Laying in bed last night we found the bed so comfortable that we didn’t want to get up early to ride so we decided to have a rest day today. The fact that the next real city/town is hundreds of miles away also had an effect on our decision.

We woke up and mowed the lawn for Ellen as a way to pay back for her hospitality. Had coffee and English muffins for breakfast before taking an Uber to the city center where we walked around the downtown and the River walk, and overall enjoying life.

Saemi had a haircut and Monika had her eyebrows tinted. Great to look like supermodels again 🤣.

We had ice cream and bought cupcakes to bring back to Ellen’s house for dessert from a bakery called Bite Me. Interesting name but great muffins.

Tonight’s home cooked meal was salmon with rice and mango. One of the best meals we have had since starting the journey. Thank you so much Ellen.

Two other Warmshower guests were at Ellen’s house with us tonight which was fun and just goes to show what an amazing host Ellen is. Ryan and Jackson are cycling east to west and gave us some great pointers regarding the rest of the trip.

It was a fantastic way to enjoy a rest day before hitting the long flat road of eastern Colorado and Kansas.

We have been contemplating whether to deviate from the TransAm trail by going north of the Ozarks to ride the Katy trail which is supposedly very nice and free from traffic. The surface is hard packed and smooth gravel. The downside is that we miss the Ozark landscape and we will have to add some miles to get to the trail. Any thoughts, comments or tips on this decision would be much appreciated.