In the land of Popeye…

It is day 13 and we are about halfway through our ride today. We are taking our daily afternoon library break here in Chester, IL. Apparently it is the home of Popeye the sailor man. Every business has some sort of Popeye cartoon incorporated on it. Other than that, the only thing else there seems to be is hills and semi-trucks carrying coal. Once we leave here though, we immediately cross the Mississippi River and head into Missouri!

After a super gnarly thunderstorm @ 3AM, we got off to a late start today around 9:30. We were hit with some difficult hills and a nasty headwind right of the bat leaving Murphysburo, IL. This really took a toll on Todd’s knee which slowed him down to an 8mph pace on a long, flat, windy stretch. We are keeping an eye on his knee, however, we are trying to make it to Farmington, MO today, where will will be resting for a few days with our first Couchsurfing buddy, Kelsey, on this trip. Once we reach there we will try to let Todd’s knee recover so it will be ready for the Ozark Mountains. Expect picture updates to come in the next day or so! -K