We trekked across Indiana and into Illinois. We could see it was going to be a 3 state day as we neared Missouri. We stopped at a Visitors Center just over the border and got information on Missouri wineries... this is the second largest wine producing state, behind California. There are more than 60 wineries here.
We picked the Stone Hill Winery in Hermann, MO, and headed that direction. A quick check of our campground guide showed a city park with a campground for $10-$13. It sounded like a good arrangement.
The town of Hermann is a pretty little place, right at the northern part of the Missouri Wine Country. We found the city park... the RV park was full with an Airstream gathering, but there is some overflow parking. The price turned out to be $20-$30. And, there is some sort of bicycle race that seems to be winding down.
We got the boat set up and headed off to the winery. The tour and the wine tasting were interesting... not my cup of tea (or bottle of wine, as the case may be), but I was hoping Joan was enjoying the experience.
When we got back to the city park, things had changed. The bike races were actually just ramping up before, and now the place was packed. We couldn’t get a parking place near our boat, which was now surrounded by cars with bike racks.
The races are a type of bicycle-motocross. They race up and down hills, over steps, fly across berms, hop off their bikes and carry them across an obsticle course... they are loud and seem to be having a good time. Lots of people here who must REALLY enjoy the SNL routine about Blue Oyster Cult, 'cause there is PLENTY of cowbell! They're ringing 'em like crazy!
It’s a pretty sure bet that it will be a long time into the night before things quiet down around here. In the meantime, we started working on a route to get us home. There really is no direct route... the Ozarks are a barrier - only a few twisty roads. Heading west will take us across the crappy roads in Oklahoma. We will probably go 100+ miles out of the way to find good roads. Fortunately, we are not on a schedule.
1 comment:
I've done one of those bike races - called Cyclocross. Outside of the "real good" riders, people take some old "ten speeds" and modify them for this type of racing.
One of the hardest races that I've ever done - just could not wait until the end. They normally are at the race to party with half barrels of beer set in the middle of the course. I don't drink or party, so I only experienced the pain.
Have a nice trip home.
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