Day 30: Poplar Bluff to Union City TN

I had a very nice 111 mile ride today - one of the best of the trip. Although it was foggy and damp in the morning I enjoyed riding through the many cotton fields (see picture) in the broad flatlands of the Mississippi River valley. Unlike yesterday in the Ozark's, the small towns and homes were generally well kept and fairly prosperous looking - and there were no dogs chasing us.

Ninety-five miles into the ride we reached the Mississippi River and after a short wait, boarded a small ferry (see picture) which took us to Hickman, Kentucky. It was a neat experience which marked a major milestone in our cross country trip. I was feeling strong when we got off of the ferry so I pushed the pace pretty hard over the last 16 miles zipping through Kentucky and into Union City.

My quads did not cramp up today - I kept expecting it to happen, but it never did. It's possible I found the root cause of the problem last evening when I re-checked all of my bike fit measurements. To my surprise I found that my saddle was 1 cm further back than it should have been. This may not sound like much to non-cyclists - but it's really a big deal. With the saddle properly adjusted, I immediately noticed more stress on my calfs and less on my quads. So tonight my calfs are sore - it will take a few days to adjust to the new saddle position. I don't know how and when the saddle was moved, but I'm sure glad I found it. I'm not declaring victory yet, but at least things are headed in the right direction.

Tomorrow we have a relatively short 80 mile ride to Dover, but once again the weather may be a big factor. Strong storms are forecast, but their timing is not clear. We are planning an early start to see if we can beat the storms to Dover.

Tomorrow evening I am taking a short break from the trip to attend a two day Southern Company board of directors meeting in Atlanta. I'll only miss the Monday ride since Tuesday is a scheduled rest day in Nashville. Wednesday we ride out of Nashville to begin the final segment of our trip to Charleston. The fall colors should be spectacular as we pedal through the mountains of Tennessee, North Carolina, and South Carolina.

Steve