Knoxville
I slept in. I was only vaguely aware of people getting up and getting ready to leave for class. I finally got up around 9. Unfortunately I must have bumped my charger wrong- one of my big batteries was not charged much. Dang. I had three weeks left and with everything charged, I can last three weeks. Either I will be careful with it or I will have to stop at another warm showers place. I took a while to get ready so that it would charge a bit more. I reseated my front tube. It's been giving me troubles, just like the last one did before it popped. Nothing seemed unusual once I deflated it and looked. Hopefully that will fix it. I was finally all packed up and ready to go around 11. One of the first places I passed by was a tourist spot. Hooray, they had Knoxville Tennessee postcards. A few streets down, I passed by a mailbox. That was easy. Going through town wasn't bad either. The roads either had a speed limit slow enough that I could ride in them safely or there was a big bike lane. Until I got to one section where the shoulders disappeared and it was frightening to ride. It wasn't far though. Now I had two choices- continue on a busy road that had great big shoulders for many miles, or turn off and take the backroads. I took the backroads. More turns, but I knew it went through a town. I needed food eventually. The rest of Tennessee seemed pretty rural, so I didn't know when I'd get another chance. There were some nice rolling hills before I got to a gas station. I didn't really need a break, but I got icecream with my usual food supplies. Rocky road. I try to get something different every time. Soon I was back on the road. The riding wasn't bad. The backroads were not busy at all. The hills sucked, but the views made it all worth it. All the streams that I went along were beautiful. The tree packed hills were just starting to change color. I passed by a big factory and then was biking along a huge river. It was great. I passed by lots of farmhouses with huge mowed lawns- that had to have taken forever! Finally the sun stopped peeking out from the crests of the mountain and I needed to find camp. There were so many houses here that it was hard to do, but I finally found a spot in the woods at the top of a hill. It sucks to have to pedal up a hill first thing in the morning. I had to get rid of some spiderwebs in the way. I hate doing that, because it's destructive. But it would have been impossible to find a way in that didn't have a spiderweb in front of it without spending all night. The road seemed to get busier as I set up my tent. It was on a slope, and there were rocks that I discovered when I climbed in. It was a far cry from the amazingly comfortable air mattress from the night before, but I always find a way to sleep. The forest around me was noisy. It sounded like branches kept falling. I looked up bears and sure enough, I was in the middle of bear country. I stayed up for a while, but I quickly realized that if there were bears around me, they would have eaten me by now. I relaxed enough to sleep.
Thursday, September 25, 2014
Day 90
Big river
I knew I wanted to get up early today, but it was so cold. When I finally did get out of my tent, fog had rested over the town. I put on my rain jacket and fluorescent green shirt over that for extra warmth. After a few turns, I found a roadblock- a semi had tipped over. Luckily the load was strapped on good, so there wasn't stuff everywhere. I looked for another way around, but this was pretty much it. I snuck by in the grass. The riding was good for a bit. Uphills, downhills, great views. Then I got to a freeway. I was supposed to take a left, but I couldn't cross because of a cement barrier. I looked on Google and it seemed like the only way to ride it would be to go right, take an exit, and then get back on. Waaaay too much time wasted. There was a break in the barrier a ways down, so I just walked my bike in the grass until I got there. Once I was on the freeway, the shoulder was great. But soon I turned off. I was still using the walking route, so it seemed like I would always take a shortcut that took me up and over a hill instead of around in a valley. Oh well. I eventually got onto a big road with no shoulders. I rode to the right for a while, but it didn't feel too safe. Every once in a while, two cars would go by side by side. I decided to pedal in the middle, which was a turn lane. I had seen someone do this before, and it seemed like the right choice now. It felt weird having traffic going by on both sides. Finally I turned off. More miles. I went through a small tourist town that was just packed with people. It smelled like a carnival. I couldn't ride on the sidewalks because there were too many people, so I biked in the road. The cars were going slow enough for a while, but eventually I got trapped in the left lane and felt like an ass as everyone passed me on the right. Finally I got back over onto the sidewalk- there were less people on it now. Then it ended and I had to ride on the small shoulder. This is where I passed a sign that said "steep, winding mountain road, next 35 miles." This should be fun. It really wasn't bad for about 10 miles but then it started going uphill again. I got some amazing views. Once I finally got to the top, I found my turn. But I saw what the next turn was- a trail. Then continue on a different trail. That could totally just be the name of a paved road, it's happened before. But I didn't want to risk it. I took the other way around. Only a few hundred feet and I found a tourist spot that overlooked more of the mountains than any spot before it. It was right on the Tennessee/North Carolina border. I also randomly got data there, so I checked out the trails Google wanted me to go on. Yep, hiking trails. There were stone steps and roots everywhere. Biking that would have been impossible. I continued on down the mountain. I got to reap the benefit of pedalling uphill for so long. I zoomed by views that stretched on for miles. I went through a tunnel or two- luckily someone was behind me the whole time so I knew I wouldn't get ran over. Once the road did a corkscrew. That was fun. The road leveled out and I got to another tunnel. The traffic was much faster here- three lanes of traffic going one way. There was a sign that told bicyclists to take the bypass trail to avoid a tough trip through the tunnel. Sounds good to me. The trail was basically a hiking trail though. I had to push my bike up steep sections and used the brakes to slow my decent on the downhills. It was much longer than I thought it would be so I figured I must have taken a wrong turn somewhere. But finally I got to a small bridge and a paved road. I could see the other end of the tunnel- wow, that was a long one. I got back on the highway. Eventually I passed through another town where I could use the sidewalks. I passed by a ton of cars lined up in the road, with cops up ahead. An accident? Nope, everyone was turning. There must have been a huge event going on. I think it was after this that I finally started getting consistent backroads. I followed them for a while, but I realized that I needed to go really fast to get to Knoxville before it got dark. The backroads route had so many turns that it was impossible to not stop and check where to go to next every once in a while. I got to a point that was nearby a highway and decided to check it out. There was a small shoulder, but it widened out when it went through a city. It pretty much went straight into Knoxville- I wouldn't have to worry about turns and it was less miles. I had to try. It was some rough riding for some of it, but I accomplished exactly what I needed to. I got about halfway and then the traffic picked up enough that I found the bike route again. I relaxed a bit. More great riding- the roads often parralleled streams. The sun was at just the right place to make the changing trees appear to be glowing. I was finally just a few roads away and I had to go up the craziest hill. This always seems to happen when I stay with people- they live on top of a freaking hill. Then I discovered that Google kinda took me to the wrong spot- I needed to continue down the other side of the hill to get to the entrance of the apartment complex. Crap. I started down the hill when I noticed that I could see the apartments off to the right, through only a bit of bushes. I pushed my bike through. That saves me a lot of time. I found Tiffani's apartment, and called. No answer. I knocked. Her roommates let me in. Apparently I was supposed to text her when I got into town- she was studying in the library. I was actually kinda glad. I hadn't showered in 3 weeks. The shower there was glorious. Tons of water pressure. When I was out, Tiffani was there. She insisted on taking me out to dinner. For just the third time in 90 days, I climbed inside a car. We went to the restaurant that she works at- "Not Watson's." It used to be part of Watson's department store but had recently been made into a restaurant. We shared cheese and chilly fries and I had chicken and waffles- it was pretty amazing. After that we walked around and she showed me parts of the town. We talked a ton- we both hadn't seen a familiar face in months. Tiffany moved away from pretty much everyone she knew back home to go to grad school here. I was a nice reunion. Around midnight, it finally started getting cold, so we headed back. Once we were home, we were both exhausted. I set up my bed- a huge blow up air mattress. It was amazingly comfortable- I fell asleep easily.
I knew I wanted to get up early today, but it was so cold. When I finally did get out of my tent, fog had rested over the town. I put on my rain jacket and fluorescent green shirt over that for extra warmth. After a few turns, I found a roadblock- a semi had tipped over. Luckily the load was strapped on good, so there wasn't stuff everywhere. I looked for another way around, but this was pretty much it. I snuck by in the grass. The riding was good for a bit. Uphills, downhills, great views. Then I got to a freeway. I was supposed to take a left, but I couldn't cross because of a cement barrier. I looked on Google and it seemed like the only way to ride it would be to go right, take an exit, and then get back on. Waaaay too much time wasted. There was a break in the barrier a ways down, so I just walked my bike in the grass until I got there. Once I was on the freeway, the shoulder was great. But soon I turned off. I was still using the walking route, so it seemed like I would always take a shortcut that took me up and over a hill instead of around in a valley. Oh well. I eventually got onto a big road with no shoulders. I rode to the right for a while, but it didn't feel too safe. Every once in a while, two cars would go by side by side. I decided to pedal in the middle, which was a turn lane. I had seen someone do this before, and it seemed like the right choice now. It felt weird having traffic going by on both sides. Finally I turned off. More miles. I went through a small tourist town that was just packed with people. It smelled like a carnival. I couldn't ride on the sidewalks because there were too many people, so I biked in the road. The cars were going slow enough for a while, but eventually I got trapped in the left lane and felt like an ass as everyone passed me on the right. Finally I got back over onto the sidewalk- there were less people on it now. Then it ended and I had to ride on the small shoulder. This is where I passed a sign that said "steep, winding mountain road, next 35 miles." This should be fun. It really wasn't bad for about 10 miles but then it started going uphill again. I got some amazing views. Once I finally got to the top, I found my turn. But I saw what the next turn was- a trail. Then continue on a different trail. That could totally just be the name of a paved road, it's happened before. But I didn't want to risk it. I took the other way around. Only a few hundred feet and I found a tourist spot that overlooked more of the mountains than any spot before it. It was right on the Tennessee/North Carolina border. I also randomly got data there, so I checked out the trails Google wanted me to go on. Yep, hiking trails. There were stone steps and roots everywhere. Biking that would have been impossible. I continued on down the mountain. I got to reap the benefit of pedalling uphill for so long. I zoomed by views that stretched on for miles. I went through a tunnel or two- luckily someone was behind me the whole time so I knew I wouldn't get ran over. Once the road did a corkscrew. That was fun. The road leveled out and I got to another tunnel. The traffic was much faster here- three lanes of traffic going one way. There was a sign that told bicyclists to take the bypass trail to avoid a tough trip through the tunnel. Sounds good to me. The trail was basically a hiking trail though. I had to push my bike up steep sections and used the brakes to slow my decent on the downhills. It was much longer than I thought it would be so I figured I must have taken a wrong turn somewhere. But finally I got to a small bridge and a paved road. I could see the other end of the tunnel- wow, that was a long one. I got back on the highway. Eventually I passed through another town where I could use the sidewalks. I passed by a ton of cars lined up in the road, with cops up ahead. An accident? Nope, everyone was turning. There must have been a huge event going on. I think it was after this that I finally started getting consistent backroads. I followed them for a while, but I realized that I needed to go really fast to get to Knoxville before it got dark. The backroads route had so many turns that it was impossible to not stop and check where to go to next every once in a while. I got to a point that was nearby a highway and decided to check it out. There was a small shoulder, but it widened out when it went through a city. It pretty much went straight into Knoxville- I wouldn't have to worry about turns and it was less miles. I had to try. It was some rough riding for some of it, but I accomplished exactly what I needed to. I got about halfway and then the traffic picked up enough that I found the bike route again. I relaxed a bit. More great riding- the roads often parralleled streams. The sun was at just the right place to make the changing trees appear to be glowing. I was finally just a few roads away and I had to go up the craziest hill. This always seems to happen when I stay with people- they live on top of a freaking hill. Then I discovered that Google kinda took me to the wrong spot- I needed to continue down the other side of the hill to get to the entrance of the apartment complex. Crap. I started down the hill when I noticed that I could see the apartments off to the right, through only a bit of bushes. I pushed my bike through. That saves me a lot of time. I found Tiffani's apartment, and called. No answer. I knocked. Her roommates let me in. Apparently I was supposed to text her when I got into town- she was studying in the library. I was actually kinda glad. I hadn't showered in 3 weeks. The shower there was glorious. Tons of water pressure. When I was out, Tiffani was there. She insisted on taking me out to dinner. For just the third time in 90 days, I climbed inside a car. We went to the restaurant that she works at- "Not Watson's." It used to be part of Watson's department store but had recently been made into a restaurant. We shared cheese and chilly fries and I had chicken and waffles- it was pretty amazing. After that we walked around and she showed me parts of the town. We talked a ton- we both hadn't seen a familiar face in months. Tiffany moved away from pretty much everyone she knew back home to go to grad school here. I was a nice reunion. Around midnight, it finally started getting cold, so we headed back. Once we were home, we were both exhausted. I set up my bed- a huge blow up air mattress. It was amazingly comfortable- I fell asleep easily.
