Friday, June 28th, 2024
Hermann, MO → Jefferson City, MO
51.23 mi, 617 ft elevation
Today was a dream. I woke up in a beautiful treehouse after a restful night of sleep. Our route was easy: get on the Katy Trail, bike to Jefferson City, get off the trail, and bike to our host’s house! And only about 50 miles! It's crazy how 50 miles now feels short when I wasn’t sure I could finish the 55-mile Midnight Marathon only a few months ago.
Unfortunately though, biking on dirt requires a bit more effort than biking on smooth pavement, so these 50 miles were not a complete breeze. And while the trail is beautiful, I did start getting bored of it by the end of the day. Luckily, it wasn’t too long before we got to Jefferson City. Going into the city, we got to bike on The Skywalk, a fun spiral-shaped structure to get up to the Jefferson City Bridge.
Since we got to our host Sarah’s house early in the afternoon, we had some time to run errands and relax. Rebecca and Amulya went to a local bike shop to get their bikes and their bike fits checked. Cleo’s phone had stopped working so she drove to Columbia to buy a new phone. Sophia made lemon curd and bread pudding with our excess of sandwich bread that no one was eating. And the rest of us just hung around the house.
Our host Sarah was performing at a brewery in the evening, which we wanted to catch after dinner. To make it on time, Sophia, Varsha, and I started preparing dinner pretty early. We made Japanese curry and a kale, avocado, and grapefruit salad. I chopped potatoes and zucchini for the curry and prepared the salad, which was certified bussin’ according to head chef Sophia (credits to her for the flavor combination). I love cooking, but cooking for a larger group stresses me out a bit, so it was therapeutic to just sous chef under Sophia and not think as much about the whole plan.
After dinner, we drove to the brewery where Sarah (check her out here!) was performing. We gathered around a table on the patio, some of us sipped root beer floats and we listened to Sarah sing, whistle, and play guitar. As the sun started to set, the warm summer air began to cool and Sarah’s beautiful voice filled the space, I began to reflect. Just over a month ago, I was grinding my thesis in Rotch Library late into the night, with not another soul besides the mice that scurried around at night. And now, I was in Jefferson City, MO, a city I’d never been to in a state I’d never visited. I was listening to a lovely performance by our host, an incredibly welcoming person, among many generous and interesting people I’ve met on this trip. I made my way here from DC by bike (mostly). And I’ve gotten to do all these amazing things with seven funny, inspiring, and kind people I’ve grown to love and care for over the past month. It feels like I’m living in a dream, it just doesn’t end when I wake up.
i love that song -kelton