Jeremiah Watt

Wow, what a night it turned out to be. There was so much thunder that I hadn't even heard the 8-10" dia tree fall just 20 feet from my little abode upon the wooded banks of Clear River. I am even mre thankful as I take in the situation beyond just my tent area, there is plenty of new washes down to the river and many large branches down as well.

It makes the totally soaked sleeping bag and 2" of water that seem to be able to stand at the lower end of my tent seem completely uniportant in hind sigh. A little advice that I can impart to you whom may choose to adventure out on such a adventure as this. I had placed my tent on a fair slope of a bank, and my head was at the lower end of the slope. All night long I kept sliding/slipping towards the watery end of my tent, so my bag got wettest at the head end and just chilled more as the night wore on. And my head was so congested from being at the lowest end all night that I could hardly function in the morning it seemed.............just extra groggy would be the best description.

I packed up my water soaked camp, with the understanding that I would let thigs dry later in the afternoon if the sun come out. It was my sleeping bag that worried me the most. In the meantim it was time to make my way form down on the river bank back up to the highway above me................which as it turne dout was the larger portion of the pain for the night. What had been very hard roads and trails just the night before, where now mirey red clay glue lines. This part of the State at least has a red clay soil, add water in the smallest quantities and you can glue down the groundseat in a saddle.................back home in Manitoba Canada we would have called it "gumbo".

I had a good 5-600 yards to make it from my tent location back to the hard paved road, and the last 200 yards would be up a very steep sloped bank..................it was just a grunt and shove route to the pavement. I was never really sure if it would ahve been better to just unhook the trailer and make it in two trips or suffer thru with one hard trip. In any case by the time I got to the top in one long trip, my feet where 6" inches larger and so were my tires and the traileer tires etc. Matter of fact non of my wheels would even roll by the time I topped out at the road. And I was faced witha good mile ride back into town to boot. So, I done the best I could, using a stick to scrap off all the mud I could, then I started in with the water bottles that i had and washed the chain etc................but this mud is so sticky, it didn't come off very easy at all. Once I done all I could with sticks and what water I had, I decided to just ride and see how much would fall off as I went.

I rode the mostly downhill or level ride into Doniphan, and by good fortune rode into town at the same place that there was a car wash.............now how opportune I thought.............thankyou Lord for the good idea that I just had!! I completely took every thing apart and mostly undressed and began washing every thing that was now covered in mud............everything. Since I was already soaked from the nights gail, it didn't bother me to get my shoes wet a little more. I spent a good hour at the washer, the mud ws very tough to get out of the chain, and out from between the gears etc and derailuers. But after a lot of washing I was finally clean...........now to dry things. The sun was coming up of course, as has been its habit since the third day of creation, and I laid my tent and such out to catch a slight breeze and some sun. I had my first vistor for the day, a fellow whom had been an Army Ranger Special Forces in Vietnam, and he had watched the most washing process and wanted to know where I had spent the night to get so muddy, so I explained it all to him. He thought it quite a humourous way to start the day. He informed me that he had got over 3 inches of rain through the night, while other areas had gotten as high as 3.5 inches. We had a good visit, and I packed up my stuff and headed to theLibrabry for the opening at 9am.

Before it openend, I helped the gals who run it, unload some books that had been donated and just doinf that I think put me in good stead with the staff. This was different group of gals though, much more inclined to help and try to figure out a way to get each person taken care of. SO maybe it was the small town mentality that came into play, not sure. I really think that it came down to the great attitude of the lady whom was in charge of it all, I want to say a special thanks to her. Without her help, I would be many days behind yet.

I met one young fella inparticular whom seemmed quite interested in my trip and especially my bike. Lj, and I visited more than most of the kids at the Library. I worked on the blog steady until about 4pm, and decided that I had better hit the road. My darling wife had suggested I get Motel room for the night and let things dry out, but I wanted to get some miles in. The sky did have a dark cast to it over Doniphan, but as I rode to the east and out towards what is known as the bootheel of Missouri it cleared. There is a place where you ride off of the escarpemnt that all of western Missouri resides upon, and you hit the flats of the bootheel, and this point is quitenoticeable. From clear creeks and thick trees, you ride out into the flats that drain into the mighty Mississippi and all of that slow moving MUD!

MY YOUNG FRIEND LJ,
One thing that is really noticeable is the palpable smel of decay, it is made up of rotting vegetal matter and the occasional Coon, Muskrat and Possum for good measure...............but it is ever present as a reminder that things are different here......................they are water logged and you can see it. Each tire track, ech footprint is filled with water. I stop in a little town called Naylor. And ride around looking for some HIGH place to set my tent and let it dry just alittle before eveneing sets in for good. I finally find a little place near the southern edge of a 300 person town and set camp up and let what drying I can get begin with the setti ng of the sun.
Supper is very simple tonight, I had made an extra sandwich that day, and so I had the same for supper along with some water. Right across the street from where I had camped, there was a quick stop type gas station and groceries............so I ambled over to have some coffe at about 8pm. Ther was a group of farmers doing the same so I sat amongst them and had a visit. I found out that they had 4inches of rain that night, and a total of 13" of rain during one night last week..............thus the water logged look the country had taken on when I arrived. These folks raise alot of Rice, and the harvesting of Rice was being hampered by the excess water. It was during the visit, that i had recounted to me the funniest cycling storythat have ever heard. It seems that one day about a month before my arrival, one of the farmers in the group had just pulled up to the highway from one of the side roads and when he looked left he noticed the arms of a man as they flailed in the air............and then it all came into view. It was man riding a "UNI-CYCLE". The rider stopped to talk to this waiting farmer, and the cyclist was wanting to find gravel roads that would take him on west to Doniphan. His cycle was equipped witha solitary pole that extended north over the riders head, and onto that was tied all his worldly goods, a tent and a bag of sleep, also wtarer bottles etc. To hear that farmer describe it was really funny , and after the visit about roads the cyclist kicked off on his trip further east in that hurty gurty fashion that a single wheeler has.............and the farmer in his 60,s stood amongst us all and done his best impression of what it looked like to watch the rider as he left. He truly missed his calling as a Thespian, and may also have made a great mime artist. The cyclist had ridden from the furthest end of the Smokies in Tennessee and was moving evything that he owned in one trip.............to some place in Kansans wher it wasn't so crowded.

THE FLATTER PORTION OF MISSOURI, OUT INTO THE BOOT HEEL DUE SOUTH

Great stories, and a little information oin what the bootheel had to offer for the next day. I had been chased by 6 dogs on this day and a short ride it was from Doniphan. I was warned that many roads would be closed due to flooding so be sure I checked with locals before I headed doen them.
Man that sleeping bag feels cool whenI get in............sure miss my wife tonight.

Good NIght and God Bless