It took me a while to get to sleep last night. That was a problem of my own making. Quite late on, a topless man emerged from the nearby Lost Valley trail on his chopper-style bicycle. He returned to the only other vehicle in the car park. He was wearing just shorts and wellies. Oh…and he had what looked like a rifle (might have been a banjo or a shovel) and a massive knife too. I’m sure he was a very nice man but he reminded me of one of the “hill people” from the movie The Hills Have Eyes. I opened the window’s insect net which is next to my bed to take a photo. I felt I had to do it or the readers of this blog would never believe me. I took the photo and was very relieved that the flash wasn’t on! I should have checked that first.
The man drove away soon after but that didn’t stop me from scanning the dark and empty car park for the next hour or so! Thankfully, the only thing to be seen was the occasional firefly.
A standard broken nights sleep followed and I was gutted to be woken up at 0445 by a car entering the car park. That was 45 minutes before the alarm was due to go off.
After a hearty bowl of porridge and blueberries I set off on Highway 94 at 06:27. There was a little bit of traffic but as soon as I got on Highway F, I pretty much had the road to myself.
I would go on to spot all manner of animals today. The first of which was a deer near Defiance.
I met the RV at 6.5 miles for peanut butter bagels at the Historic Daniel Boone Home. I was pretty hungry which doesn’t happen too often on these big runs.
I felt full of energy for the next few miles and morale was good. That soon stopped when I saw a sign saying “Road Closed. 2.5 miles ahead”. I attempted to message Alan about it but there was no reception. I pressed on regardless onto Femme Ossage Creek Road.
The good thing about the road closure was that I had the road to myself in the most beautiful valley I’ve seen since I ran across the Pyrenees in 2016. The photo below doesn’t do it justice.
I took my earphones out and let the soundtrack of the valley provide the entertainment. There were no cars, lorries, litter, graffiti or people. It was as quiet and unspoiled as I’ve seen in over 1000 miles so far. I spotted a turtle in the nearby creek.
Femme Ossage Valley was full of farms. Any early morning cloud disappeared and I could feel the temperature start to rise.
I came to a road close sign just before the 11 mile point. My heart sank with the thought of what could be waiting around the corner.
The first thing I saw was a missing road. It looked like the one that forced me to detour in Indianapolis nearly 2 weeks ago.
I was then delighted to see a temporary path that crossed the creek.
I spotted a horse, some calves, 2 cats and a golden retriever over the next few miles. I was also pursued by some dogs at one point. I didn’t take photos of them. I chose to increase the pace a little to avoid any nonsense.
I made it to 15.5 miles for sandwiches and a 30 minute tactical snooze.
Alan made some iced coffee before I set off again in the hope that it would have the same positive impact as the one at Starbucks yesterday. Alan’s was better than that one, I’m pleased to report (I feel inclined to say that as I know he reads the blog).
There were some nice little inclines to contend with over the next few miles. It really helps to have lost 15kg in the last 40 days when it comes to climbing. That’s 33 pounds or 2 stone and 5 pounds in old money.
At 14:53, I was just making my way into Marthasville at 19 miles when I received the following message.
I got to the RV as quick as I could. There’d been a blow out in one of the tyres. Fortunately, it happened at low speed in the town.
Luckily there was a nearby garage. Alan made his way over there and they would be able to fit a replacement tomorrow morning (Tuesday 10th June). That put paid to any plans of continuing running for the day unfortunately. It was an unavoidable great shame as I was setup nicely for the final session of the day. I had to settle for 20.15 miles in the end.
There is one advantage to finishing at the trailhead of the Katy Trail here in Marthasville. I’ll now be able to do a more direct route on the trail itself tomorrow which will save a few miles. The plan today was to take a longer route on the road to make support and an overnight stop possible.
I’ll be setting off shortly after 0600 tomorrow morning. I’ll be running with a bigger back pack than normal full of water. There aren’t any obvious places to get a drink in the places near the trail tomorrow. By the time the new tyre arrives, gets fitted and Alan sets off I expect to be unsupported for anything up to 8 hours (worse case). It’s a scenario that’s not too dissimilar to day 58 of the last run across the USA. You can read about that here - https://markallisonjogtole.blogspot.com/2011/06/day-58-breakdown.html
Tomorrow’s support is further complicated by the fact that I’ll be on the trail, sometimes miles away from RV access. Miles 10 to 19 (Case, Missouri) are inaccessible for the RV. It’s very good after that in that respect and hopefully the RV is fixed by then.
If the RV isn’t fixed tomorrow (unlikely) then I’ll go no further than McKittrick at 23 miles where there are some B&Bs (albeit expensive). So that’s most eventualities covered. If I get injured at any point then it’ll be Hobble Geordie Hobble.
TUNE OF THE DAY: You're Gonna Get Yours - Public Enemy
Finally today, I’d like to repeat the thanks I say every day on this blog. There have been some really kind donations. As a result the charity fund for St. Benedict’s Hospice is not too far away from £20,000 (£19,865.32 at the time of writing).
If you’d like to make a very tough and tricky day 41 so much better then please make a donation to St. Benedict’s Hospice at https://www.justgiving.com/page/rungeordierun2025.
