May 25th, 2019 / (134km/83mi, 670hm)
After some last minute confusion about my motel next night – and it’s Memorial Day weekend here in the US, so places are pretty booked out – I start late, i.e. at almost 9am, which pays back badly during the day. It’s again getting super hot with temperatures quickly climbing beyond 30°C/90°F. The sun is burning down on me again and there’s only very few clouds in the sky to spend some shade.
The whole day is up and down the hills. The ride down is an adrenalin rush, because most of the time it’s a steep angle. but up is also steep so the adrenalin’s place is taken by sweat on the bottom of the valley between those two hills.
I’m getting deeper into the Ozarks. The open fields are getting replaced by dense forests covering the hills in all directions. You can’t make out an end of this landscape. And it’s not great for taking photos, I have to admit. So there’s very few shots I take today.
The road itself is relatively busy with weekenders coming out here with their boats and canoes on trailers. A lot of tourists enjoying the area and getting from one spot to the other with their car. Many wave as they pass.
What strikes me is the sheer number of dead animals on the road. Snakes, squirrels, armadillos (dt. “Gürteltier”?), racoons, deers and turtles. Except for two snakes and one turtle, they had all made it to the state of Kansas, i.e. they were flat. Run over by cars. A shame!
After an exhausting ride I arrive in Ellington, MO, where I move into the Scenic Rivers Inn (there’s no scenic river here, tho). I got the last room. They are booked out. I need a shower. The heat takes its toll on me.