Day 4 Jefferson City to Hermann

Lenore at Cliff  Manor B&B provided an excellent start to our morning  with an apple dumpling followed by eggs, sausage and toast.  She is such a nice innkeeper and the b&b was immaculate with everything to soothe sore muscles.  Perfect weather and a tailwind was with us for most of the day and we were between beautiful limestone bluffs, prairie and farms most of the 40+ mile ride today. We stopped off at Riverboat Grill in Portland for lunch.  Its a dive with great trail food and was a good midway point.  Rae & I both had the BLT and stocked up on powerades.  Open trail meant sun and we rode through the hottest part of the day being sure to stay hydrated and took frequent stops whenver we could in the shade.  We passed a few older farms that looked like there junk car crop was just about to be harvested, but the cows didnt  seem to mind.   We also passed Standing Rock which was a very interesting geological feature.  Found some more info on it when we returned to the b&b http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM557C_Mystery_of_Standing_Rock_Steadman_MO  We got off the trail by 230 and had a short ride across the Missouri into the german town of Hermann.  Its a great historic town and we took some cold showers after checking in at The Captain Wohlt Inn.  Its a neat little town with alot of small shoppes and hidden gems, all with german flair.  We stopped at Tin Mill Brewing to sample their 6 drafts all brewed onsite and how about our bar tender was from North Braddock!  Recognized the Pirates cap and on once again Pittsburgh is alot smaller than you think.  Grabbed a bite w/ Russ and most of the crew at the Hermann Wurst Haus. We sampled a few smoked brats and had two great meals.  The b&b has a nice patio and we are all planning to relax and enjoy some down time together tonight.  Rain in the forecast tomorrow and its a short day into Augusta.  Great trip!