Crossing into the southern part of Missouri, the weather was much the same as Arkansas. The constant 25+ MPH crosswinds beat upon me and my bike. It got to the point where my neck was beginning to get sore due to fighting against the crosswinds. I made it to the town of Campbell and found a little place called the Sugar Shack. They were open for dine-in, so I stopped in to get out of the wind for a bit and to try to warm up my bones. I ordered a burger and fries and enjoyed them at a nice window booth.
After finishing my meal, I headed towards the Mark Twain National Forest to find a camping spot for the night. I drove up route 53 and once I hit Poplar Bluff and turned onto route 60 the scenery began to change. It was no longer rough windy desert like conditions but was a nice tree-laden forest. I turned onto route 21, heading north, before turning towards the east on route 72. This road led me into the town of Bunker. I had found a campground that is located outside of town, so I turned onto the gravel road and followed it. After about 20 minutes and crossing a stream, I arrived at the campground to find that the gate was locked and the campground was closed due to the virus. This really irritated me as I drove way out of my way and they could have put signs out on the main road saying the campground was closed. So I turned the bike around and drove back into the town of Bunker. I pulled into a small gas station to fill up the tank and to think about what I should do for camping, as the sun is about to set. Along the edge of the parking lot, there is a guy with a table set up selling Trump 2020 merchandise. I walked over to chat with him a bit. He was a nice guy who was trying to make some money to support himself. I liked one of the Trump 2020 hats that he was selling, so I bought one from him. I asked him about any camping sites that were open nearby but he was not sure of any. I thanked him anyway and wished him luck in his little business venture before hopping on the bike and continuing down route 72. I didn’t have cell service at all but thankfully I had saved the address of another camping spot about 20 minutes further down the road. The site is an old abandoned for pay campground and thankfully I was able to find it after navigating a few forest roads. When I arrived, the camp site was pretty full with hunters. I was able to find a small spot at the end of the lot where I pulled my bike in and set up my tent just before it got completely dark. The camera I purchased while in Mississippi should be arriving in two days. So I will try to make it to Pleasant Hill by then. For now, it’s been a long cold windy day, I hop into my tent and try to get some sleep so I can hit the road again in the morning.
I wake up the next morning, load up the bike, and heads towards the town of Rolla. I’m hoping I will have cell service there so I can check on the status of the shipment and figure out where I will go next. I entered the town of Rolla and stopped by a little park. I was planning on sitting down and working on writing a blog post but I checked the radar and there were heavy storms approaching. I decided instead to continue riding towards Kansas City to try to avoid them. While riding, I came across an overlook pull-off that had a few picnic tables. The weather at this point was pleasant with mild temperatures and clear blue skies. So I park my bike under a tree and sit at a picnic table to work on transferring some video files. I checked the weather again and it looks like the rain won’t start until around 1700. So I worked a little bit more and then decided I would ride to Sedalia where I would book a hotel for the night to avoid the storms. By the time I arrived in Sedalia it had just started raining. I stopped by an Econo Lodge to see about getting a room but the place looked like a dump, with plywood nailed over the windows. So I continued over to a Comfort Inn across the street. A room for the night was $100, which I wasn’t fond of spending but it was getting late and the rain had already started. So I booked a room and parked my bike along the side of the hotel and covered it with a tarp to try to keep it dry. It was nice to be sleeping out of the rain for the night, to get a hot shower, and to get a workout in.
Across the parking lot was a little restaurant called LeMaire’s Cajun Catfish and Seafood House. I decided I would walk over there and grab some seafood and I am glad I did because it was delicious! The breading on the catfish was superb and overall the entire catfish dinner was very good (that is even with eating it in my hotel room instead of the cool atmosphere of the restaurant, which was closed to dine-in due to the virus shutdowns). In talking with the staff member, the original owner (LaMaire) used to drive down to New Orleans to pick up fresh fish and drive it back to the restaurant. Quite a labor of love! The rest of the night I worked on updating my blog and did a little research for the next few days of my trip. I ended up staying up until 0200 working on this stuff. It is a lot of work to document a trip and I would much prefer to just relax but I need to take advantage of the services (e.g. electric, internet, etc.) when I have them.
The next morning I wake up and get a quick workout in before packing up the bike and heading towards Pleasant Hill. On the drive west, I pass by some beautiful farm lands which were quite enjoyable to take in. Upon arriving at Pleasant Hill, I stopped by the post office to see if my camera has arrived. It turns out it did not and won’t be arriving until the next day. This means that I have the day to spend in Pleasant Hill so I can pick up the package first thing the next morning.