Day 89
Berries or blood
I packed up and headed out. I had to push my bike back a long ways to finally get to the road. I decided to take the route Google suggested for walking- it was 155 miles rather than 172. It was a great choice for a long time- nice shoulders, then nice sidewalk, then an actual bike lane. Then normal road riding without much traffic. There were some hills, but eventually I got to one that just didn't stop. At one point I got a flat. My front tire felt weird all day. It turns out the tube wasn't in there right. I was worried about this when I put it in, but I thought it was fine. Now I was paying for it. There was a big crack at the stem- no fixing that. So much for having a thorn resistent tube. I switched it out. I had 5 spares two days ago. Now I have 3. Back on the road. I mean cliff, cause that's what it felt like. I glanced over after a while to find that I was practically level with some clouds. Wow. So much for a shortcut. At least I have some great views. I got into North Carolina and hoped there would be some down hill- nope. All the stuff before this was fine- there were very few cars to share the road with. But after a few miles the cars seemed to come out of nowhere. It really sucked. Climbing hills without traffic is bad enough. But I just kept at it. Finally I got to a town. It only took three tries to find a huge selection of post cards. Eventually I did get to a crazy downhill- it was nice to finally get some good miles in. I got to a level part and thought "You know, it would really suck if this was the wrong way." I knew it wasn't though. I checked my phone anyways. It was the wrong way. It was less than a mile, but that mile was uphill. I thought about just continuing on- the two paths did meet. But it looked shorter if I went back. I didn't have data, so I couldn't check it out to make sure it was paved. I might as well check. I started pedaling back and instantly found 3 dogs just chilling in the road, about to get ran over. I waved to the car and he slowed down- on second thought I'm sure he would have seen them. They started chasing after me- good, I'll try to get them off the road. They had collars- maybe I'll call the number. A car pulled up soon after and said they belonged to the house up the road. She would see of anyone was home. The dogs followed the car, so I continued on. I got to the turn I missed- oh no, gravel. The sign said private drive, no trespassing. All that for nothing. Oh well. I zoomed back down the hill again. I got to a gas station and stocked up. A few miles later I got to a bike lane and I almost freaked out, I was so happy. I learned that the only reason it was there was because of the college nearby, but at least I could enjoy it for now. When I finally turned off, it was time to think about camp. There aren't many good spots around here- lots of steep grades. I got to the end of the road when...
So I'm kinda at a standoff now. I found a spot just before a bridge. I went into the trees but couldn't help it that people saw me. I was about to get my tent out when a truck pulled up at the exact spot I came in. It just sat there with a cannoe on top of it. I don't know what to do. My only two guesses are that he saw me and is now calling the cops before I can escape, like maybe in trespassing or something. Or he just randomly stopped to figure out where he needed to go next. Should I ask? Should I just leave and find a different spot? Finally he left! I guess I will set up my tent and just hope no cops come.
All set up. That was crazy. I picked a bad spot, once again. Lots of people are turning here. Hopefully no one sees me, but if someone does, hopefully no one cares.
I packed up and headed out. I had to push my bike back a long ways to finally get to the road. I decided to take the route Google suggested for walking- it was 155 miles rather than 172. It was a great choice for a long time- nice shoulders, then nice sidewalk, then an actual bike lane. Then normal road riding without much traffic. There were some hills, but eventually I got to one that just didn't stop. At one point I got a flat. My front tire felt weird all day. It turns out the tube wasn't in there right. I was worried about this when I put it in, but I thought it was fine. Now I was paying for it. There was a big crack at the stem- no fixing that. So much for having a thorn resistent tube. I switched it out. I had 5 spares two days ago. Now I have 3. Back on the road. I mean cliff, cause that's what it felt like. I glanced over after a while to find that I was practically level with some clouds. Wow. So much for a shortcut. At least I have some great views. I got into North Carolina and hoped there would be some down hill- nope. All the stuff before this was fine- there were very few cars to share the road with. But after a few miles the cars seemed to come out of nowhere. It really sucked. Climbing hills without traffic is bad enough. But I just kept at it. Finally I got to a town. It only took three tries to find a huge selection of post cards. Eventually I did get to a crazy downhill- it was nice to finally get some good miles in. I got to a level part and thought "You know, it would really suck if this was the wrong way." I knew it wasn't though. I checked my phone anyways. It was the wrong way. It was less than a mile, but that mile was uphill. I thought about just continuing on- the two paths did meet. But it looked shorter if I went back. I didn't have data, so I couldn't check it out to make sure it was paved. I might as well check. I started pedaling back and instantly found 3 dogs just chilling in the road, about to get ran over. I waved to the car and he slowed down- on second thought I'm sure he would have seen them. They started chasing after me- good, I'll try to get them off the road. They had collars- maybe I'll call the number. A car pulled up soon after and said they belonged to the house up the road. She would see of anyone was home. The dogs followed the car, so I continued on. I got to the turn I missed- oh no, gravel. The sign said private drive, no trespassing. All that for nothing. Oh well. I zoomed back down the hill again. I got to a gas station and stocked up. A few miles later I got to a bike lane and I almost freaked out, I was so happy. I learned that the only reason it was there was because of the college nearby, but at least I could enjoy it for now. When I finally turned off, it was time to think about camp. There aren't many good spots around here- lots of steep grades. I got to the end of the road when...
So I'm kinda at a standoff now. I found a spot just before a bridge. I went into the trees but couldn't help it that people saw me. I was about to get my tent out when a truck pulled up at the exact spot I came in. It just sat there with a cannoe on top of it. I don't know what to do. My only two guesses are that he saw me and is now calling the cops before I can escape, like maybe in trespassing or something. Or he just randomly stopped to figure out where he needed to go next. Should I ask? Should I just leave and find a different spot? Finally he left! I guess I will set up my tent and just hope no cops come.
All set up. That was crazy. I picked a bad spot, once again. Lots of people are turning here. Hopefully no one sees me, but if someone does, hopefully no one cares.
Day 88
Above
It was just as much of a pain getting back down to the road as it was coming up. After that, lots of turns, some easy dirt roads, a difficult newly gravelled road, over a bridge and I was in South Carolina. I was dumb about gettig water- I skipped a few places and was paying for it now. I passed by "The Shady Lady Saloon"- nope, not worth it. Soon after I found a minimart. The lady inside told me about the spicket outside. I drank a bunch while I was there. I didn't eat as much as I would have liked either, so I stayed there for a bit and ate icecream. The road widened out as I went. I just kept to the side and hoped people would pass me. I asked a few places for postcards and then I got a flat tire. I couldn't figure out what did it, but I've been wanted to have just thorn resistent tubes in there anyways. So I quickly changed it out. The city was pretty crazy by this point. Good thing there were sidewalks. I asked a few more places- no luck. I was supposed to continue on to Greenville, but I realized that since I was going Knoxville to visit a friend, there was no reason for me to keep going that way. I changed my route and found out I could shave off quite a few miles by doing this. I wish I had thought of this before, because it would have been even more miles saved, but oh well. I had to average 90 miles for the next two days, minus whatever I got for the rest of the day. I rushed off in the new direction, still keeping my eyes open for places that might have post cards. I wasn't expecting much- it was after 5 on a Sunday. But as I was zooming by closely packed shops, the familiar post card shape caught my eye. I slammed on the brakes, almost falling off. Don't be closed, don't be closed, don't be closed. The door was open a bit. Yes!!! I quickly bought it and wrote it out, know that I still wanted to get some solid miles in today. More sidewalk, and then it disappeared. It was a huge pain in the butt, trying to ride through parkig lots or just waiting for there to be no one coming so that I could ride in the road to get to the next parking lot. Finally I had no choice but to ride in the road. I stayed to the right. There was plenty of room and very little traffic. Soon I had to cross a bridge over i85. I paused for a while, trying to find a better way around, but I eventually just had to go for it. It was better than I thought. I got a shoulder and was able to ride by just pausing to make sure no one was coming when I needed to cross over a lane to an off ramp. I think this is where I finally got a permanent shoulder. I still couldn't really relax because of where I was, but it was much better than being back a few miles. Soon I had to look out for a place to camp. As usual, there were places, but I saw on Google a place that looked promising. I skipped past some fantastically thick woods only to find that my promising spot was not so great. It probably used to be a forest, but many trees had been cut down. I wanted to keep going but there were no more spots- a city was up ahead. I walked my bike in, hoping to hide behind some bushes. Ants scared me away from a few spots, but I finally found one without too many. I sprayed a spot, set up my tent, and crawled inside with there still being plenty of light outside. I didn't make it as far as I wanted to. But if I have two solid days, I will still be golden.
