Measuring flour.Before the next step, Sophia had to change into more appropriate clothing. Slowly add the milk to the eggs in the blender.Slowly add the flour.I poured the batter into hot buttered ramekins and got them into the oven.They should be eaten warm. They were delicious! Both Lenin and Thais had evening activities, so I stayed a bit longer and Lauren came over to help, especially with Carson.

Lococo House B&B.Around the yard.Goodbye Billie and Donna-they have a 10-hour drive ahead of them.My Uber driver’s other job is picking up dead bodies for the St Charles medical examiner and assisting in autopsies. 😬

*All blog posts and pics were on my cell phone.

It was going to be hotter today, so we got up earlier. Billie made breakfast-on-the-road for all of us.5:30: leaving before sunrise.Moonset:Was it fear of the heat? Or was this horse headed for the barn? We arrived in St Charles, our end point, at 10 am. Average speed = 10.8 mph. Billie and Donna can do this all day long, but not me. Today, I was on fire.Miles = 42. Total = 260 miles.

6 am: fog! Hurray. Maybe the sun will stay away longer?Soybeans, I think.We arrived in Marthasville shortly after noon in blasting heat – ugh – 93 degrees but feels like 97, 49% humidity. Tonight we’re staying at Little House B&B and have the whole place to ourselves. Those bright colors on the porch: our laundry drying in the natural heat.

6:30 am: about to cross the bridge to head back to the Katy Trail.The Mysterious Standing Rock:We stopped for lunch in Portland. In came 4 kids who climbed up on the bar stools and ordered cheese sticks. They’d sold cucumbers from their garden and had $17 to spend. They went to the drinks cooler and were trying to decide how many they could get and who would share. Billie gave them some extra money to everyone could have their own. Their eyes lit up. Then they looked inside the ice cream cooler – I bought that round. We told them how much we appreciated their hard work. One of them said, “We work hard and we play hard.”Shortly after the kids left, a bus pulled up with about 20 women enjoying a bachelorette party. They were on their way to Hermann for some wine tasting but needed a potty stop … and some shots of tequila.End of today’s ride: The Doll House B&B in Rhineland.It was so HOT today. Miles=42.

6 am in the lobby of The Broadway:Roche Percee Natural Arch in the bluffs above the Missouri:We lifted our bikes over the hazard.I took a long rest in Hartsburg and met a fellow blogger, Doug, who lives near Jefferson City. We had a wonderful visit. His recommendation of Red Wheel Bicycles in Jeff City came in quite handy because Donna was having a terrible day.Even though Billie and Donna hadn’t caught up yet, I pressed on to Jeff City – it was getting hot! A 3-story circular ramp took you up to the bridge to cross the Missouri River.I found Red Wheel Bicycle easily and was quite happy to see Three Story Coffee next door. The man ahead of me ordered a drink and a scone. Before I could stop myself, I said, “I hope that’s not the last one.” It was. I literally whined that I hadn’t eaten all day (Donna was carrying my breakfast sandwich). He let me have it and immediately became a Trail Angel.Donna got a flat tire. Neither Billie nor Donna could get the tire off the rim. A male cyclist stopped to help and got the tire off the rim. Getting the repaired tire back onto the bike proved to be difficult, but finally it was on … however now the brake was rubbing and her cyclometer cable was broken. She slogged 27 miles into Jeff City and went straight to Red Wheel Bicycles for a good repair job. Miles = 39.

We tried to do as little as possible today … until our evening Culinary Tour of Columbia. 2 1/2 hours, 1.5 miles walking, 5 stops. Kerrie was our tour guide.1. Coley’s American Bistro.Ham & Swiss sandwich, sweet potato tots, Dr Feelgood cocktail.2. Boone Olive Oil Co for a round of tasting. There were about 50 choices like mushroom/sage, butter, blood orange, espresso.3. Broadway Brewery: Citrus Quinoa Salad with El Dorado IPA, then breaded pork tenderloin on grilled rye and a gyro w lamb with Boone Dog Brown Ale.4. NourishChicken salad with organic chardonnay:and avocado mac and cheese with rioja wine.This stop ended with a chocolate truffle (no pic).
5. Dog Master Distillery.After an explanation of the distilling process for various liquors, we began tastings of 2 whiskeys, bourbon, 2 rums, and vodka – very small amounts.To end our evening, Blackberry/lemonade/whiskey cocktail with a blueberry doughnut from Harold’s Doughnuts.We waddled just 2 blocks back to our hotel. What a great experience!