Day 14: Bolivar,MO to Clinton,MO

Miles covered: 61
Wind: on my side
Temperature: 94 degrees
Route: Hwy 13 the whole way
Average Speed when on the bike: 16 mph
Time Departed Bolivar: 9:20am
Arrival Time in Clinton: 1:40pm
Accomadations: Hampton Inn of Clinton
Terrain: mostly flat.....a few gently rolling hills......almost ideal terrain.
Crazy Move of the Day: riding on the other side of the road for a few miles because of a torn up road shoulder.
Songs stuck in my head: "New Year's Day" -U2 "Galileo" -Indigo Girls
Bible Time in: 1 Corinthians

QUOTE OF THE DAY: (from a few days ago)
"I really like the fact that you're growing your beard out, Tom. It makes you look like an explorer." -William Parks of Memphis

HIGHLIGHT OF THE DAY: Some guy in a red Grand Am w/ a bike rack on the back passed me on hwy 13. As he passed, he gave a friendly horn-honk and was pumping his fists in the air as if to say, "Ride Tommy Ride."

THE ALMOST TRADE OF THE DAY.......
Can you believe that the guy in this picture wanted to trade me straight up for his hog? I know....I know.....I know what you're thinking. But don't worry, I didn't fall for it. There was no way I was going to give up my bike for that piece....not without some Benjamins to go along with it. I think he only gets 30 mpg too. My Toyota Tercel used to do a lot better than that.
Don't ask what he's holding in his hand. Yikes!

SUMMARY OF THE DAY........
GREAT DAY. After a fine breakfast at the Caudle residence I hit the road for Clinton. I was a little stiff, but that worked itself out early in the ride. Very muggy today.

A WARM WELCOME TO.......
My close friend CJ Behnke and his father. They will stay with me tonight in Clinton. CJ lives outside of Green Bay, WI, and we've been friends for many years. I'm looking forward to the 70 or so miles we will have on the road tomorrow. I'm also looking forward to his Dad carrying my stuff!

SHOUT OUTS'.......
-Subway of Clinton for the delicious lunch (the #3 turkey breast sub w/ two macadamia nut cookies)
-Ann at the Hampton Inn of Clinton for the cool, comfy room.
-Charlotte with the Bolivar newspaper for taking the time to write an article about the Hunger Ride

Day 13: Mountain Grove, MO to Bolivar,MO

Day 13 on the road.......

Number of Miles I WAS SUPPOSE TO RIDE: 87.56
Number of Miles I ACTUALLY RODE: 106
Temperature: Hmmm, maybe 90?
Wind: The wind was nice to me today
Terrain: Surprise Surprise......hills
Route: I couldn't tell ya...it obviously wasn't a good one in terms of Point A to Point B. But the backroads were steller for sure.
Scariest Moments of the Ride: On four different occasions I had dogs chase me. Fortunately, I have a deep, dark, scary voice that I bring out in these circumstances. "The Voice" (you can ask Stephen and Colin about it) usually keeps most hounds away. In fact, sometimes the voice even scares me. YIKES! I was horse in the late afternoon from yelling so loud.
Songs stuck in my head: "Even the man in the moon is crying" -Mark Collie

GOPHERS LIKE TO "PLAY CHICKEN".....
Yes, this is indeed true. A recent report by the AGA (American Gopher Association) stated that one in eight gophers enjoys "playing chicken" with oncoming bicyclists. I experienced this today as I was going down a steep hill:

On my bike, I'm 30 yards from a large gopher on the shouler.....I'm thinking, "Surely this guy is going to run into the grass."
20 yards from the gopher I'm thinking..... "Wow, he must really be out to lunch, he's acting like he doesn't even see me."
10 yards from the gopher I'm thinking...... "What's the deal with this guy?!? Is he crazy? Does he want to get pancaked and take me down in the process???
7.5 yards from the gopher I'm thinking......."Alright, without a doubt this guy has been watching re-runs of "Footloose" on TNT or the USA network because he definitely is trying to pull a Kevin Bacon on me."
5 yards from the gopher I'm thinking...... "This has been such a great bike trip so far.....I can't believe that I'm going to swerve at 30 mph for 8 pounds of furr in the road.
3 yard away.........Gopher wins the battle.....he moves in the end, but I moved first. My pride is squashed.

SUMMARY OF THE RIDE......
It's crazy that 106 miles can feel better than 70 (the day before) but it's true. I felt great most of the day. The deal with backroads is that they're great for scenery and usually have less traffic. However, they are not always the easiest to navigate. Also, some of the extra mileage was due to the fact that I forgot my bike pump at a gas station.

