Rolla, Missouri to Casconade Campground near Hazelgreen, Missouri

A 45+ mile day. Several steep climbs I walked up. Several steep descents I rode down. There were a lot of miles away from I-44 and on a rural highway. A pretty good day all in all.

I was making pretty good time despite the couple long climbs, so decided to forego an overnight at a motel in St Robert and push on to the campground on the Casconade River. The campground is about a mile off my route but is the only available place to overnight within range. The next available place would be a motel in Lebanon another 20 miles further, and I don’t think I have a 65-mile day in me.

Aside from riding through the heavy afternoon traffic in St Robert and Waynesville, only two things happened worth mentioning.

First, I stumbled upon a campground I didn’t know was there. It was about 38 miles into my ride off a State Highway 17 near Laquey. It was 2:30 PM and I was about ready to call it a day, so went to check it out. Turns out, there was going to be a HUGE motorcycle rally at the campground this weekend (Memorial Day) and the place was beginning to fill up with motorcycle club chapters from all over the region getting ready to set up for tomorrow afternoon’s opening. I spoke to the girl at the entrance who told me I’d be most welcome to camp there. Camping would be free, and I could pitch my tent anywhere I wanted. She even pointed out a couple spots which she said would ‘quiet.’ I stopped and rested at a pavilion she suggested would be a good spot and watched a few dozen Harleys roll by on the way to their chapter’s campsite. It didn’t take long for me to realize that ‘quiet’ is a relative term and, even though I couldn’t argue with the price, I doubted I get much sleep tonight. Between the motorcycles, the band warming up in the bandstand, and all the folks pouring in overnight, it was going to more noisy and rancorous than I cared to deal with. Maybe if I was 20 years younger, I’d have the energy to enjoy the crowd. But I’m not 55 years old anymore. Those days are far behind me now. So I rolled out of the campground and headed to the Casconade campground.

And it was as I neared the campground that the second event of the day happened. I got a flat. Ran over a nail going almost 20 mph descending a hill. Rear wheel, too. Not the front one which is easier to repair. Ugh. Luckily, I was only about a ½ mile from the campground so walked the wounded bike in. Better to sit down at a picnic table at a campsite to make the repairs than sit in the gravel and grass by the side of the road. It was 4 PM by the time I reached the campground. By 5 PM I had the bike fixed. By 6 PM I had my tent set up and had showered. Then made some dinner. By 8 PM the sun was setting and I was in my tent falling asleep. It was a long day.

Tomorrow will probably be much shorter. There are only three possible places to stop within 50 miles along my route. One is 48 miles away. The terrain looks to be more biker friendly than today’s, but 48 miles seems like it might be more ambitious than I care to try. The next two spots are only 18 and 23 miles away respectively. Short rides. Guess I’ll wait to see how I feel before I decide whether tomorrow will be another long ride day, or a short one.