Day 44

Tree
I woke up a little after 7- better late than never. I quickly packed and was on the road in no time. I soon discovered that the wind wouldn't help me today, so it would take longer to do the same number of miles as yesterday. I tried to balance peddling hard to get there sooner and taking it easy so that I could peddle was as long as I needed to. I didn't take any pictures- partially because there wasn't much to take pictures of and partially because I didn't want to stop. Right when I was leaving this one town, the railroad tracks were parrallel to the road. There was a train going pretty slowly, but faster than me. The front was only a few cars ahead. I suddenly got the brilliant idea to race it. The whole day had been pretty boring, and I needed a boost. I cranked up to about 12 mph. It was neck and neck for a while- at least I couldn't gain on it. The train got loud, and I was like crap! It's starting to go to normal speed! I pumped harder, and slowly started to gain on it. The train got louder and louder. Finally I was really going faster than it, and I realized that it was getting louder because it was putting on it's brakes. Lame. I quickly passed it. It didn't last long, but it really got me thinking about how I can use this to my advantage. I'm sure there's a point where you push so hard one day that you have to take it really easy the next, ruining what you gained from pushing hard. However, I haven't reached that point yet. If I'm going to finish in 100 total days, I'm going to need to think of some new ways to pack extra miles in. I kept calculating throughout the day how far I needed to go and when I estimated I would get there. It kept getting later and later. My bike computer stopped displaying my speed correctly and so I could no longer estimate that way- I just checked google every once in a while. It was pitch black by now, and I was really starting to get tired. I contemplated just setting up camp, but I had made it this far, I can make it. I finally got to the town. I called Eric, and he said he was at a friends house, and to just call when I got to his house and he'd head right over. 30 minutes later I was finally there. We got my bike inside. Eric asked me if I wanted to meet the friends he was hanging out with. I was exhausted, sore, and felt like I was about to pass out. But I hadn't actually hung out with people in a long time. Plus, I didn't want to take Eric away from his friends. I figured I could last maybe another hour or two. I climbed into the second vehicle since the beginning of my trip and we drove the few blocks to his friend's house. We all talked for hours. Josh had just returned from his own adventure- train hopping. He had been to all 50 states and 22 different countries. He has gotten lost in the desert, with his water stollen, and only made it it because he stumbled upon a trail. Once 4am rolled around, I was finally starting to feel the long day. We headed back. Eric showed off some of his piano skills- after playing for 26 years, he could play some pretty incredible stuff. He was still wired, so he went out for some cigarettes. I passed out almost as soon as my head hit the pillow.