THE CAUDLE FAMILY.....
Highlight of the day.....probably the highlight of the week was staying with the Caudle family in Bolivar Thursday night. (see pictures above). I had not met the Caudle's previously, but was overwhelmed by their generousity, their willingness to take me in, and their enthusiasm for the Hunger Ride. Pam cooked two amazing meals (breakfast and dinner) and I truly enjoyed their company as I stayed overnight at their house Thursday night. They are incredible people with an incredible story. In some ways, even better than the bike riding has been the people that I have met along the way. Today, I was reminded on Peter Jenkin's stories in "Walk across America" and how his encounters with different people changed the way he viewed the country.

TODAY'S SHOUT OUTS'...........
-The Caudle Family......thanks again!
-Brooke and Mary.....for their rendition of "Mrs. Potter's lullaby" by the Counting Crows
-Marcy McGovern for her angelic melody
-James at the Sonic in Marshfield for the grub at lunchtime
-JoLynn in Beaverton, OR for the HUNGER RIDE GARAGE SALE that she is having this weekend at her house!
-Dad & Mom.....for all of the admin. help.....not mention 40 YEARS together on Saturday.

Day 12: Mammoth Spring,MO to Mountain Grove,MO

The Story of Day 12..........

Miles Ridden: 74
Temperature: 89 degrees
Wind: I'm not exactly sure on the mph....but it was strong and in my face the entire day. Punishing at times.
Terrain: Hills, Hills, and more Hills. They just kept comin'
Road Shoulder: A large amount of room to ride
Word that describes today: difficult
YES!: I am wearing the same bike clothes that I did yesterday.
NO!: These clothes have not been washed this week.
MAYBE: I might wear them tomorrow (In my opinion, the bright yellow shirt is key for visability when you're riding solo.)
The two spellings of the state I'm in: "Missouri" and "Misery"
Songs stuck in my head: "My Savior"-Aaron Shust "I remember you"-SKid Row "Small Town"-JCM "1974"-Amy Grant
Highlight of the day: Meeting WISCONSIN native Chris Reineck, owner of West Plains Cyclery. (see picture above)
Scripture for today: Phil. chapter 4

Quote of the Day: "I probably could have a picked a route across the U.S. that is a little less hilly." -Tom Rand

SUMMARY OF TODAY.......
I have to admit that I am wiped out. I probably could have hydrated a little bit better today. I'll also admit that there's no part of me that wanted anything to do with my Specialized Sequoia Elite today. Riding was pure agony at times. But in a 49-day bike trip, I knew that there would be days like this......so it's alright. The highlight of today definitely was a "highlight." I am very grateful that I had the chance to meet Chris Reineck, owner of West Plains Cyclery in West Plains,MO. He took care of me in a BIG-TIME way. My bike has been shifting on its own the last few days.....Chris helped take care of the problem. In addition, he gave me tubes for my trailer tire as well as additional bike tubes and energy bars......FREE OF CHARGE. But even more than the free stuff, I really had a great time chatting with Chris about Wisconsin, bicycles, and life. If I did not have to get to Mountain Grove, I probably would have stayed longer to hang out. Chris is a great guy.

Day 11: Jonesboro,AR to Mammoth Spring,AR

Miles Ridden: 83
Temperature: 89 degrees
Route: Hwy 63
Wind: Crosswind and Headwind
Departed Jonesboro: 9:15 am
Arrived Mammoth Spring: 5:30 pm ?
# of dead Armadillos sighted: seriously like over 80.......at least one every mile
# of semi trucks that passed me: 15,002 (ughhh)
Song that was stuck in my head: "Caught up in You" -38 Special
Number of flat tires: 1 (my B.O.B. trailer tire)
Soreness Scale: 7.133 (on a 1-10 scale)

Scripture that got me going this morning: Phil. chapter 3

Quotes of the Day: (As I took an older lady's groceries to her car this morning she said to me, (with a look of bewilderment) "Now, you doing some motorcyclin' today?" Um, yes m'am, minus the motor.

(At the same grocery store about five minutes later here is another conversation that I had)
Old man: Where you headed, son?
Tom: Oregon
Old man: How long is that going to take you, four days?
Tom: Well sir, a little bit longer than that.
Tom: (thought in my head) I guess I could maybe do about 655 miles a day instead of 75. Piece of cake.

SUMMARY OF TODAY.......
Here I am in Mammoth Spring enjoying my last few hours in Arkansas. I will literally go about one block and be in Missouri tomorrow morning. Tough day on the road in many ways. The first 40 miles were flat, but then the hills came, and oh did they come. My B.O.B. trailer tire went flat at mile 45, and I couldn't get my pump for the presta valve to work so I had to call on some locals for some mechanical assistance. Whitney and Jacob, (they would only allow me to photograph their house) came through in a big-time way. Without a doubt the provision of the Lord in this situation. I could have been walking for miles.

