Day 32 (7/24): Marshfield, MO --> Eminence, MO (110 miles)

Days mileage: 110 miles

Another day in Missouri where the hills seemed to become more of a way of life than a nuisance. The first day laid witness to some of the steepest roads I've ever seen while this coming day resluted in a more rolling landscape. I knew that the Ozarks were closing in on me...or maybe it's the otehr way around. Unfortunatly, they would be at the end of a long and hilly day if I chose to tackle them today.

I figured I"d wait and see how me legs felt come that point in time.

In the meantime I talked to myself for mile after mile after mile....flipping thru some Dylan albums in my mind and realizing more and more how deprived I've been of hearing some of that good ol' music.

The landscape was taking on more of an east coast appeal...minus the Blue Ridge Mtns.

I ran into a bunhc of folks heading westbound today...a retired couple, three guys from France, and one lone ranger dude right before I pulled into the town of Houston to take a break. Once I got to Houston there was a cool little motel that was very biker friendly and had free internet access and the works. It seemed to be a biker haven.

I got to the town of Eminence and decided there to call it a day...it had been 110 miles thru Missouri...and though it was only 25 miles to get to Ellington those 25 could easily prove to be very slow and strenuous on my already fatigued legs.

I stocked up for dinner foods at the local grocery store and headed to the camping area next to the river, pitched camp, ate food and...finally, got some fly fishing in...no caddis fly hatchs or anything...so I just tossed a Muddler Minnow out in the currents for an hour or so and then meandered back to camp. It felt nice to stand in a river again and I thought back to all the times I've spent standing in rivers in the Blue Ridge Mtns and the Shenandoah Valley.

I yearned for those rivers all over again and started to fish them again within my mind...knowing this time around where all the fish would be waiting. Not particularlly for me to lay a fly over them, but perhaps for something I could never offer them regardless of how polished of a cast I delivered...

I snapped out of my mind-wandering manner and spent the rest of the night talking with a fellow named Bruce ( and his dog named 'Bear') who had been traveling on the road for the past 11 years of his life. He did vinyl work for folks all over the country and enjoyed not living in any place. He said he always loved coming back to the Ozarks and went on to tell me how much the town of Eminence has changed from when he first used to come here. He then went on and on about politics and the American government and about how there may have never been a real moon landing and it could, easily, be a conspiracy....

After I had a big enough helping of such deep conversations I retretaed to my tent and sing through another Bob Dylan album....I've had his latest release 'Modern Times' in my head for a good while....so figured that would be good as any (b/c all his stuff is amzing afterall)...

The Ozarks were waiting for me as I slept a restless sleep...