Oct. 19 – Coffee and Tacos

All traces of the rain had vanished by the time I woke up – it was chilly, but the sky was blue. My tent was pretty wet, so I set it out in the sun to dry and went back to the coffee shop I had seen last night. It was a cool little shop that was connected to a boutique in the next space – Monroe’s Coffee. I ordered a coffee and a scone, and since I was the only customer there, the barista, Makenna, and I struck up a conversation. Poor girl, her family had moved from a suburb near Chicago to this tiny town right right as her senior year of high school started. It has been a tough transition and she has chosen to finish high school online rather than attend the local school for one year. She was a bright young lady, wise beyond her years…..don’t think I was successful in talking her into trying bicycle touring…. But maybe my “go to college” lecture will take!

Then it was time to pack up and get moving as I was getting kind of a late start. Depending on the riding today, I was either going to ride to Hartville (60+ miles) or Bendavis (80+ miles). The rollercoaster ride continued, so when I got to Hartville just after 4 I figured I had better stay or I might get caught out on the road in the dark. I talked to a lady at City Hall who gave me permission to camp at the city park. It was just outside of town and I rode over to check it out (covered pavilions and power outlets – perfect!) and then stopped at the supermarket for a few things before deciding to have dinner at a recently opened Mexican restaurant that was on the main drag – Los Poblanos. The waitress and the two cooks were from Guerrero – the owners also have a restaurant in Springfield where the three regularly work, but they were sent to Hartville as staffing was tough. They thought that Springfield was pretty boring – until they got to Hartville! They kept asking me where things were and what there was to do….and I kept reminding them that I had been in town for an hour and had no idea. It was pretty funny. I got some carne asada tacos, which were decent – not La Reforma….but surprisingly good for a small town in Missouri. I can’t believe that I didn’t take any pics! I am slacking. I realized that it was getting dark and I hadn’t set up camp yet, so I paid my tab and hurried over to the park.