Another Day Another Mile.

You may have noticed I used the Mile reference instead of the Kilometer. But I just think Mile sounds better. I'm not buckling to the American measurement system, however I am getting used to it. So, this last week has been amazing and full of strange and beautiful things. I am just shy of 2000km's and have arrived in Pittsburg, Kansas. Yesterday, I rode into this place from Golden City, Missouri. I must say that I had the best pie I have ever had in my life. Strawberry Rhubarb with a big scoop of homemade Vanilla Ice Cream. This was from a small place called Cooky's so if you ever stop in Golden City.... make sure you get some pie. They had like 500 different types. And after a long day of riding into a headwind of about 30 mph and biiiiiiiiig hills the pie was delectable.

Everyone I know thought Missouri was flat, that couldn't be more wrong. That was one thing I definitely underestimated when planning this trip. Was the size of the hills (Ozark Mountains) The mountains bring a whole new dimension to the ride. It's slow going but patience building when climbing the hills and great training for the upcoming mountains. But coming down them is a huge adrenaline rush with the high speeds you can hit. It's funny with the winds and the speed my whole face was completely desensitized after awhile the other day. Also, I wore my break pads right down close to the metal because of how many times I have had to slow myself down on the descents.

With Spring thriving now, it makes these trips through the mountains and farmlands amazing. The colours and smells are all so fresh and it makes for stunning scenic rides. It's hard to take it all in sometimes, trying to understand the proximity and relation to where I am and to where I am going. The thought of the adventure thus far is truely overstimulating. On the rides over the past two days I have dubbed myself the "Matthew the Turtle Rescuer." I know the name may not seem that impressive but what I have done over the last couple days is helped turtles see at least one other day. It's been pretty tragic over the past few days, when seeing some of the roadkill. Unfortunately, turtles are one of the animals that can't make fleet of foot to escape the wrath of these massive dangerous trucks. They hide in their shells and hope for the best as these massive machine whiz over their heads.

So, whenever I see a turtle making his way across the road I will grab him and move him to the side of the road he's trying to get too. The strange thing is that 2 days ago, they were all moving left to right. Then yesterday they were moving right to left. I don't know if it's coincidence or if it's some kind of weird turtle game. Anyway, I think I have helped a grand total of 6 turtles reach their destination. They can be really big too, the biggest one was the size of a dinner plate.

Along the route of my turtle adventures, I encountered my first flood. I was coming down one street to hook up with another state highway to get to Pittsburg. When I saw these road closures signs. I was curious to see why the road was closed and continued pedaling. As I reached some crossroads. Just beyond the intersection there was a massive flood making my route impassable. I went up to it to judge how bad it was.... It was about 100 yards of washed up road. I was estimating about 2 to 3 feet deep at the deepest part. If I went around it, it would add about an extra 12 miles (20 Km's) on my day. I was pretty tired and decided I might as well try. I couldn't pedal through it so I would have to walk through it, I took off my socks and shoes and loaded up the panniers on my bike so they could not be touched. Just as I started to walk towards the water... I stopped and decided not to give everyone another reason to worry and went around it. This ended up adding another hour and a half of riding. So if your a worrier don't worry I'm making great decisions :)

Well I'll sign off here I'm a little tired today and have been eating 15 peoples worth of food. Everyone is always concerned with my weight but with the portions down here you don't have to worry. I had a steak sandwich the other day and the steak was the size of the plate. The bun was normal sized. I wish I got a picture of it. Wouldn't be funny if I rolled into town well over weight... I don't know if it's possible but with my appetite I wouldn't be surprised lol.

Godspeed!!!
Matthew.

LAST BUT NOT LEAST!!!
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