It was just as much of a pain getting back down to the road as it was coming up. After that, lots of turns, some easy dirt roads, a difficult newly gravelled road, over a bridge and I was in South Carolina. I was dumb about gettig water- I skipped a few places and was paying for it now. I passed by "The Shady Lady Saloon"- nope, not worth it. Soon after I found a minimart. The lady inside told me about the spicket outside. I drank a bunch while I was there. I didn't eat as much as I would have liked either, so I stayed there for a bit and ate icecream. The road widened out as I went. I just kept to the side and hoped people would pass me. I asked a few places for postcards and then I got a flat tire. I couldn't figure out what did it, but I've been wanted to have just thorn resistent tubes in there anyways. So I quickly changed it out. The city was pretty crazy by this point. Good thing there were sidewalks. I asked a few more places- no luck. I was supposed to continue on to Greenville, but I realized that since I was going Knoxville to visit a friend, there was no reason for me to keep going that way. I changed my route and found out I could shave off quite a few miles by doing this. I wish I had thought of this before, because it would have been even more miles saved, but oh well. I had to average 90 miles for the next two days, minus whatever I got for the rest of the day. I rushed off in the new direction, still keeping my eyes open for places that might have post cards. I wasn't expecting much- it was after 5 on a Sunday. But as I was zooming by closely packed shops, the familiar post card shape caught my eye. I slammed on the brakes, almost falling off. Don't be closed, don't be closed, don't be closed. The door was open a bit. Yes!!! I quickly bought it and wrote it out, know that I still wanted to get some solid miles in today. More sidewalk, and then it disappeared. It was a huge pain in the butt, trying to ride through parkig lots or just waiting for there to be no one coming so that I could ride in the road to get to the next parking lot. Finally I had no choice but to ride in the road. I stayed to the right. There was plenty of room and very little traffic. Soon I had to cross a bridge over i85. I paused for a while, trying to find a better way around, but I eventually just had to go for it. It was better than I thought. I got a shoulder and was able to ride by just pausing to make sure no one was coming when I needed to cross over a lane to an off ramp. I think this is where I finally got a permanent shoulder. I still couldn't really relax because of where I was, but it was much better than being back a few miles. Soon I had to look out for a place to camp. As usual, there were places, but I saw on Google a place that looked promising. I skipped past some fantastically thick woods only to find that my promising spot was not so great. It probably used to be a forest, but many trees had been cut down. I wanted to keep going but there were no more spots- a city was up ahead. I walked my bike in, hoping to hide behind some bushes. Ants scared me away from a few spots, but I finally found one without too many. I sprayed a spot, set up my tent, and crawled inside with there still being plenty of light outside. I didn't make it as far as I wanted to. But if I have two solid days, I will still be golden.
Day 87
City limits
My tent was only dimly lit in the morning. Clouds had settled over the sky. I pushed my bike out of the woods, ducking under spider webs. Freeways with small shoulders are not fun. I just powered through it. Dispite the wind and the cool air, I was warm by the time I got to a gas station so stocking up included a Klondike Bar. I passed by several bicycle share the road signs so that was comforting, but I had to fight with small shoulders and bumper strips pretty much all day. At one point I finally saw a Dodge Viper for the first time on this trip. So gorgeous! Eventually the traffic lessened more and more. Another bridge closed ahead sign- I had to at least check it out. Both ends were barricaded off, but the first was easy to pedal by. For the second, I had to lift my bike up and over. I'm glad I got to work out my arms for a change. Soon after I got near a small town. I needed to stick up. I forgot to turn at one point and had to go back to make sure I passed by a gas station or something. There was a live band playing. I didn't recognize who it was though. I found a Family Dollar to stock up at. It looked like I had a lot of nothing for the next few dozen miles. While I was packing up, I figured out what the band was for- there was a car show going on. The band sang "Under The Boardwalk" and that brought back memories. I got back on the road. There was very little traffic now but also no shoulder. Every time a car went by, it was jarring. Then I hit a dirt road. Dang. This part of the country has been good about having plenty of paved routes- oh well. It wasn't too bad. After a few miles I was back on pavement. I passed through a small town, then Stephen's Comunity (that's what the sign said). Then I hunted for a camping spot. There was very little traffic for a while but now that it was after sunset, traffic picked up. I found a spot that looked as good as any. I had to really muscle my bike up the hill and to break the vines that kept catching in it, but finally I was up and out of view. It was only 7:30, but I like not being caught in te dark without being able to see the ground. This came in handy today. I found a spot for my tent and looked around for anthills and sure enough, there was one right by me. I moved to a different spot and used plenty of ant killer. I climbed inside my tent with the sky still a light blue.
My tent was only dimly lit in the morning. Clouds had settled over the sky. I pushed my bike out of the woods, ducking under spider webs. Freeways with small shoulders are not fun. I just powered through it. Dispite the wind and the cool air, I was warm by the time I got to a gas station so stocking up included a Klondike Bar. I passed by several bicycle share the road signs so that was comforting, but I had to fight with small shoulders and bumper strips pretty much all day. At one point I finally saw a Dodge Viper for the first time on this trip. So gorgeous! Eventually the traffic lessened more and more. Another bridge closed ahead sign- I had to at least check it out. Both ends were barricaded off, but the first was easy to pedal by. For the second, I had to lift my bike up and over. I'm glad I got to work out my arms for a change. Soon after I got near a small town. I needed to stick up. I forgot to turn at one point and had to go back to make sure I passed by a gas station or something. There was a live band playing. I didn't recognize who it was though. I found a Family Dollar to stock up at. It looked like I had a lot of nothing for the next few dozen miles. While I was packing up, I figured out what the band was for- there was a car show going on. The band sang "Under The Boardwalk" and that brought back memories. I got back on the road. There was very little traffic now but also no shoulder. Every time a car went by, it was jarring. Then I hit a dirt road. Dang. This part of the country has been good about having plenty of paved routes- oh well. It wasn't too bad. After a few miles I was back on pavement. I passed through a small town, then Stephen's Comunity (that's what the sign said). Then I hunted for a camping spot. There was very little traffic for a while but now that it was after sunset, traffic picked up. I found a spot that looked as good as any. I had to really muscle my bike up the hill and to break the vines that kept catching in it, but finally I was up and out of view. It was only 7:30, but I like not being caught in te dark without being able to see the ground. This came in handy today. I found a spot for my tent and looked around for anthills and sure enough, there was one right by me. I moved to a different spot and used plenty of ant killer. I climbed inside my tent with the sky still a light blue.
Day 86
Fire hydrant
In the morning, I looked up what to do about a chain slipping. The internet suggested adjusting the high limit screw. I loosened it. When I got on the road, it seem to be working better. Unfortunately, I could still make it slip and throughout the day, it didn't seem any different. Ugg. I stocked up at a Dollar General and got too much water. I had to drink some to avoid wasting it. Like 4 people talked to me here. They all wished me luck. One was a 90 year old woman who still walks and drives around. I hope I can be that lucky! The roads were ok for a bit- not much shoulder, not much traffic. I had to hunt down a bathroom. There were about 5 places that did not have one. I finally found a McDonald's though! Relief. The roads around this place were crazy. There was construction going on, there was an accident with someone being carried away on a stretcher, and it was the joining spot of several major highways. Using the sidewalks, turn lanes, and parking lots worked for a bit but eventually they were no more as the road went from two lanes in each direction with a turn lane on either side and in the middle to just one lane each way. With no shoulder. I had to ride in the grass. Riding in the dirt sucks but riding in grass is even worse. The shoulder got a bit better after a mile. I was supposed to turn up ahead but all I could see was a line of cars and no shoulder, so I continued on the same road. I checked before so I knew they both went to the same place. The shoulders sucked but at least I was off the road finally. Then Google wanted me to get on a 3 lane highway. I paused for quite I bit and tried to find another way around, but I couldn't find any. I just rode in the grass/dirt alongside the road. Finally I got into the city and took a turn that was a road with 3 lanes, one way. I pushed my biked for a bit becaus the grass alongside was so tall (plus it was uphill). Soon I realized that there was practically no traffic. I found a backroad anyways. There was so much trash on the side of the road- it was really sad. I crossed over the previous road, away from homes. Finally I got to some sidewalks. More crazy highway for a bit and then a long quiet road. A few roads later I kept going past road closed ahead signs. I panicked a bit but just hoped it was like previous closed roads. It was. It was basically a bridge and bits of road almost completely grown over with vegetation. But there was a small path down the middle, perfect for bikes. I was starting to need to think about camp. I had to get back on the freeway, so I wanted to find camp before then. There were a few spots but it still felt too early. I got on the small shoulder. The freeway always has plenty of spots- no one wants to build their house right next to a freeway. There were parked cars up ahead so I headed into the woods a tad early. There was a trail, but it didn't look like it got used often. I had to avoid some spider webs but luckily the spiders on them were tiny. I set up camp and tried to sleep instead of thinking that every motorcycle that passed by was a four wheeler on this trail.
In the morning, I looked up what to do about a chain slipping. The internet suggested adjusting the high limit screw. I loosened it. When I got on the road, it seem to be working better. Unfortunately, I could still make it slip and throughout the day, it didn't seem any different. Ugg. I stocked up at a Dollar General and got too much water. I had to drink some to avoid wasting it. Like 4 people talked to me here. They all wished me luck. One was a 90 year old woman who still walks and drives around. I hope I can be that lucky! The roads were ok for a bit- not much shoulder, not much traffic. I had to hunt down a bathroom. There were about 5 places that did not have one. I finally found a McDonald's though! Relief. The roads around this place were crazy. There was construction going on, there was an accident with someone being carried away on a stretcher, and it was the joining spot of several major highways. Using the sidewalks, turn lanes, and parking lots worked for a bit but eventually they were no more as the road went from two lanes in each direction with a turn lane on either side and in the middle to just one lane each way. With no shoulder. I had to ride in the grass. Riding in the dirt sucks but riding in grass is even worse. The shoulder got a bit better after a mile. I was supposed to turn up ahead but all I could see was a line of cars and no shoulder, so I continued on the same road. I checked before so I knew they both went to the same place. The shoulders sucked but at least I was off the road finally. Then Google wanted me to get on a 3 lane highway. I paused for quite I bit and tried to find another way around, but I couldn't find any. I just rode in the grass/dirt alongside the road. Finally I got into the city and took a turn that was a road with 3 lanes, one way. I pushed my biked for a bit becaus the grass alongside was so tall (plus it was uphill). Soon I realized that there was practically no traffic. I found a backroad anyways. There was so much trash on the side of the road- it was really sad. I crossed over the previous road, away from homes. Finally I got to some sidewalks. More crazy highway for a bit and then a long quiet road. A few roads later I kept going past road closed ahead signs. I panicked a bit but just hoped it was like previous closed roads. It was. It was basically a bridge and bits of road almost completely grown over with vegetation. But there was a small path down the middle, perfect for bikes. I was starting to need to think about camp. I had to get back on the freeway, so I wanted to find camp before then. There were a few spots but it still felt too early. I got on the small shoulder. The freeway always has plenty of spots- no one wants to build their house right next to a freeway. There were parked cars up ahead so I headed into the woods a tad early. There was a trail, but it didn't look like it got used often. I had to avoid some spider webs but luckily the spiders on them were tiny. I set up camp and tried to sleep instead of thinking that every motorcycle that passed by was a four wheeler on this trail.
