Day 3: Long Creek to Dayville

We were greeted in the morning with hot coffee and the promise of eggs in the hole braised in ghee on the deck, a speciality of Richard's (his other speciality is his world famous marinara, which had had JUST missed the day before). We reluctantly pulled ourselves out of our tents at Richard and Silver's to cloudy skies... we knew we would have rain, but we didn't realize just how much! As we packed up our tents, there was stop and go sprinkles. Luckily, the skies held out for this lovely breakfast and then opened up as we bid adieu to our new friends.

Elisa loved the tiny toasted hole from the eggs in the hole. Also, this adorable tablecloth.

Bundled up in our rain jackets... we did not want to leave!

So much rain.

Richard had checked the weather for us. The rain was supposed to stop by noon. So we sang songs about sunshine and rain, put our heads down, and churned the cranks. We made our way resolutely with the promise of a dry place to sleep as we had arranged to stay at the bike hostel (aka the Presbyterian Church) in Dayville. 

We found some shelter at the city park in Monument as the rain started to subside.

Rain gave way to sunny skies and poofy clouds with big views.

Crushing it!

The last push to Dayville...

The promise of a hot dinner at the infamous Dayville Cafe and making sure to get to Dayville before the Mercantile closed so we could restock wine and beer lit a fire under everyone's *ss and we made it into town with time to spare! We checked in with Rose from the Presbyterian Church and settled in, and then it was time to eat. Not only had Pastor Skip from the church recommended the Dayville Cafe, but so had Richard and Silver. 

The church has a long history of hosting bike tourists! Check out this sweet stained glass art...

The infamous Dayville Cafe... a 5 course meal complete with homemade pie was only $25. I had the ribeye steak, mashed potatoes + gravy, salad, fresh bread, soup, and lemon merengue pie (which was supposed to be coconut cream pie).

They sent me home with a slice of coconut cream pie anyway. It was the real winner of the night.

A few notes for bike tourists:

• We will no longer frequent the store in Kimberly. The clerk there was incredibly rude to Elisa when she asked if she could buy water. We weren't sure if it was because of racism, because Elisa was wearing a mask (no one else in the story was), or because she was in cycling gear. At any rate, it was the one blemish on our trip.
• You will want to check in with Pastor Skip and/or Rose before staying at the Presbyterian Church. They will want to know to expect you! We were the first cyclists of the season... the church has a full kitchen, shower, and you can sleep inside if the weather is cruddy!
• The Dayville Cafe closes at 7 pm as does the Mercantile. You have been warned. Go early to miss the dinner rush!