A GLANCE AT TOMORROW'S RIDE......
Hwy 63 to Mountain Grove,Mo (71 miles)

A GRANDE THANKS TO.......
-Sonic of Mammoth Spring for a delicious dinner
-Mammoth Spring Lodge for a comfy bed
-Whitney and Jacob of Hardy, MO for use of their air pump
-Wendy McMahon for her administrative assistance with the motel
-Anne McCain for her jokes
-Andy Turnage for a very angelic song sung on my voicemail
-JoLynn for a super-encougaging voicemail
-Johnny Olszewski for the uplifting e-mail
-so many who are praying for this ride

THIS SATURDAY........
Rose and Roger Rand celebrate 40 years together!

Day 10: Memphis, TN to Jonesboro,AR

Highlights of Day 10.......

Miles ridden: 71
Temperature: 86 degrees
Average Speed: 15.3 mph
Max Speed: 27.4 mph
Terrain: flat....lots of wide open space.....fields, dirt, grass.
Wind: cross/headwind the whole way
Scenery Rating: -1.35 (on a 1-10 scale)
Start Time: Noon
Finish Time: 6:30 pm
Road Kill: tons of Armadillos
Song stuck in my head: "Against the Wind" -Bob Seger

Highlight of the Day: Some guy in a pick-up truck honked his horn, yelled, and held up one finger in the air as he drove by.
I guess the question would then be......does this guy think that he is #1 or that I am #1?? Hmmm, I have a feeling I'm not going to find out an answer to this one. Yeah, you might be thinking....."Was this really the most exciting part of his bike ride today?" I'm afraid it was.

Scripture Meditation for the day: Phil. chapters 1 and 2
Riding late in the day.....these verses that I had read earlier this morning came back into my mind. The apostle Paul says, "To live is Christ, to die is gain." Man, I tell you what, that's pretty radical if you really think about it. This question that I thought about late in the afternoon was, "What right now in my life do I get more joy and fulfilment in than Christ?"

Summary of Today.......
As you can see from the pictures.....the send off was pretty wild over at Audobon Park in Memphis. I felt like I was running through the Orange T at a UT football game......I've gotta say though that there's no way the Orange T could be as good as riding through a "Ride Tom Ride" sign. That was awesome. In fact, for a few moments, all of the hype got to me and I forgot my name and where I was.

Shout Out's......
-THANKS to many who made my "rest day" in Memphis very memorable.
-A big thanks to Joanie and Sarah Renshaw for the lift across the Memphis Bridge into Arkansas.
-Cracker Barrell of Jonesboro for tonight's dinner
-The guy in the pick-up who might think that I'm #1

SUPER TUESDAY WINNERS: And speaking of the Renshaw Family.......their original song sung to the tune of the Brady Bunch was a real hit. Absolutely awesome. I'm going to talk with a few agents I know to see if we can get this song cut.

SUPER TUESDAY HONORABLE MENTION: Paul White- "Love Boat" and June Marie- "Happy 10th birthday" (I turned ten years old in 88')

SUPER TUESDAY CONTEST FOR THE WEEK OF June 5th- JUne11th: For all of your funny guys and gals out there......between the hours of 8 am and 5 pm this next week......leave the best joke (60 seconds or less) on my voicemail. The joke that makes me laugh out loud the most will be the winner.

Day 8: Savannah, TN to Memphis,TN

Highlights of Day 8......

Miles Ridden: 112
Terrain: Moderately Hilly, then flat.
Temperature: 86 degrees
Word that describes how I felt today: Readytogetoffthebikeandtakearestday
Song stuck in my head: "Walking in Memphis" -Marc Cohn
Unusual happenings: TWO flat tires within 30 miles of Memphis

Sunday, June 4th: REST DAY in Memphis

On Day 8 of the 2006 Hunger Ride I bid farewell to my two riding partners, Memphians Stephen Douglas and Colin Graves. It's been a fun ride fella's! I will miss your company, your wind blocking, and the tremendous attitudes that y'all had on the trip. It was indeed a great blessing having the two of you along for this first leg of the trip.
It was a difficult last day in that we had two flat tires within 30 miles of Memphis. But we persevered, and with a little help from Bill Graves (Colin's Father) in the delivery a spare tire, we made it back to Memphis safe and sound.
Upon arriving in Memphis at 6:30 pm, I quickly showered and headed off to the Macaroni Grill with a group of friends.


Side Note: The purpose of the above picture is to show the world that many bikers really do have tremendous upper body strength. And without a doubt I believe that I have proved this to be true as I effortlessly lift this 19 pound bike over my head. I mean, think about this for a second......if I were in the gym, this would almost be like military pressing 20 pounds. I rest my case.

Schedule for the upcoming week:

Monday: Memphis to Jonesboro, AR (80 miles)
Tuesday: Jonesboro to Mammoth Spring,AR (78 miles)
Wednesday: Mammoth Spring to Mountain Grove,Mo (85miles)
Thursday: Mountain Grove to Bolivar,Mo(85 Miles)
Friday: Bolivar to Clinton,Mo (60 miles)
Saturday: Clinton to Kansas City (78 miles)
Sunday: Kansas City to Topeka (67 miles)