30. After a cold drink and a quick stop at Walmart, we went to the local pool to cool off. We were allowed to camp in the park, so we set up there and we'll try to sleep as it slowly cools down.

Day 29 (Pittsburgh, KS to Fair Grove, MO)

(102.2mi,13.1mph,6404ft)
Woke up at 4:30 and waited until it was light enough to ride. Started around 5:45, but almost immediately Aidan had a flat, so we left Pittsburgh at 6. 35 miles later we stopped in Golden City for water and a granola bar. (We stopped eating at cafes for breakfast a while ago because we found that we were spending at least an hour sitting around and usually $10 a person.) 33 miles later in Ash Grove, we stopped at a small gas station for lunch. We had hoped to be done before the heat of the day, but beyond Ash Grove there wasn't much until Fair Grove (33 more miles). We pushed on and the hills got bigger as we rode farther into Missouri. At 3:45 we found a Subway in Fair Grove and cooled off for a couple hours. I had two footlongs and probably a gallon of water as I recovered from the long day. We were told we could camp in the city park, which had showers. Hopefully it cools off tonight and we get another early start tomorrow. No dogs yet, but we've been warned that they're coming.

Day 28 (Parsons to Pittsburgh)

(36mi,12.8mph,872ft)
We woke up tired, but rode 35 miles to Pittsburgh in the morning. We tentatively planned to go another 35 to Golden City, MO, but by the time we had lunch in Pittsburgh, it was 1pm and 100 degrees. We found a motel and took a nap for a few hours. The local bike shop was busy with other tourers after lunch, so I went back at 4 to have them take apart my bottom bracket (it was squeaking). We're going to get a very early start tomorrow to get our riding done before the heat, and hopefully make that our new routine.

Day 27 (Eureka to Parsons)

(91.5mi,13.7mph,1849ft)
After a late night, we got started around 8. We got to Toronto, KS looking for water, but everything was closed on Mondays. We went a little farther to a small bait and tackle shop where the owner gave us some advice on an alternate route. We decided to follow his suggestion and were hoping to cut off a few miles, but unfortunately there was a road closed for construction. We talked to some locals at a gas station who gave us another detour, which we decided to follow instead of going back on the original route, still hoping to save a few miles. We realized we would be going farther south to Pittsburgh anyway, so we made our way down to hwy 400 and rode east. After 91 miles in the heat, we stopped in Parsons for the night. We eventually realized we would not be able to sleep in the heat, so we found a Super 8 and escaped the heat for another night.

Day 26 (Newton to Eureka)

(74mi,13mph,1870ft)
We got off to a slow start as we readjusted to heavy bikes. It was over 100 all afternoon, but the wind kept it bearable. They were almost no services for our whole ride, so when we got to Eureka we decided to stop for the night. We had some dinner in the city park, and then we were offered a place to stay for the night. We took showers and will be sleeping in air conditioning tonight. Hoping to get an early start tomorrow to avoid some of the heat.