Tales from Southern Missouri/Dalmac and tri training

I just arrived home from three days in Bennett Spring, MO, a little trip down to Southern Missouri with Gramma. Before we left, I bought a bike rack so that I could continue to train for the Dalmac and the Olathe Women's Triathalon since I'd be gone all 4 days I have off this week.

We arrived Sunday afternoon, and after getting settled at our place in the park, I went for a ride. After only 10 minutes of riding, I had crossed the paved stretch of the park and back. Now what? So, on a whim, I took off up highway OO, a rarely used hilly and twisty two-lane county highway that leads directly to the lodge at Bennett. The road begins with an extremely steep hill (see route/elevation map below), which I almost gave up on; however, after conquering the first hill, I really began to enjoy myself. I was amazed at the wildlife around me. With two walls of trees lining the road most of the way, the 90 degree heat didn't seem so bad. Where there weren't trees, there were other distractions I enjoyed that also kept my mind off the sweltering weather. I frightened three wild turkeys from their hiding place in a field, watched a deer scamper off into the woods, rode beside two finches flying together in a airborne song-and-dance, saw a turtle slowly making his ascent across the highway, watched an enormous crane fly overhead, passed a large herd of "cefs", all of whom called out a friendly low to say hello, and I caught the stare of many interested cows chewing their cud. Not to mention the fascinating auto graveyard I stumbled upon....probably 40-50 cars in a field, surrounded by overgrown grass and looking lonely and forlorn, just waiting for a gearhead like me to come rescue them. The eerie white noise made by the cicadas, the droning, ceaseless calls of the tree frogs, and the odd harumphs of near-by bullfrogs were music to my ears; I was so glad I'd left my ipod behind.

As I was riding, I was thinking to myself how delightful it felt to be so boundless and that the only other kind of freedom that comes close to the feeling of speeding up and down the hills and through the twists and turns is that of riding a motorcycle. The motorcycle gives you the same kind of exhilaration, mostly because of its speed. But bicycling gives you a sense of power that a motorcycle can't. I am soaring down this hill with the wind in my face and the sun on my body, and I provided the power to do it. Not gasoline. Me. My legs, my muscles, my lungs, my sweat, my body. Me.

This was for sure my favorite ride yet on my old little road bike. And then I thought to myself, "Ok, so Missouri does have some redeeming qualities" and laughed at myself. Then I thought I couldn't wait to post my status on facebook about this, then decided I had too much to say about this ride. So here I am. Writing my first blog. And loving it! More to come later....