Friday, September 19, 2014
Day 85
Tree farm
Dispite the fact that I sprayed the ground with any killer, a few did manage to make it in. Like maybe 6. I call that a success. Any that sting me it extremely unfortunate though- I don't think anything itches quite as bad as a fire ant sting. Only an hour or so after starting my day, I found a town with a post office. Hooray! It wasn't long before I crossed over into Georgia and found another town. So the post card search began again. I stopped by a drug store- "check the library." Library- "nope, and I have no clue where you would find one." I was looking where to go next on my phone when the lady in the library came out and said she found one. It had random people on the front but it said Georgia on the back so boo-ya! I sent it off from the post office accross the street, restocked at a dollar general (4000 calories of cookies for $2, omg) and was on my way again. The route was decent. A few turns, then 18 miles, a few more turns. I think I only missed a turn once, by like 50 feet. There were lots of hills. Theoretically these should slow me down, but I have found that hilly days are often my farthest. I believe this mut be from the focus I get when going both up and down a hill. On a flat surface, I can kinda just relax. When going up hill, I have to really pump in order to make it up with any sort of speed. Plus, the slower I go, the harder it is to steer. When going down hill, it is important to pump as hard as I can so that I can recapture as much energy as possible and gain enough speed to get me as far up the next hill as possible. Unfortunately I still don't have full use of my highest gear. I'll probably have to get it checked out at a bike shop. Anyways, at one point another biker came up behind me and we chatted for a while. He went to school at UAF- small world! He told me about the next few hundred miles- just worse hills. Awesome. I was really pounding the water today, even though it wasn't quite as hot as it has been on other days. I stopped at a tiny gas station. They didn't have a fountain drink water thing or gallons of water, so I filled 3 liters from the bathroom sink. I would have gotten more but the water was kinda white- I couldn't see through it. It tasted fine, but I knew there would be other towns. I arrived at my last town after 7 and realized I needed more water. I filled up at another gas station quickly and rushed out of town. There were hardly any clouds all day, but a few settled in, making darkness come faster than I was expecting. I found a fire hydrant that was pretty much in the middle of nowhere with a trail leading into the forest. There were houses, but I felt I was far enough away from them. I cut into the woods off the trail and set up camp. The great thing about seeing those spiders that had were several inches long is that any smaller spiders seem like babies. I saw a daddy long legs and a normal sized spider but no ants. I sprayed ant killer anyways. As I wrote this day, at least one animal came and checked me out. Hopefully that doesn't happen all night.
Dispite the fact that I sprayed the ground with any killer, a few did manage to make it in. Like maybe 6. I call that a success. Any that sting me it extremely unfortunate though- I don't think anything itches quite as bad as a fire ant sting. Only an hour or so after starting my day, I found a town with a post office. Hooray! It wasn't long before I crossed over into Georgia and found another town. So the post card search began again. I stopped by a drug store- "check the library." Library- "nope, and I have no clue where you would find one." I was looking where to go next on my phone when the lady in the library came out and said she found one. It had random people on the front but it said Georgia on the back so boo-ya! I sent it off from the post office accross the street, restocked at a dollar general (4000 calories of cookies for $2, omg) and was on my way again. The route was decent. A few turns, then 18 miles, a few more turns. I think I only missed a turn once, by like 50 feet. There were lots of hills. Theoretically these should slow me down, but I have found that hilly days are often my farthest. I believe this mut be from the focus I get when going both up and down a hill. On a flat surface, I can kinda just relax. When going up hill, I have to really pump in order to make it up with any sort of speed. Plus, the slower I go, the harder it is to steer. When going down hill, it is important to pump as hard as I can so that I can recapture as much energy as possible and gain enough speed to get me as far up the next hill as possible. Unfortunately I still don't have full use of my highest gear. I'll probably have to get it checked out at a bike shop. Anyways, at one point another biker came up behind me and we chatted for a while. He went to school at UAF- small world! He told me about the next few hundred miles- just worse hills. Awesome. I was really pounding the water today, even though it wasn't quite as hot as it has been on other days. I stopped at a tiny gas station. They didn't have a fountain drink water thing or gallons of water, so I filled 3 liters from the bathroom sink. I would have gotten more but the water was kinda white- I couldn't see through it. It tasted fine, but I knew there would be other towns. I arrived at my last town after 7 and realized I needed more water. I filled up at another gas station quickly and rushed out of town. There were hardly any clouds all day, but a few settled in, making darkness come faster than I was expecting. I found a fire hydrant that was pretty much in the middle of nowhere with a trail leading into the forest. There were houses, but I felt I was far enough away from them. I cut into the woods off the trail and set up camp. The great thing about seeing those spiders that had were several inches long is that any smaller spiders seem like babies. I saw a daddy long legs and a normal sized spider but no ants. I sprayed ant killer anyways. As I wrote this day, at least one animal came and checked me out. Hopefully that doesn't happen all night.
Thursday, September 18, 2014
Day 84
Under a bridge
I didn't drown! The rain stopped soon after I set up my tent, although I think it sprinkled a few more times throughout the night. The water level of the stream was actually lower in the morning than it was the night before. I had to kill a couple tiny spiders that found their way in or on my tent. I crossed back over the stream and was soon on the road again. Right after the bridge was a gas station- I stocked up. It wasn't too hot yet, but I got an icecream bar anyways. It was amazing. I passed through a town and started going north. I tried to enjoy the wonderful shoulders as much as I could, but soon I crossed over into Alabama and that was the end of them. The roads weren't that great either- bumpy. And I had to take a bunch of turns. Finally I got into Dothan, a huge city. Google wanted me to ride on the freeway- yeah no. I found side roads. I looked for postcards along the way. I went into the Flying J and got really excited when I saw the suvineers section. And postcards! Except.... They were all hillbilly post cards. No state on them, except made in Arkansas. Crap. I even asked an employee- that's all they had. I had to continue searching. A few gas stations, a pharmacy. Then I found a museum, but it was locked. I turned away and the door opened.
"Hello."
"Hi, is this a museum?"
"Yes, it's black history museum, would you like to look around?"
"Do you have post cards?"
He went back and checked- nope.
"Do you know anywhere that might have post cards around here?"
Without hesitation, he directed me to another museum just a few blocks away. I walked in and saw that they had a few- no Alabama ones but at least it said Alabama on the back. But then the museum host looked in her desk for more and pulled out one with a bicycle on it. Perfect! Of course she insisted that I have a look around. There were many neat things: big hanging wire structures that cast cool looking shadows on the wall, a life sized pony pulling a cart, sketches with chaotic lines. I looked around probably longer than I should have. I thanked the host and headed out. It wasn't too bad getting through the rest of the city. I did get blocked off by a train once though. It was stopped, so I just went to the next street down and crossed. Eventually Google wanted me to ride on the freeway again for a long distance, but I found a way around it that was only a mile or two extra. I got into a town that had a bike lane- yay! But what made me the most happy was the center line. Basically all the roads I have seen so far have a tiny center line. I don't understand how people can think it is safe to have just 6 inches of space between two cars going in opposite directions. Anyways, I passed through several tiny towns. I found a spot that I couldn't see from the road. I had to push my bike really hard to get it up the steep bank. I set up my tent as dogs barked nearby. I don't usually like being so close to dogs, but it was getting dark and this seemed like a good spot. A car or two passed by and I realized I wasn't quite as hidden as of like to be but I always like a bit of encouragement to wake up early. I had been through several small towns after getting the post card, but unfortunately I hadn't seen any post offices or blue boxes. I only have one more town to pass through before getting to Georgia. Hopefully it has one. The coyotes sound literally insane here. At least I know I'm not what the dogs are barking at.
I didn't drown! The rain stopped soon after I set up my tent, although I think it sprinkled a few more times throughout the night. The water level of the stream was actually lower in the morning than it was the night before. I had to kill a couple tiny spiders that found their way in or on my tent. I crossed back over the stream and was soon on the road again. Right after the bridge was a gas station- I stocked up. It wasn't too hot yet, but I got an icecream bar anyways. It was amazing. I passed through a town and started going north. I tried to enjoy the wonderful shoulders as much as I could, but soon I crossed over into Alabama and that was the end of them. The roads weren't that great either- bumpy. And I had to take a bunch of turns. Finally I got into Dothan, a huge city. Google wanted me to ride on the freeway- yeah no. I found side roads. I looked for postcards along the way. I went into the Flying J and got really excited when I saw the suvineers section. And postcards! Except.... They were all hillbilly post cards. No state on them, except made in Arkansas. Crap. I even asked an employee- that's all they had. I had to continue searching. A few gas stations, a pharmacy. Then I found a museum, but it was locked. I turned away and the door opened.
"Hello."
"Hi, is this a museum?"
"Yes, it's black history museum, would you like to look around?"
"Do you have post cards?"
He went back and checked- nope.
"Do you know anywhere that might have post cards around here?"
Without hesitation, he directed me to another museum just a few blocks away. I walked in and saw that they had a few- no Alabama ones but at least it said Alabama on the back. But then the museum host looked in her desk for more and pulled out one with a bicycle on it. Perfect! Of course she insisted that I have a look around. There were many neat things: big hanging wire structures that cast cool looking shadows on the wall, a life sized pony pulling a cart, sketches with chaotic lines. I looked around probably longer than I should have. I thanked the host and headed out. It wasn't too bad getting through the rest of the city. I did get blocked off by a train once though. It was stopped, so I just went to the next street down and crossed. Eventually Google wanted me to ride on the freeway again for a long distance, but I found a way around it that was only a mile or two extra. I got into a town that had a bike lane- yay! But what made me the most happy was the center line. Basically all the roads I have seen so far have a tiny center line. I don't understand how people can think it is safe to have just 6 inches of space between two cars going in opposite directions. Anyways, I passed through several tiny towns. I found a spot that I couldn't see from the road. I had to push my bike really hard to get it up the steep bank. I set up my tent as dogs barked nearby. I don't usually like being so close to dogs, but it was getting dark and this seemed like a good spot. A car or two passed by and I realized I wasn't quite as hidden as of like to be but I always like a bit of encouragement to wake up early. I had been through several small towns after getting the post card, but unfortunately I hadn't seen any post offices or blue boxes. I only have one more town to pass through before getting to Georgia. Hopefully it has one. The coyotes sound literally insane here. At least I know I'm not what the dogs are barking at.
