Off route in Rolla, MO

June 29: rode 40 miles east from Marshfield, MO, but found our way north to Rolla by a mysterious turn of events

The events of today will be recounted as accurately as possible like always, but I have to say that I am having a tough time believing that this sort of story actually happened. Let me begin by saying that Larry has a friend and colleague who lives in Dixon, MO, which is north of the our bike route but not terribly far from two of our stops: Marshfield and Emimence. Larry wanted to catch up with him (Frank Chapman) last night but it was late so he decided to postpone...

The ride started very well. The temperature was a cool 61 degrees and sunny with a forecasted high in the mid 80s, and we even had a tail wind. We were making good time despite the steep grades of the road, and had come about 40 miles to the intersection of highways 38 and 95. Well, I was there to take a little break and wait up for Larry. After 5 minutes of waiting, I guessed that he was fixing a flat so I just looked over the maps. Then I sat my bike down and I also decided to sit. I put my head in my arms and sortif dozed for a bit since sleep has been tough to come by. When I snapped out of this trance, I looked at the time and realized that I'd been there for 45 minutes! Worried, I started to backtrack. Larry was 3 miles back in a driveway with BOB off and bike upside down. The cable to his rear derailer had snapped and he was trying to replace it but the thing wasn't cooperating. After fiddling with it for some time, another rider came along, and between the 3 of us we were able to set the bike in a low gear so that we could ride up to the intersection and call Frank or try to hitch a ride. There is no cell reception at the bottom of the hills so calls require high ground.

As we approached the top, a white SUV pulled over into the driveway of a church and the driver asked me if I was Charley, to which I replied, "Frank?". Sure enough, it was the one and only Frank! He left work early to try and catch us in Houston, but after some waiting decided to check along the route. We piled our stuff into his car and went first to his house for some water and melon. He hen drove us north to Rolla so that Larry could have his bike fixed by a shop he has used there. The shop was able to fix Larry's bike, and we were also able to share a meal and check into a hotel. On top of this wonderful treatment, Frank also helped us figure out a route for tomorrow that will put us back on the trail at the same pace as we have in the itinerary. Of all the places to have the cable snap and to have somebody willing to go so far out of his way, I'm glad that they were one in the same.

We'll head to Farmington tomorrow barring any ssues. Thank you so much, Frank, and I can't help but think that we were being watched over.