Springfield

A beautiful orange Missouri sunrise greeted me when I emerged from my apartment on Fort Leonard Wood on a crisp, cold weekend dawn. The usual cadence calling of drill sergeants was silent in the first hours of President's day weekend. Every parking spot was filled, each owner still comatose from a night on the town, a hard weeks' work, or, more likely, a combination of the two. I was content enough to enjoy it by myself, much like the rest of my day.

The 90 minutes driving down a slush-covered I-44 went by quickly enough, snow dusted pastures and low lying wispy winter clouds keeping my mind occupied while 7 turned to 8:30. A thorough search on the internet helped guide me to my first stop on today's tour of this unexplored city. The downtown scene of Springfield would probably leave much to be desired if one were hoping for an expansive, entertainment filled, sensory overloaded city block. For me, it pretty much had all I could ask for at the time. After all, what's not to like about an area where three coffee shops, multiple breakfast cafes, a bistro/market, and bike shop are all open and just waiting for the next progressively-minded cyclist to avail himself to.

Coffee shop number 1 was a very minimalist type place with authentic macchiatos and cappuccinos and some appealing petite muffins behind a contemporary style counter where a barista thoughtfully crafted my morning's first beverage. Once I plugged into the wifi and got my Bible and news reading done it was time to move on. The bike shop was about to open.

It was easy to tell this area was very pro-bike. All the racks were filled with brave commuters who took on the 20 degree challenge this morning. This made for an quick conversation topic to chat about with the cute cashier at coffee shop number 2, the Mudhouse. This joint didn't seem to roll with the minimalist approach; it was hard to find out how to even order a drip brew. This will definitely warrant a second trip at a later date. I sprung for a cinnamon mocha muffin with the house blend and found one of the few open tables nestled near the back. It was a little more crowded here and I got the idea this was the go to place on Saturdays. So impressed was I by the outstanding joe in my mug I didn't leave before getting a pound of beans for the road.

Once my caffeine fix was faxed (I think that makes sense) and after a stroll through the market with the spectacular beer selection it was time to see just how large the Bass Pro Shop national headquarters was. As soon as I stepped in the door, I wish I had some spectacles on that I could quickly and dramatically take off and say to myself, "Deer God..." (see what I did there?). Words and pictures won't quite do its vastness any justice. You think you've been to a Bass Pro? You haven't been to a Bass Pro until you come here. It just didn't end. They have live gators, gars, turtles and trout; everything you could ever need for fishing and hunting and far more besides. I was really just there to see what it was all about but ended up getting a new deer leather wallet before bidding farewell and heading to my next stop.

No city exploration is complete without a good ol ride and naturally I brought my trusty ol' Trek along with me. I started from a bike shop on the south part of town where a very friendly mechanic gave me some tips about good roads to take. Though I had mapped out a route on my Garmin, I completely deviated from it and carved my own path on the map as I went, occasionally checking my Droid to make sure I hadn't crossed any state lines or anything. At one point along the way, near Ozark, MO, I realized I was now further away from home than I ever have been whilst on a bike. Any number of worst case scenarios could have arisen from this realization but I was too busy hammering up the next hill.

Three hours later, after not one dog had attempted to chase me down, I rolled back into that shop to thaw, change, and later grabbed a pulled pork sandwich at a local restaurant en route to 44 before heading back east. The ruby colored sky filled my rear view mirror while my mind went through analogies that only made sense to me about how this superb Saturday highlights just how good a life I have, and where I would find my next cup of dark roasted goodness.

"I have come that they may have life and have it in abundance."