Day 83
Anthill
I wanted to sleep in because of the awful night, but I had a lot to do and I was probably really visible. Plus my bike was away from my tent. Even though it would have been next to impossible and really stupid to try to steal it, I still worried- it would totally suck to have it stolen. I started packing up inside my tent and a train went by- I guess I picked a good time. There was only one ant left on my bike. I brought it over and loaded it up. Finally I had to deal with the basket. The trash bag was full of holes. I dumped out the basket and threw it around a bit- that got all the ants off quickly. Then I cleared them off of all the stuff- mostly trash. I packed up my tent and finally I was ready to go. I got back on the red brick road for a bit to get warmed up. I brushed my teeth while riding- that felt productive! Soon it ended and I got back onto the parallel road that had great shoulders. I loved how straightforward my path was- i90 the whole way. At one point I saw a Loves truck stop. Everyone suggests them for post cards. Sure enough, they did! Hooray! A bit later, I found an iPhone in my lane. The screen and back were both shattered, but who knows if it still has some working parts. I've found phones before. They are generally pretty light, so maybe I will carry then with me and see if I can sell them or at least recycle then. It had rained lightly on and off all day, like it had done for the past few days. There was a crazy storm off to the right. It must have passed over because it slowly started to pour. It was enough that it was worth finding cover. I found a roof that kept both me and my bike out of the rain. Soon after, a car pulled off the highway and parked nearby- I guess I'm not the only one who doesn't like to ride in the rain. A bunch of other cars ended up parking near the first- 6 in all. Eventually it stopped raining, but no one got back on the road. I was confused but I figured the roads were still wet, maybe that's why. Then the school bus pulled up. I felt so dumb. I wa s at a bus stop. I continued catching up on this blog until everyone left. Then I got back on the road. A few hours later, the rain picked back up again. I thought about finding cover but decided against it. I already wasted a bunch of time. Riding in the rain is actually kinda fun. Good and bad are just perceptions. They can be changed pretty easily. I found station an hour before sunset. I got warm food and ant killer spray. I ate there, under the eave of the roof. The cashier came out and chatted. He told me about the travels his old job used to afford him. I worked on a boat, so he was pretty familiar with the coastal states. He had seen the Statue of Liberty and felt great pride. He was retired now. He helped out his buddy, who owned the gas station. It was something to do. I finished my food, he went back inside, and I kept going. Perhaps stopping for so long was a bad idea. It was finally freezing cold again- for the first time since the beginning of the trip. I pedaled harder and eventually warmed back up. I started looking for a place to camp. I figured there would still be giant spiders here, so I didn't know how I would deal with that. Then I found a bridge. If I could pitch my tent under it, I wouldn't get rained on. I took the small road down. There was a small stream. I crossed over it and set up my tent far enough away from it that I was confident it wouldn't overflow. I was still pretty nervous- waking up on a waterbed is not the best feeling when you didn't fall asleep on one. Dispite the horrible run in with ants the day before, I didn't even bother with the spray this time. There's no way ants would set up a colony so close to water when it could destroy their home at any time. Then I realized I should probably be thinking like the ants... But by then I was already totally set up. I fell asleep just hoping I was lucky and that the stream would stay small.
I wanted to sleep in because of the awful night, but I had a lot to do and I was probably really visible. Plus my bike was away from my tent. Even though it would have been next to impossible and really stupid to try to steal it, I still worried- it would totally suck to have it stolen. I started packing up inside my tent and a train went by- I guess I picked a good time. There was only one ant left on my bike. I brought it over and loaded it up. Finally I had to deal with the basket. The trash bag was full of holes. I dumped out the basket and threw it around a bit- that got all the ants off quickly. Then I cleared them off of all the stuff- mostly trash. I packed up my tent and finally I was ready to go. I got back on the red brick road for a bit to get warmed up. I brushed my teeth while riding- that felt productive! Soon it ended and I got back onto the parallel road that had great shoulders. I loved how straightforward my path was- i90 the whole way. At one point I saw a Loves truck stop. Everyone suggests them for post cards. Sure enough, they did! Hooray! A bit later, I found an iPhone in my lane. The screen and back were both shattered, but who knows if it still has some working parts. I've found phones before. They are generally pretty light, so maybe I will carry then with me and see if I can sell them or at least recycle then. It had rained lightly on and off all day, like it had done for the past few days. There was a crazy storm off to the right. It must have passed over because it slowly started to pour. It was enough that it was worth finding cover. I found a roof that kept both me and my bike out of the rain. Soon after, a car pulled off the highway and parked nearby- I guess I'm not the only one who doesn't like to ride in the rain. A bunch of other cars ended up parking near the first- 6 in all. Eventually it stopped raining, but no one got back on the road. I was confused but I figured the roads were still wet, maybe that's why. Then the school bus pulled up. I felt so dumb. I wa s at a bus stop. I continued catching up on this blog until everyone left. Then I got back on the road. A few hours later, the rain picked back up again. I thought about finding cover but decided against it. I already wasted a bunch of time. Riding in the rain is actually kinda fun. Good and bad are just perceptions. They can be changed pretty easily. I found station an hour before sunset. I got warm food and ant killer spray. I ate there, under the eave of the roof. The cashier came out and chatted. He told me about the travels his old job used to afford him. I worked on a boat, so he was pretty familiar with the coastal states. He had seen the Statue of Liberty and felt great pride. He was retired now. He helped out his buddy, who owned the gas station. It was something to do. I finished my food, he went back inside, and I kept going. Perhaps stopping for so long was a bad idea. It was finally freezing cold again- for the first time since the beginning of the trip. I pedaled harder and eventually warmed back up. I started looking for a place to camp. I figured there would still be giant spiders here, so I didn't know how I would deal with that. Then I found a bridge. If I could pitch my tent under it, I wouldn't get rained on. I took the small road down. There was a small stream. I crossed over it and set up my tent far enough away from it that I was confident it wouldn't overflow. I was still pretty nervous- waking up on a waterbed is not the best feeling when you didn't fall asleep on one. Dispite the horrible run in with ants the day before, I didn't even bother with the spray this time. There's no way ants would set up a colony so close to water when it could destroy their home at any time. Then I realized I should probably be thinking like the ants... But by then I was already totally set up. I fell asleep just hoping I was lucky and that the stream would stay small.
Day 82
Lawn mower
No ants- yay! Maybe I finally outran them. As soon as I got out of my tent, I found out that the weird sound I had been hearing earlier was a lawn mower. Hopefully I can sneak out of the woods without him noticing. I got almost to the pavement when he turned and probably saw me. He didn't seem to care though. I just wizzed on by. I went past a few signs that said "don't feed the alligators" but I have a feeling that was just for show. I stopped by a Dollar Tree and stocked up. While packing up, a guy chatted with me about my trip. He was really enthusiastic and genuinely interested. He pointed me to the bike shop just accross the road. That's convenient. Unfortunately, it was closed. On a Monday. How dumb. I asked the nearby shell station if they knew where I could get a postcard. They pointed me back to the previous shell station. I didn't remember seeing it, and I didn't want to go back when I was pretty confident I would just be disappointed again, so I just kept on going. I checked out another small town- nothing. I passed by a bike route sign, but I don't know what it was referring to. Once I got into Florida, that's when the road was finally marked for biking. It felt weird, but I was so glad to be on the side of a highway and know I was supposed to be there. I made it on the outskirts of Pensacola, and the traffic increased dramatically. Luckily I had my bike lane, so it didn't bother me. I went to the closest bike shop. It was a bit out of the way, but I desperately needed it- my tire liner was showing through on my front tire. Yeah, there was an actual hole. The guys there were really quick to change them out and give me a new chain. I did a few back and forths in the parking lot to make sure everything was in good order and then left. Only about 100 feet down the road, I put it in the highest gear. Clank, clank, clank, clank. Crap. The gears were slipping. I knew this happened in 2nd and 8, but not the highest gear, the one I stay in practically all day. I thought about going back, but I had already spent 100 bucks. Maybe it would fix itself over time. Dispite this, I made great time, and decided to go past where I originally intended. I got on a red brick road. It was nice because I didn't have to worry about other cars at all, but it wasn't the smoothest ride. When I found out the road next to it had a bike lane, I switched over. I found a cranny in the woods and went in, slowly, with my flashlight. There was a giant spider blocking the entrance- that's not going to work. I kept going, a little stressed now. It was getting dark. I got back on the red brick road. It paralleled a rail road. A road crossed it, so I took it and started going along the side on the tracks. I got to a spot that was far enough away from the road that had a bush to block me from view. It was so dim that I couldn't see the ground or any spiders, so I got out my phone's flashlight. There was only a small spider near the bush- no problem. I set up my tent, forgetting to spray Raid. Oh well, I bet there's enough on the bottom of my tent that none will want to come in. I sprayed a line all the way around my tent. I climbed inside. Finally. I was getting ready to put my basket in a trash bag when my ankle started iching. I checked. Yep, darn, a few must have been under the tent as I was setting up. Then I looked around. It was like Armageddon. I paused, not really knowing what to do. There were more ants than I ever had to deal with before. I put everything in the trash bags and moved them outside, on top of my bike. I sprayed the ground- it was just enough for a tent spot, and then it was all used up. I shook out my tent and then set to work with duct tape to get the remaining few out. It was during this that I saw the nest. Yeah, I'm gonna have to move. I moved my tent to the ditch nearby. It was really rocky and surely uncomfortable, but it would have to do. As I moved my gear over, ensuring no ants were on them, I kept checking the ground. I think I saw like one ant. I was too close to the nest anyways. I moved to the other side of the tracks- still in the rocky area. But then I decided to check the spot above it. It was much more flat. I checked carefully for ants- nothing. There was what looked like a nest though. I smashed it with my shoe. I'll keep checking it. I shook my tent and got the rest with duct tape one last time. I put everything back in my tent, being careful to check for ants. I finally went to receive my bike. I grabbed the handle and quickly released- it was covered with ants. While I was moving my gear and tent, I left my bike directly on top of the nest. I'm sure my handlebars were covered with the smell of food. There were also several on the can of Raid. I thought about just leaving my bike there, but I imagined them chewing the crap out of my handles. I grabbed my bike by the tire and dragged it 20 feet away. At least it would be a pain for them to attack it. I finished up with my tent and then moved my bike again, down to the rocks, just for good measure. I climbed inside my tent. Finally I could relax somewhat. It was only 9, but that means it took almost 2 hours to finally get to this point. I managed to get some sleep and then was awoken a little after midnight by an ant crawling on my legs. I'm sure I just missed one. Nope, they were all over. I think I must have realized that these were from my basket originally- they must have swarmed it before I put it in the bag. I carefully took out the stuff they hadn't gotten to yet- mostly sealed food. Then I tied it back up and tossed it out of my tent to the rocks in the ditch below. It'll be easier to deal with tomorrow morning. I used duct tape to get the rest- I was so afraid that they would just keep on coming. Somehow I got them all though. I tried to get some sleep, but there was someone on the loudest dirt bike in the world who would go back and forth on the road pretty close to me. Then a train went by. I watched it for a bit- it was kinda cool to see one so close, at night, from inside a tent. Somehow I eventually managed to sleep. I woke up throughout the night to check for ants. I was in my sleeping bag now, so I wasn't able to feel when they invaded.
