Jim and Bill start the day with some gearing trouble, and their plans for the day are ultimately derailed by a derailleur.  But not before first visiting the purported “World’s Biggest Gift Shop”, for the usual staples – chocolate covered pineapples and jumbo playing cards.

We are losing our patience with Bicycling Route 66.  Judging by our time on this route in Illinois and Missouri, I really have to proclaim it to be unfit and undesirable for bicycle travel.  Too frequently the route is merely a sideroad beside an interstate highway, on a single lane highway with speed limits that soar to 55 mph between towns, no shoulder, no separate path, and clearly insufficient thought to cyclist safety.  Each night I use Google Street View to slowly paw along the roadway looking for safety challenges in the day ahead.  Too often we discover that  our concerns apply to the bulk of the route and we look for alternatives and/or plan extraction points along the way. We did try off-roading today – improvising the route using country roads, but we found too many roads had unexpected gravel and then, of course, we were in constant terror of roaming dogs.  One dog looked demon-esque as it gnashed its teeth while bounding clear over its restraining fence, 

Incredibly, despite the foregoing, we are having fun.  This is a very good group – cohesive, spirited, thoughtful and resilient.  When fun and funny people travel together for a long time, great things happen.

We learned something fun: not only are we on Route 66 during its 100 year anniversary, but specifically arriving in Springfield, MO – the ceremonial centre of Route 66 – on the first night of the national kick-off celebration.  This is a big event and people have gathered from all across America for this night and the next few days.  Our motel is optimally located for the events, and host to countless nostalgia-fueled parties.  The parking lot looks like a scene from the Happy Days opening credits. 

Bill gets to work trying to garner media attention, but our story is evidently too sensational to be believed. Honestly, people with Parkinson’s travelling such distances by bike.  Who would believe it?