The post office is located in the historic district of Pleasant Hill, so I walked around the area a little bit. On my walk, I see a little cafe (Big Creek Cafe) that is open for dine-in so I stop in to have some breakfast. After looking over the menu I decided to order the “heart attack”, which is a six egg omelet filled with three cheeses, sausage, bacon, ham, peppers, mushrooms, and onions. It was quite delicious and I didn’t have a problem finishing it or the sides that came with it. I then continued walking around the historic district to see what else is around the area and read a few of the info-panels that are displayed along the sidewalks. Pleasant Hill is a nice little town with quite a bit of Civil War history, as it played a big role during that war. Missouri was home to both Union and Confederate supporters and thus saw a lot of strife. Missouri actually saw more battles than all but Virginia and Tennessee (something I did not realize). Union troops actually burned down everything in the city of Pleasant Hill due to Confederate supporters. After walking around and learning some interesting information, I drove over to a nearby park to sit down and get a bit more work done on the computer. I stopped for some gas on the drive over there and met a guy who was checking out my bike. He was digging the traveling, as he traveled in a camper for awhile and was about to begin a trip down the Missouri river and into the Mississippi on a boat. Sounds like a very neat trip and we wished each other safe travels before parting ways. While sitting at the picnic shelter, some kids walked over to the nearby playground and were having a grand ole time. It was nice to see them out having fun on a playground, it was until the local police officer came and ran them off as the playground was ‘closed’ due to the virus. Ridiculous. Kids can’t even have any fun on a playground these days… After getting some work done, I drive up to a nearby campground which I found out about from the nice folks working in the cafe. It is a very nice park right next to a little lake. It has a few camping spots, a playground, horseshoe pits, and some picnic shelters. I pick out my camp site and begin to set up when the caretaker stops by. It turned out that he is a motorcyclist as well and caters to motorcyclists, so he cut me a deal of $12 for the night which includes electricity, water, and firewood. Not a bad deal at all and I appreciate his kindness! I spend some time sitting near the lake and then build a nice fire (as it is supposed to get near freezing tonight). There are quite a few people out enjoying the park and I met a few friendly folks who shared some more history about the town. I did a quick inspection of my bike and it turns out that my chain is shot. It has completely stretched out so I can no longer tighten it. While sitting around the fire, I purchased a new chain online to have it delivered to Tulsa Oklahoma since I will be traveling in that direction. The rest of the night I sat around the fire and read more from ‘The Long Ride Home’. I am fascinated by the similar situations that Nathan Millward faced that I am also facing on my trip. I guess it’s all part of the motorcycle journey and how life on the road goes.
It did indeed get very cold over the night and I struggled to stay warm and sleep well. I even layered up the clothes that I wore while in my sleeping bag but it just got cold enough that it was hard for me to stay warm. I got out of my sleeping bag around 0700 and sat in the sun to read a bit and to help warm up. I waited till shortly before the Post Office was set to open before loading up the Strom and riding over there. When I arrive at the Post Office, they have my package sitting there on the counter. They told me that the guy I ordered it from never put ‘General Delivery’ on the address label, so usually they send it back because there is no one named ‘Geoffrey’ at the post office. Thankfully I arrived in the morning and was able to grab it before they sent it back. Now that I have my new camera, I hop back on the bike and head towards Kansas City to continue my BBQ tour with a stop at Joe’s Bar-B-Que.
I ordered a (delicious) Z-Man sandwich (brisket, provolone, and onion ring) and a regular Pulled Pork sandwich. Kansas City has everything shut down, so I ate it while sitting against a brick wall in a nearby parking lot. The sandwiches were still very good! After finishing up my lunch, I head west into Kansas towards Topeka. Once hitting Topeka, I make a stop at a quirky little place called ‘Truckhenge’.
It is run by a man named Ron Lessman who started it after the county started messing with him and telling him to pick his trucks up (as he had some old trucks in his yard). So he ‘picked up his trucks’ by elevating them into the air by burying one end in the ground with a concrete base. The county tried to sue him but he won the case as it is now considered ‘art’. He continued this trend with other items on his farm as well, such as ‘Boathenge’, bottle sculptures, and a very large ball of Christmas lights (that is still growing). Ron and his wife have a peacock on the farm, a shooting range, and allow for people to come out and camp and have big bonfires. I was able to get a tour of the farm by Ron himself. I had to pay very close attention to him as it was hard for me to understand him with his accent and how fast he talked. I missed a few things he said but think I got he gist of it.
After the tour, I headed south about 150 miles to the town of Coffeyville. I would have liked to stop at the Evel Knievel museum that they have in Topeka but it was closed. Will have to save that for another trip. The ride to Coffeyville was pretty uneventful will long straight patches of roads full of farm lands. I made it to Coffeyville a little before dark where they have a large campground in town that is self-serve at $8/night and comes with electric and water. There were just a handful of people there, so I picked a nice flat spot under a tree and set up my tent. I hop in my tent to get a good night’s sleep as I will be heading into Oklahoma early the next morning.
