Bolton's 115K Permanent

On Saturday, Wayne Hanno, Brian Hawkins, Dave Nelson and I were the first to ride the Bolton's 115K permanent. The route heads northeast out of Springfield to Fair Grove and then directly west on Highways CC and BB to Bolton's General Store, which is located about 6 miles east of Walnut Grove. The route between Fair Grove and Bolton's is on the TransAmerica Bicycle Trail. We had a South to SE wind that gave us a good push to Fair Grove. Highways CC and BB were continuous hills and dogs. Even with the slight head wind, we returned in about the same time as outbound.

All photos by Dave Nelson.

Racing past Fellows Lake

 Sometimes it pays to check the map














Downtown Fair Grove
Odd Fellows Cafe is good for breakfast or a beer














At Bolton's looking like desperadoes waiting 
for a train (Ralph, Wayne, Dave & Brian)













Recharging back at the Fast & Friendly in Springfield

The Rigors of Winter Randonneuring

Dan Pfaff and I rode Route 66 & Cooky's Pie 205K on Saturday. The sun was just coming up when I left the house. It was still a cold 18 degrees. We left Autotronics at 7:00 hoping that the roads would be clear of ice and snow.

The roads were clear until we reached Paris Springs on Old Route 66. We ended up walking at least a half mile between Paris Springs and where we crossed MO 96 west of Spencer. We also ran into a few spots between M Highway and Miller. We were about an hour behind when we reached the control in Miller. We made good time to Golden City because we had a south to SW wind to push us along.

We were hoping the wind would stay out of the SW when we headed back so we would get a push on the east legs, but it moved back to the south and picked up to 13-15 mph. There is a pit bull east of Miller that was running loose. Last time he was loose, he barked at us but stayed in his yard. This time he was in the middle of the road as we approached. We dismounted and kept our bikes between him and us. I sprayed him in the face with Halt!, but it just seem to make him madder. When we were past his property, he lost interest.

Fortunately, the snow and ice we encountered out bound was pretty much gone on the way back. We got back in the dark just before 19:00. Slower than usual, but a successful ride. This gives both Dan and I eight months towards the RUSA R-12 award.

Heading out














Paris Springs














Ducks














Frozen creek














Historic Route 66 at Spencer














Golden City














Cooky's














Flatlands














Llamas enjoying the warming weather













Only 20 more miles

Willy B's

On Saturday, Doug, Rae, Tom, Steve and I took advantage of the beautiful weather and rode to Ash Grove. As we passed north of the airport, several deer crossed the road in front of us. One of the deer decided jumping over the fence onto the road was not a good idea and crawled under the fence instead. We ate a late breakfast at Willy B's in Ash Grove. In Willard, we jumped on the Frisco Highline Trail and rode it back to Springfield. The trail is now paved from Springfield to just north of Willard.

Deer crossing














Willy B's














Frisco Highline Trail