Day 34, Twin Rivers to Ellington, Missouri.

The Scenic Rivers Motel, our home for the night.

Lisa and Mary Ann. They are real sisters.

I'm not sure what a Whippet is, but Ellington is their home.

This is an armadillo. He didn't quite make it.

Remember these? When I was a kid growing up, there used to be a few of them on Molokai.

The 21 Dinner, we ate so much here that we almost couldn't ride.

Down town Centerville. Yep, this is all there is to it.

The Black River. The cleanest river we've seen so far.

Leaving the Twin Rivers Camp Ground.

Standing water frm the previous heavy rain next to the road to the camp ground.

The bridge is where we crossed to get to the camp ground.

This bob cat was mounted on the wall of Hall's Restaurant.

The red roads of Centerville.


Day 34. Twin Rivers to Ellington. "Taking It Easy". 26 miles. 1437.6 miles total.

It's hard to come up with titles every day, so sometimes I just wing it. Today we made it to Ellington. A short day as far as riding is concerned. We decided to burn one of our rest days by doing a number of short days. That way we will still be on schedule, and still get to meet Lisa's sister Mary Ann. Mary Ann was waiting for us as we pulled into the parking lot of the Scenic Rivers Motel. Our home for the night. I recognized her as soon as I saw her. She looks almost like Lisa. A lot prettier, but not as good looking. Besides, she was the only one there. She is a very pleasant person to be around. I felt right at home, and we talked about everything. It wasn't long before i felt comfortable enough to bust out one of my jokes. She now knows what a sick mind I have.

We left the campsite at about 8:30 this morning. We skipped breakfast and decided to hele on till the next town some 17 miles away. I saw my first road kill armadillo. I was hoping to see a live one, but those things are not easy to see. I think they hide in the bushes, and only come out to cross the road. Today was also the first time I've seen a red road. That's right, red. I took a picture, but it didn't come out the way I saw it. We rode on wide shouldered road for the first couple of hours, then turned on to a lesser traveled road where the shoulder disappeared completely. But it was still nice since today was Sunday, and the traffic was light. One thing we noticed about Missouri drivers is that they like to honk at cyclist. Some even like to pass real close. one of the scariest situations was when this huge truck pulling a double wide camper passed us going 90 (At least that's the way it seemed), withing inches from us. And we were hugging the white line on the edge of the road. I offered a word of prayer thanking the Lord for our safety while Lisa cussed and sweared at the culprit. I like to think that the guy driving just didn't realize how wide he really was. Other than that, it was a pretty nice day. We stopped in the town of Centerville where we found the 21 dinner and decided to have breakfast there. It was almost 11 o'clock, so we knew we would be good till dinner. I ordered a full breakfast, and a side order of biscuits and gravy. Needless to say, i felt like a stuffed elephant after that. We only mad one more stop a couple of hours later for cold drinks. I can not tell you how good a cold drink is when you've been on the bike for a few hours in hot and muggy conditions.

After getting settled in at the Scenic Rivers Motel, we showered, and went to do our laundry. From there, we had dinner at Hall's Restaurant. I had the full salad bar, and a hamburger steak dinner. Once again stuffing myself to the point I thought i was going to explode. Ellington is a small town with a population of 1045, A nice country setting wit5h a couple of gas stations, a grocery store, and the likes. Best of all, we have wifi.

Thank you again for your prayers. I believe the Lord listens, and is watching over us ever minute while we are here. Thank you Lord, for everything. Aloha, Ted.