Day 1 (Fri Sep 30, 2016)
Today’s Miles: 20 Total Trip Miles: 20
Lee’s Summit, MO to Pleasant Hill, MO: A Great Start!
Distance traveled:
15 miles from Lee’s Summit to Pleasant Hill, and, 5 miles for food, camping, and sightseeing.
I managed to follow the route I put together from Google Maps. The suburban traffic of Lee’s Summit was a challenge, but there were no serious incidents.
I was hoping to catch the Rock Island trail according to the Rock Island Planning web site. However, the Rock Island trail was not found where their maps showed it to be. I was prepared for this problem because Google Maps did not agree with the Rock Island Planning web site. I had to hurry though, because I needed to be at the Pleasant Hill City Hall by 5pm, so I could get my camping permit. I continued toward Pleasant Hill along Missouri State and County roads, and surprisingly, I was doing very well. I believe the elevation profile did show that much of the route was downhill. But, I was also reaping the rewards of carrying much less weight. I managed to arrive in Pleasant Hill about 4:30pm.
Pleasant Hill is a good sized town, with a decent number of choices for dinner. I was pretty hungry and enjoyed taking my time to eat. This was quite a departure from my trip in June, where I always arrived at my destination so late. But, the days are shorter now, so I had to get moving to my campsite at the Pleasant Hill City Lake. Unfortunately, it is a few miles away from town, so again I had to hustle before it got too dark.
I arrived at the lake in time to pick out a place to camp, and saw a beautiful sunset over the lake.
I managed to pitch my tent before it got too dark, and I spent the rest of the evening sitting at a picnic table working on this journal. So far, there is still quite a bit of nighttime activity around here. A lot of cars and trucks seem to be cruising around the lake. One guy saw me at the picnic table, and encouraged me ‘to party hearty’. I mildly waved, and as the car roared away, I heard an enthusiastic, “Yeahhhh”!!! Tomorrow is my longest day, over unknown road conditions. It is time for the tent.