Stixx or Styx, you decide

Stixx, “Great People, Good Food, Poor Decisions.” That’s really what the sign says Well, the decisions were poor on my part

Today’s post will be a short one.

I had some technical difficulties. I left the highly unique charging cord for my unicycle at a dive restaurant 40 miles from where I’m staying tonight. When I got to the hotel, I had 1% battery left. And now, with no cord, I can’t even recharge to ride back and retrieve it.

Complicating things further: the Stixx Bar and Grill in Leeton, Missouri doesn’t have a website or phone number. I don’t know if the cord is still there or if it’s already been repurposed as a cat leash.

I realized it was missing when I walked into my room and tried to recharge. I got in around nine o’clock and spent the evening trying to figure out how to either contact the dive restaurant or rebuild a charging cord from scratch. The connectors my unicycle uses are called XT60s, typically found in drones and hobby electronics. The only store in Sedalia that carried such items recently went out of business.

I’ll figure something out tomorrow.

I made it to Sedalia, Missouri today—about 150 miles—with lots of hills and more bad headwinds. Fortunately, the rain stopped last night, so at least I wasn’t dodging thunderstorms. Google Maps routed me onto about 30 miles of wet, muddy dirt roads, which were a real challenge.

At one point, I came across a couple of guys fishing off a bridge. Just as I showed up, one of them hauled in a catfish and dropped it onto the pavement. It was about 10:30 in the morning, and I’m pretty sure they’d already had several beers. They were friendly and full of questions. I didn’t ask too many myself—I was afraid they might be long-lost relatives. These guys were no Tom Maupin. I’d hate for them to visit California and bring catfish and breakfast beers with them. Funny for the first five minutes… and then not so much.

Now these guys look like their from my gene pool. The shallow end.

Above is a video that my friend Kurt sent me. Maybe those guys can visit him

I came across a one room school house that looked like my dads old school.

One room school house.

For lunch, I stopped at a great Thai restaurant in Harrisonville, MO, run by a lovely couple who treated everyone like family. I met a guy named Paul and his wife, Ladda. Ladda is originally from Thailand and had a lively conversation with the owner in Thai. The owner also made a point to sit down with each table and chat for 20 minutes. Her regulars loved it—lots of big hugs on the way out. Her partner was quieter but equally kind. At one point, he leaned in and said softly, “We don’t have customers here—we have family.”

I have a sucker in my mouth.

My next planned stop was Sedalia, just 75 miles away. I thought I could make it on one charge. The terrain was gorgeous: rolling hills, beautiful farmland framed by tree lines. But the wind and hills drained my battery. After only 38 miles, I was already down to 30%.

I headed into the center of Leeton to look for a place to charge. The only option I found was the Stixx Bar and Grill. I walked in and asked if they served food. The waiter said, “We’ve got hamburgers.” I asked if they had fries or a salad. “Nope, just hamburgers.” Chips? “Nope.” Gluten free bun, “Huh? ”. The bartender did, however, offer me a bag of Funyuns she’d brought from home—“for the right price.” I wasn’t sure what Funyuns go for on the open market, so I just ordered a plain burger. The conversation at the bar… well, let’s just say it wouldn’t fit in this “happy thoughts” blog. But it was very funny. I hung out long enough to get my unicycle charged up to 70%. I still had 40 miles to go, packed up my gear—left my highly proprietary charger somewhere, apparently—and hit the road.

Hey dummy, you left your charging cord at Stixx

It was about 7:00 p.m., and I figured I had an hour and a half to go. As I rode past cornfields and tree-lined roads, I saw multiple deer leap out and run alongside me. Then I saw what I thought was a dog in the road. I’d already been chased by several dogs that day and wasn’t eager for a repeat. Thankfully, this “dog” ran off when it saw me. When I got closer, I realized it had been a coyote—eating some roadkill. One of the most beautiful coyotes I’ve ever seen.

I made it to Sedalia as the sun was setting. It’s a pretty big city with tons of beautiful trees, old houses, and historic buildings.

Good night.
Hopefully, I can solve my charging cord issue and keep moving forward. Another storm is coming through, and this delay is not what I needed.