No ants- yay! Maybe I finally outran them. As soon as I got out of my tent, I found out that the weird sound I had been hearing earlier was a lawn mower. Hopefully I can sneak out of the woods without him noticing. I got almost to the pavement when he turned and probably saw me. He didn't seem to care though. I just wizzed on by. I went past a few signs that said "don't feed the alligators" but I have a feeling that was just for show. I stopped by a Dollar Tree and stocked up. While packing up, a guy chatted with me about my trip. He was really enthusiastic and genuinely interested. He pointed me to the bike shop just accross the road. That's convenient. Unfortunately, it was closed. On a Monday. How dumb. I asked the nearby shell station if they knew where I could get a postcard. They pointed me back to the previous shell station. I didn't remember seeing it, and I didn't want to go back when I was pretty confident I would just be disappointed again, so I just kept on going. I checked out another small town- nothing. I passed by a bike route sign, but I don't know what it was referring to. Once I got into Florida, that's when the road was finally marked for biking. It felt weird, but I was so glad to be on the side of a highway and know I was supposed to be there. I made it on the outskirts of Pensacola, and the traffic increased dramatically. Luckily I had my bike lane, so it didn't bother me. I went to the closest bike shop. It was a bit out of the way, but I desperately needed it- my tire liner was showing through on my front tire. Yeah, there was an actual hole. The guys there were really quick to change them out and give me a new chain. I did a few back and forths in the parking lot to make sure everything was in good order and then left. Only about 100 feet down the road, I put it in the highest gear. Clank, clank, clank, clank. Crap. The gears were slipping. I knew this happened in 2nd and 8, but not the highest gear, the one I stay in practically all day. I thought about going back, but I had already spent 100 bucks. Maybe it would fix itself over time. Dispite this, I made great time, and decided to go past where I originally intended. I got on a red brick road. It was nice because I didn't have to worry about other cars at all, but it wasn't the smoothest ride. When I found out the road next to it had a bike lane, I switched over. I found a cranny in the woods and went in, slowly, with my flashlight. There was a giant spider blocking the entrance- that's not going to work. I kept going, a little stressed now. It was getting dark. I got back on the red brick road. It paralleled a rail road. A road crossed it, so I took it and started going along the side on the tracks. I got to a spot that was far enough away from the road that had a bush to block me from view. It was so dim that I couldn't see the ground or any spiders, so I got out my phone's flashlight. There was only a small spider near the bush- no problem. I set up my tent, forgetting to spray Raid. Oh well, I bet there's enough on the bottom of my tent that none will want to come in. I sprayed a line all the way around my tent. I climbed inside. Finally. I was getting ready to put my basket in a trash bag when my ankle started iching. I checked. Yep, darn, a few must have been under the tent as I was setting up. Then I looked around. It was like Armageddon. I paused, not really knowing what to do. There were more ants than I ever had to deal with before. I put everything in the trash bags and moved them outside, on top of my bike. I sprayed the ground- it was just enough for a tent spot, and then it was all used up. I shook out my tent and then set to work with duct tape to get the remaining few out. It was during this that I saw the nest. Yeah, I'm gonna have to move. I moved my tent to the ditch nearby. It was really rocky and surely uncomfortable, but it would have to do. As I moved my gear over, ensuring no ants were on them, I kept checking the ground. I think I saw like one ant. I was too close to the nest anyways. I moved to the other side of the tracks- still in the rocky area. But then I decided to check the spot above it. It was much more flat. I checked carefully for ants- nothing. There was what looked like a nest though. I smashed it with my shoe. I'll keep checking it. I shook my tent and got the rest with duct tape one last time. I put everything back in my tent, being careful to check for ants. I finally went to receive my bike. I grabbed the handle and quickly released- it was covered with ants. While I was moving my gear and tent, I left my bike directly on top of the nest. I'm sure my handlebars were covered with the smell of food. There were also several on the can of Raid. I thought about just leaving my bike there, but I imagined them chewing the crap out of my handles. I grabbed my bike by the tire and dragged it 20 feet away. At least it would be a pain for them to attack it. I finished up with my tent and then moved my bike again, down to the rocks, just for good measure. I climbed inside my tent. Finally I could relax somewhat. It was only 9, but that means it took almost 2 hours to finally get to this point. I managed to get some sleep and then was awoken a little after midnight by an ant crawling on my legs. I'm sure I just missed one. Nope, they were all over. I think I must have realized that these were from my basket originally- they must have swarmed it before I put it in the bag. I carefully took out the stuff they hadn't gotten to yet- mostly sealed food. Then I tied it back up and tossed it out of my tent to the rocks in the ditch below. It'll be easier to deal with tomorrow morning. I used duct tape to get the rest- I was so afraid that they would just keep on coming. Somehow I got them all though. I tried to get some sleep, but there was someone on the loudest dirt bike in the world who would go back and forth on the road pretty close to me. Then a train went by. I watched it for a bit- it was kinda cool to see one so close, at night, from inside a tent. Somehow I eventually managed to sleep. I woke up throughout the night to check for ants. I was in my sleeping bag now, so I wasn't able to feel when they invaded.
Day 81
Nowhere else
I woke up and figured out what I needed to do today. I was 75 miles away from Mobil. After that, there really weren't any places to camp. Mobil was a huge city surrounded by suburbs. I realized I just had to head there and hope for the best. I've always found a place to camp. I passed through the next town quickly- I didn't need food or water. About a mile out, I realized I had to poop. Seriously this happens way too often to not mention at least once. It took about 3 hours to get to the next town. There were like 3 gas stations along the way, but they were all closed- I'm assuming since it was Sunday, I finally stopped at a gas station and filed up my water. I bought food too. I figured I'd get a pint of icecream so that I could slow down enough to not be trapped in the middle of a big city looking for somewhere to camp. They only had chocolate or vanilla- not my favorite but it will do. After I bought it, I found out they didn't have spoons. I asked if I could trade it out, rather than drink it as it melts and she gave me a cash refund. I decided to just leave- they didn't have what I wanted. At some point I pulled over and realized I was making fantastic time- probably because I was heading towards the gulf, which happens to be at sea level. If I averaged above 9mph, I could get past the city, over a bridge and into an area that had at least some patches of forest. I kept my bike in the highest gear and really pumped it out. Then I realized that I was in a new state and I needed to find a post card. Crap. I looked on my map and realized I'd be going through Alabama again- I'll get one then. It wasn't until later that I found out the bridge takes me over the middle of Alabama, not over into Florida. I pedaled hard again. I made incredible time. Once I made it into the city, I had to bike on what seemed like a freeway, but Google indicated that it was a bike path. Finally I did find the sign with a bike and share the road written on it. Then I reached a massive bridge. It was a great view as I crossed- I could see the tall buildings of Mobil and a giant rainstorm off in the distance. I was excited for the next bridge- it appeared to span several miles. I got onto it and got my first look at the gulf coast. It reminded me a bit of home. Then the bridge quickly ended. Cool, an island halfway! Except I never found another bridge. It must just be I-10 that is a bridge the whole way. It was during this ride that I discovered a fantastic trick- drinking peanuts. Ok not actually drinking them, but having them in the bottle they come in and pouring it into your mouth as you ride. I'm sure it would work for trail mix too. Most of the time I have chips and stuff that can sometimes be difficult to eat while riding. This discovery should help. Another bridge and then I was moving away from the water. I turned off the highway into a bike path and was about to go under a freeway when I stopped and realize maybe this was a better place to camp. There was a small forest right off the path. It was kinda early, but I knew I wanted to find camp before dark. I don't want to walk into spiderwebs. I found a spot that seemed like a premade path. There was a fence not too far in and an open spot just right for a tent. A had been holding a pee for too long- finally I could let it out. I set up my tent and climbed inside before it got dark. A few minutes later I discovered what I believe is a spider bite- it iches worse than anything else. I'm glad it wasn't poisonous! My legs have been iching pretty badly too. While I ride, I'm sure tons of bugs get picked up and have a feast. Maybe it's time to finally break out the bug dope that I haven't used for this entire trip...
I woke up and figured out what I needed to do today. I was 75 miles away from Mobil. After that, there really weren't any places to camp. Mobil was a huge city surrounded by suburbs. I realized I just had to head there and hope for the best. I've always found a place to camp. I passed through the next town quickly- I didn't need food or water. About a mile out, I realized I had to poop. Seriously this happens way too often to not mention at least once. It took about 3 hours to get to the next town. There were like 3 gas stations along the way, but they were all closed- I'm assuming since it was Sunday, I finally stopped at a gas station and filed up my water. I bought food too. I figured I'd get a pint of icecream so that I could slow down enough to not be trapped in the middle of a big city looking for somewhere to camp. They only had chocolate or vanilla- not my favorite but it will do. After I bought it, I found out they didn't have spoons. I asked if I could trade it out, rather than drink it as it melts and she gave me a cash refund. I decided to just leave- they didn't have what I wanted. At some point I pulled over and realized I was making fantastic time- probably because I was heading towards the gulf, which happens to be at sea level. If I averaged above 9mph, I could get past the city, over a bridge and into an area that had at least some patches of forest. I kept my bike in the highest gear and really pumped it out. Then I realized that I was in a new state and I needed to find a post card. Crap. I looked on my map and realized I'd be going through Alabama again- I'll get one then. It wasn't until later that I found out the bridge takes me over the middle of Alabama, not over into Florida. I pedaled hard again. I made incredible time. Once I made it into the city, I had to bike on what seemed like a freeway, but Google indicated that it was a bike path. Finally I did find the sign with a bike and share the road written on it. Then I reached a massive bridge. It was a great view as I crossed- I could see the tall buildings of Mobil and a giant rainstorm off in the distance. I was excited for the next bridge- it appeared to span several miles. I got onto it and got my first look at the gulf coast. It reminded me a bit of home. Then the bridge quickly ended. Cool, an island halfway! Except I never found another bridge. It must just be I-10 that is a bridge the whole way. It was during this ride that I discovered a fantastic trick- drinking peanuts. Ok not actually drinking them, but having them in the bottle they come in and pouring it into your mouth as you ride. I'm sure it would work for trail mix too. Most of the time I have chips and stuff that can sometimes be difficult to eat while riding. This discovery should help. Another bridge and then I was moving away from the water. I turned off the highway into a bike path and was about to go under a freeway when I stopped and realize maybe this was a better place to camp. There was a small forest right off the path. It was kinda early, but I knew I wanted to find camp before dark. I don't want to walk into spiderwebs. I found a spot that seemed like a premade path. There was a fence not too far in and an open spot just right for a tent. A had been holding a pee for too long- finally I could let it out. I set up my tent and climbed inside before it got dark. A few minutes later I discovered what I believe is a spider bite- it iches worse than anything else. I'm glad it wasn't poisonous! My legs have been iching pretty badly too. While I ride, I'm sure tons of bugs get picked up and have a feast. Maybe it's time to finally break out the bug dope that I haven't used for this entire trip...
