Cycling the Western Express: Big BAM Day 3: Macon to Moberly

An interesting but enjoyable day of 57 miles from Macon to Moberly. We left the motel about 10:45am and I (one of the last) arrived at the Comfort Inn in Moberly about 4:30.

After 2 great days a little rain fell into our biking lives today. It started last night and was forecast to rain most of the day.

Bill and John are busy multitasking between weather radar and hacking a route on their Garmins via Strava from our hotel to the Big BAM route whenever we decide to finally leave. Most mornings we are on the road by 7:30 but today we expected that the rain might not let up until 10:30.

Like thoroughbred race horses raised to run, we paced in the lobby of the motel, unable to contain our anticipation as we waited anxiously to begin our daily ride while the clock (and weather radar) clicked slowly by.

Finally at 10:45, the moment had come. We were at the gates and ready to begin our rampage across the wetted roads of Missouri.

We endured about 30 minutes of light rain which gave way to dark and low clouds in a gray sky. But it was nice and we loved it.

I fell back from the pack after about 10 miles to take off my rain jacket. As the peloton pressed on far in front of me I ran into some route guidance issues. I was about to make an 18 mile long decision to go either the right or the wrong direction and there were no BAM signs or other riders to guide my decision. My cell phone had no data!!! I was desperate and lacking digital life support I desperately went full-on analog and stopped into a diner to ask people for help and I got fixed up straight away! The sitting gentleman was interpreting my route cue card and the older gentleman in the back had walked in with me and was also looking for analog directions to Mobley!