On May 30, Jeff took on southeastern Missouri. Just when he thought he had left grueling climbs behind in Kentucky and Virginia, he met the Ozarks. On a 90 degree day, riding 61 miles with 4,000 ft. of climbing requires frequent stops to cool down and carb up. That's how he met Susan and Bill. Riding into Centerville, MO, he spotted the only grocery store/gas station. When he pulled up in front of the business, he was disappointed to see a sign "Opening June 1." Out came Susan with a reassuring gesture, inviting him inside. She offered him a cold iced tea and homemade chocolate chip cookies -- as many as he wanted. Little did she know the relationship between Jeff and cookies. He politely ate just one and Bill, a Centerville local, also joined him. Bill was born and raised in Centerville. He worked in a sawmill all his life. Jeff asked him if he had all ten fingers, and Bill demonstrated he came out with all digits intact. Susan claimed she's not photogenic, but Jeff disagreed and snapped her photo and thanked her for providing a much needed asset to this little mountain community.