Day 80
Gunshot
I woke up to the sound of bees. Apparently I had camped near some flowers again. I slept in a bit because yesterday was pretty exhausting- lots of freeway. Plus I was putting off fixing my flat. When I finally got up, I looked around and spotted several spiders in their webs. Luckily they weren't the crazy big ones I was used to. I flipped over my bike and quickly found the wire (or maybe it was a staple). The hole was easy to find and easy to patch. I pumped for what seemed like forever. I thought for sure that it was still leaking. But finally the tire felt hard enough. I packed up and left. Somehow I ran into a small web on the way- I have no idea how, considering that's the way I came in. I was on a low traffic highway, then some backroads, then finally into the city where the bike route started, Prentiss. I restocked at a Family Dollar. I bought water, even though I figured the trail would have fountains. But I'd rather be safe than sorry. A few people asked me about my trip while I was outside. Unfortunately I'm finally in the part of the country where people are ridiculously hard to understand. Their accent is at just the right point. I'm my even sure I could mimic it with any accuracy. Anyways, I think I've finally gotten to the point where my trip is finally impressive to pretty much anyone. I've usually been so close to Montana that it has not always seemed that big of a deal to people. But it's fun to tell people, " I started in Montana, I've been through 27 states, I've traveled over 5,000 miles, I've been on the road for 80 days." I pedalled a few blocks and got on to the glorious bike path. For 43 miles, nothing interesting happened, except that I saw like 2 deer, I peed a lot, and I lost my bite valve. One deer sighting was interesting because it was prancing towards me rather than away. It was far away to begin with though. It was a totally overcast, nice, cool day, all day. I was thinking that without sweating as much as I'm used to, my body had to get rid of that water somehow. Or maybe that's just how I react to Swedish fish. My bite valve is how I drink water. I have another one, but it was very convenient to be able to switch my waters out without switching the straw. When I got to the end of the path, I was hoping to stop by a bike shop. I've had the same front tire for the entire trip- it's starting to show the fibers and it had a few holes. My steering has felt just a little wonky. I think it's partially from the uneven bike path, the wind, and I bet my front tire is so worn out that it's not perfectly round anymore. My back one could use a replacement too. Unfortunely, the two in town close early on Saturdays. If I get anywhere tomorrow, it'll be Sunday, and basically all bike shops are closed. Oh well. Navigation through the city wasn't too bad, although I had to be in the road. The speed limit was like 30mph so people just passed me. I got onto a divided highway with lovely shoulders- then it changed several times. At one point a car passed so close to me that I'm sure they weren't paying attention. I stopped at a gas station to restock. I hoped to make it past Richton, but since it was dark all day and I was going east, I realized it would start getting dark right after 7. I set up camp early. I'm close to the highway and technically visible, but people are going by at 60mph. There's no way they are going to glacé over and see a green tent among all the trees and bushes.
I woke up to the sound of bees. Apparently I had camped near some flowers again. I slept in a bit because yesterday was pretty exhausting- lots of freeway. Plus I was putting off fixing my flat. When I finally got up, I looked around and spotted several spiders in their webs. Luckily they weren't the crazy big ones I was used to. I flipped over my bike and quickly found the wire (or maybe it was a staple). The hole was easy to find and easy to patch. I pumped for what seemed like forever. I thought for sure that it was still leaking. But finally the tire felt hard enough. I packed up and left. Somehow I ran into a small web on the way- I have no idea how, considering that's the way I came in. I was on a low traffic highway, then some backroads, then finally into the city where the bike route started, Prentiss. I restocked at a Family Dollar. I bought water, even though I figured the trail would have fountains. But I'd rather be safe than sorry. A few people asked me about my trip while I was outside. Unfortunately I'm finally in the part of the country where people are ridiculously hard to understand. Their accent is at just the right point. I'm my even sure I could mimic it with any accuracy. Anyways, I think I've finally gotten to the point where my trip is finally impressive to pretty much anyone. I've usually been so close to Montana that it has not always seemed that big of a deal to people. But it's fun to tell people, " I started in Montana, I've been through 27 states, I've traveled over 5,000 miles, I've been on the road for 80 days." I pedalled a few blocks and got on to the glorious bike path. For 43 miles, nothing interesting happened, except that I saw like 2 deer, I peed a lot, and I lost my bite valve. One deer sighting was interesting because it was prancing towards me rather than away. It was far away to begin with though. It was a totally overcast, nice, cool day, all day. I was thinking that without sweating as much as I'm used to, my body had to get rid of that water somehow. Or maybe that's just how I react to Swedish fish. My bite valve is how I drink water. I have another one, but it was very convenient to be able to switch my waters out without switching the straw. When I got to the end of the path, I was hoping to stop by a bike shop. I've had the same front tire for the entire trip- it's starting to show the fibers and it had a few holes. My steering has felt just a little wonky. I think it's partially from the uneven bike path, the wind, and I bet my front tire is so worn out that it's not perfectly round anymore. My back one could use a replacement too. Unfortunely, the two in town close early on Saturdays. If I get anywhere tomorrow, it'll be Sunday, and basically all bike shops are closed. Oh well. Navigation through the city wasn't too bad, although I had to be in the road. The speed limit was like 30mph so people just passed me. I got onto a divided highway with lovely shoulders- then it changed several times. At one point a car passed so close to me that I'm sure they weren't paying attention. I stopped at a gas station to restock. I hoped to make it past Richton, but since it was dark all day and I was going east, I realized it would start getting dark right after 7. I set up camp early. I'm close to the highway and technically visible, but people are going by at 60mph. There's no way they are going to glacé over and see a green tent among all the trees and bushes.
Day 79
Huge spiders
I woke up and realized I needed to decide what to do next. It was a really crappy situation- it came down to choosing between riding on the tiny shoulder of a freeway pretty much all day but then getting to a 41 mile paved bike path or riding on highways that didn't have a shoulder at all and skipping the bike path. Either way, I had to go on the freeway for a bit. While packing up my stuff, I discovered that this area wasn't as free of spiders as I had hoped. I could see the spider I had seen from a distance last night- it was in fact several webs and spiders. And about 10 feet from my tent was another. I could get close enough to really check it out. I can't even imagine what it would be like to accidentally walk into one of these. The web would probably completely wrap around then persons face, pinning the spider there. As I left, I went slowly to insure that didn't happen to me. At first I really didn't like the freeway. The shoulder sucked. But after a while, I realized it wasn't too bad. There was very little traffic. Every time a car passed, they could easily get into the other lane. Realistically, it was better than actually being in the road. At one point the shoulder was so small that I couldn't understand how I could stay on it. I decided to take the freeway most of the way- Google gave me a route that had backroads for the second half of it. Before I got to my turn, the traffic got just a bit much. A few trucks passed by in the lane closest to me- too close for comfort. It was probably because I was closer to a big city and the hills were more plentiful here, so visibility was limited. Instead of seeing a bright green dot way up ahead and therefore having plenty of time to figure out that it was a biker and passing, people would only have 100 feet or so. I decided it was time to turn if possible. It was. I took the back way into Brookhaven. With the freeway being so desolate, it was easy to guess that the backroads would be too. I made it all the way through the big city wth no difficulty at all. On the outskirts, I could see rain clouds, hear thunder, and every once in a while, the road would light up in a flash. Later it started to drizzle, but not much. I forgot to turn at one point, but luckily it only added 2 miles or so to my trip. Because of the clouds, it got dark fast. I found a place to check out for camping, but there were small spiders in their webs blocking my path. I didn't want to disturb them. As I got back on the road, I found out that I got a flat tire. I tried to ride on it just to get a bit further, but it was useless. I had to push. I looked around for another spot, but I realized the previous spot was going to be my only choice. If there were spiders accross the front, people must not use it often. It started to rain a little more heavily as I set up my tent. All of a sudden I got the sensation that I was getting bitten a bunch on my ankle. I went to scratch it and found out there were a bunch of ants. Great. I got them off. Hopefully that was from a while ago- it would suck if I was setting up my tent on an anthill.
I woke up and realized I needed to decide what to do next. It was a really crappy situation- it came down to choosing between riding on the tiny shoulder of a freeway pretty much all day but then getting to a 41 mile paved bike path or riding on highways that didn't have a shoulder at all and skipping the bike path. Either way, I had to go on the freeway for a bit. While packing up my stuff, I discovered that this area wasn't as free of spiders as I had hoped. I could see the spider I had seen from a distance last night- it was in fact several webs and spiders. And about 10 feet from my tent was another. I could get close enough to really check it out. I can't even imagine what it would be like to accidentally walk into one of these. The web would probably completely wrap around then persons face, pinning the spider there. As I left, I went slowly to insure that didn't happen to me. At first I really didn't like the freeway. The shoulder sucked. But after a while, I realized it wasn't too bad. There was very little traffic. Every time a car passed, they could easily get into the other lane. Realistically, it was better than actually being in the road. At one point the shoulder was so small that I couldn't understand how I could stay on it. I decided to take the freeway most of the way- Google gave me a route that had backroads for the second half of it. Before I got to my turn, the traffic got just a bit much. A few trucks passed by in the lane closest to me- too close for comfort. It was probably because I was closer to a big city and the hills were more plentiful here, so visibility was limited. Instead of seeing a bright green dot way up ahead and therefore having plenty of time to figure out that it was a biker and passing, people would only have 100 feet or so. I decided it was time to turn if possible. It was. I took the back way into Brookhaven. With the freeway being so desolate, it was easy to guess that the backroads would be too. I made it all the way through the big city wth no difficulty at all. On the outskirts, I could see rain clouds, hear thunder, and every once in a while, the road would light up in a flash. Later it started to drizzle, but not much. I forgot to turn at one point, but luckily it only added 2 miles or so to my trip. Because of the clouds, it got dark fast. I found a place to check out for camping, but there were small spiders in their webs blocking my path. I didn't want to disturb them. As I got back on the road, I found out that I got a flat tire. I tried to ride on it just to get a bit further, but it was useless. I had to push. I looked around for another spot, but I realized the previous spot was going to be my only choice. If there were spiders accross the front, people must not use it often. It started to rain a little more heavily as I set up my tent. All of a sudden I got the sensation that I was getting bitten a bunch on my ankle. I went to scratch it and found out there were a bunch of ants. Great. I got them off. Hopefully that was from a while ago- it would suck if I was setting up my tent on an anthill.
Tuesday, September 16, 2014
Day 78
Hunters
I'm pretty sure there was a four wheelers or two that took the trail at night. I'm also pretty sure people were waking around. Maybe they saw my tent but couldn't figure out what it was until they got closer- I don't know. No one shot me though! My route took me through some of the scariest places so far. The road had a giant spider in its web every 20 feet. Part of me wanted to ride on the side if the road to avoid the cars. The other part of me wanted to ride in the middle to avoid the spiders. Eventually I made it to a town. This was my last day in Lousiana and I still needed a post card. I checked several places, and every place gave me a new place to search. One person suggested a cafe and a pizza place. I thought it was a silly idea and I didn't want to waste time, so I didn't even try. I realized quickly that it's unlikely they suggested those places if they hadn't been there and seen postcards there. Luckily the drugstore in the next town had a few- obviously inherited from an older store. They were just randomly there. The lady was so nice that she let me have the postcard for free. She even gave me a stamp for it! Mississippi has some nice people! I guess they have to make up for the crazy spiders somehow. I stopped at a gas station before going over a big bridge over the river Mississippi and into the state Mississippi. Everything totaled to $6.66. I couldn't help but laugh at that. The devil must be watching me. I crossed over the bridge and the huge river. Right on the other side was a visitors center. They've gotta have post cards! I asked one of the many people working there. The bookstore had them, but they were closed. Drats. Another woman was looking through her drawer. She found a post card of the Mississippi River, as viewed from Mississippi state. Perfect! She said I could just have it. Fantastic! Two in one day! I continued on through the city. I should have looked fe the post office, but I knew I'd be in the state for several days. There would be more. The sidewalks were terrible- tons of steps. I finally gave up and biked in the road- there were 3 lanes and it was a one way. Plenty of ways to pass me. Finally I made it out. The rest of the day was my own personal version of hell. The roads were paved, but they were more like backroads than highways. There was only the occasional spider in its web- until I looked up. Occasionally there was a spiderweb that hung above the road- the trees would often span this, but sometimes they left just enough room for a web. Then there were the power lines. There were two cords, running one above the other. It apparently was the perfect distance for a web. A huge spider hung in the middle of its four foot web with only inches of space between the next one. They were far away, yet I could still see how massive each spider was. These lyrics kept going through my head: "if your goin through hell, keep on goin. Don't slow down, if you're scared don't show it. You might get out before the devil even knows you're there." Unfortunately, if you'll remember, I bought stuff that totaled to exactly $6.66. He already knows I'm here. I spent too long going through this nastiness but I finally made it to the freeway. I think I technically missed a turn but I was happy to get in the freeway sooner rather than later. I quickly found out that the freeway wasn't ideal. There was just barley enough shoulder to ride on. I found the next turn off and took it. It was starting to get dark- I needed to find camp soon. The road had a while community along it. There weren't many opportunities for camp, and I wanted to get away from people if possible. It really started getting dark. The road was longer than I thought it was. I stopped when I passed by a church. Perhaps this would work- I would have to worry about spiders and maybe worry less about ants than usual. There weren't any fantastic hiding places nearby, but I hoped that if someone owned a church, they wouldn't mind offering their lawn for a night. I was just about to get my tent when a dog started barking. From like 50 feet away. Through all that walking around it slept, but I guess I finally woke it up. I pushed my bike to the other side of the church, hoping that would shut it up. It didn't. I realized the only wag to get it to stop was to leave. It was stupidly dark by now, but I had no choice but to pedal away. I looked around wildly for a spot, but I still had my sights on the freeway- at least I know there wouldn't be houses there. I finally got to the freeway and saw accross it a lamppost and sign. Good- I will be able to see around me so that I don't walk into spider webs, and I will be able to check the ground for ants. I knew I'd be visible, but oh well. I didn't have much choice. I headed up there and found I could go a bit further than I expected- I was kinda hidden. I could see that if I kept going. I was run into spiders. I sprayed the Raid and set up my tent. I can't wait to finally get past hell.
I'm pretty sure there was a four wheelers or two that took the trail at night. I'm also pretty sure people were waking around. Maybe they saw my tent but couldn't figure out what it was until they got closer- I don't know. No one shot me though! My route took me through some of the scariest places so far. The road had a giant spider in its web every 20 feet. Part of me wanted to ride on the side if the road to avoid the cars. The other part of me wanted to ride in the middle to avoid the spiders. Eventually I made it to a town. This was my last day in Lousiana and I still needed a post card. I checked several places, and every place gave me a new place to search. One person suggested a cafe and a pizza place. I thought it was a silly idea and I didn't want to waste time, so I didn't even try. I realized quickly that it's unlikely they suggested those places if they hadn't been there and seen postcards there. Luckily the drugstore in the next town had a few- obviously inherited from an older store. They were just randomly there. The lady was so nice that she let me have the postcard for free. She even gave me a stamp for it! Mississippi has some nice people! I guess they have to make up for the crazy spiders somehow. I stopped at a gas station before going over a big bridge over the river Mississippi and into the state Mississippi. Everything totaled to $6.66. I couldn't help but laugh at that. The devil must be watching me. I crossed over the bridge and the huge river. Right on the other side was a visitors center. They've gotta have post cards! I asked one of the many people working there. The bookstore had them, but they were closed. Drats. Another woman was looking through her drawer. She found a post card of the Mississippi River, as viewed from Mississippi state. Perfect! She said I could just have it. Fantastic! Two in one day! I continued on through the city. I should have looked fe the post office, but I knew I'd be in the state for several days. There would be more. The sidewalks were terrible- tons of steps. I finally gave up and biked in the road- there were 3 lanes and it was a one way. Plenty of ways to pass me. Finally I made it out. The rest of the day was my own personal version of hell. The roads were paved, but they were more like backroads than highways. There was only the occasional spider in its web- until I looked up. Occasionally there was a spiderweb that hung above the road- the trees would often span this, but sometimes they left just enough room for a web. Then there were the power lines. There were two cords, running one above the other. It apparently was the perfect distance for a web. A huge spider hung in the middle of its four foot web with only inches of space between the next one. They were far away, yet I could still see how massive each spider was. These lyrics kept going through my head: "if your goin through hell, keep on goin. Don't slow down, if you're scared don't show it. You might get out before the devil even knows you're there." Unfortunately, if you'll remember, I bought stuff that totaled to exactly $6.66. He already knows I'm here. I spent too long going through this nastiness but I finally made it to the freeway. I think I technically missed a turn but I was happy to get in the freeway sooner rather than later. I quickly found out that the freeway wasn't ideal. There was just barley enough shoulder to ride on. I found the next turn off and took it. It was starting to get dark- I needed to find camp soon. The road had a while community along it. There weren't many opportunities for camp, and I wanted to get away from people if possible. It really started getting dark. The road was longer than I thought it was. I stopped when I passed by a church. Perhaps this would work- I would have to worry about spiders and maybe worry less about ants than usual. There weren't any fantastic hiding places nearby, but I hoped that if someone owned a church, they wouldn't mind offering their lawn for a night. I was just about to get my tent when a dog started barking. From like 50 feet away. Through all that walking around it slept, but I guess I finally woke it up. I pushed my bike to the other side of the church, hoping that would shut it up. It didn't. I realized the only wag to get it to stop was to leave. It was stupidly dark by now, but I had no choice but to pedal away. I looked around wildly for a spot, but I still had my sights on the freeway- at least I know there wouldn't be houses there. I finally got to the freeway and saw accross it a lamppost and sign. Good- I will be able to see around me so that I don't walk into spider webs, and I will be able to check the ground for ants. I knew I'd be visible, but oh well. I didn't have much choice. I headed up there and found I could go a bit further than I expected- I was kinda hidden. I could see that if I kept going. I was run into spiders. I sprayed the Raid and set up my tent. I can't wait to finally get past hell.
Day 77
Hello?
I woke up a few times throughout the night to check for ants. They got in again. I sprayed enough raid to ensure they wouldn't come in their usual spot, but they must have found a different way. There was just a few crumbs that they found, but that was enough for them to send in the fleet. I sprayed where they were collecting- not suggested, but I wasn't sure what else to do. I got quite a few of them with duct tape. At least they didn't get into my gear. I didn't sleep very good for the rest of the night. I'd wake up every so often to the feeling of an ant crawling up my leg. I wanted to get up early to get away from them and to avoid being seen by anyone, but I was exhausted so I slept in a bit. I was just laying there when I hear a car on the dirt road come to a stop before the stop sign. Crap. The door opened. Footsteps, then a woman says, "Hello?"
"Hello," I answer.
"What're you doin'?"
"Camping- I'll leave if you want."
"This is private property."
"I'm sorry, I didn't see any signs last night, I'll pack up and leave."
And then the door shut and she drove away. What a great way to get my heart beat up a few notches. I loaded up my bike and shook out my tent. Soon I was back on the road. This was one of the first days that I was actually sore. I'm sure it was from the poor sleep quality. I've been mad at how much sleep I've been needing for this trip- more than half my day is generally spent in my tent. But I figured lots of sleep was pretty important, and today proved that. I missed a few more turns today, but it was a good thing. The turns weren't on to actual roads. Luckily there was a pavement way around it, but I did have to pedal a few more miles than expected. The roads were pretty responsive. By that I mean that when there wasn't a shoulder, there wasn't much traffic. And vice versa. I've been having bad luck with water. When I passed through Winnfield, I filled up at a water fountain. It tasted fine, but was kinda yellowish-brown. I stopped by a gas station and finally bought water again. I'm sure it's worth it to know for sure it's good drinking water. At the end of the day, I really wanted to make it through the next town, but I realized it would be too dark. I pulled over and restocked at a gas station. Then I biked hardly any distance at all down the road and I found a trail. It looked like a four wheeler trail. It was easy to find a spot off in the woods. I was cautious of spiders, but there didn't seem to be any. I had a little extra time, but finally I fell asleep.
I woke up a few times throughout the night to check for ants. They got in again. I sprayed enough raid to ensure they wouldn't come in their usual spot, but they must have found a different way. There was just a few crumbs that they found, but that was enough for them to send in the fleet. I sprayed where they were collecting- not suggested, but I wasn't sure what else to do. I got quite a few of them with duct tape. At least they didn't get into my gear. I didn't sleep very good for the rest of the night. I'd wake up every so often to the feeling of an ant crawling up my leg. I wanted to get up early to get away from them and to avoid being seen by anyone, but I was exhausted so I slept in a bit. I was just laying there when I hear a car on the dirt road come to a stop before the stop sign. Crap. The door opened. Footsteps, then a woman says, "Hello?"
"Hello," I answer.
"What're you doin'?"
"Camping- I'll leave if you want."
"This is private property."
"I'm sorry, I didn't see any signs last night, I'll pack up and leave."
And then the door shut and she drove away. What a great way to get my heart beat up a few notches. I loaded up my bike and shook out my tent. Soon I was back on the road. This was one of the first days that I was actually sore. I'm sure it was from the poor sleep quality. I've been mad at how much sleep I've been needing for this trip- more than half my day is generally spent in my tent. But I figured lots of sleep was pretty important, and today proved that. I missed a few more turns today, but it was a good thing. The turns weren't on to actual roads. Luckily there was a pavement way around it, but I did have to pedal a few more miles than expected. The roads were pretty responsive. By that I mean that when there wasn't a shoulder, there wasn't much traffic. And vice versa. I've been having bad luck with water. When I passed through Winnfield, I filled up at a water fountain. It tasted fine, but was kinda yellowish-brown. I stopped by a gas station and finally bought water again. I'm sure it's worth it to know for sure it's good drinking water. At the end of the day, I really wanted to make it through the next town, but I realized it would be too dark. I pulled over and restocked at a gas station. Then I biked hardly any distance at all down the road and I found a trail. It looked like a four wheeler trail. It was easy to find a spot off in the woods. I was cautious of spiders, but there didn't seem to be any. I had a little extra time, but finally I fell asleep.
Day 76
8 ants
I don't know how I've slept in some of the places that I have. Trains wizzing by, semi's roaring past, birds and bugs screaming throughout the night. The semi's were especially plentiful here. They were so loud that I was sure they were speeding. But then again, vehicles that big are sure to be loud no matter what. My tent would shake every time one that was not very aerodynamic would pass by. When I woke up in the morning, I checked for ants. The raid must have worked! There were only a few ants exploring, probably to be expected when they have nothing to find. I had to brush quite a few spiders off my tent, but they were all small and nothing compared to the monsters on the other side of the road. At my first gas station stop, I got provisions and then just before leaving, a guy asked about my trip and claimed that I must be a millionaire. This always seems weird to me when people think bike touring is expensive. It would take someone about 4 months to save up enough money for this trip which also happens to be around 4 months long. If I sell the gear afterwards, it would be much less. If I got everything used, it would be less. And so on.
I was sceptical about the next part of my journey. I was supposed to get on the Louisiana trail. I read reviews about it and it sounded like it was more for atvs or hiking- not for a road bike. Dispite the spiders from the day before, I decided to check it out anyways. I went to where I was supposed to turn onto it and passed right by it. Looking on Google, it seemed more like someone's yard than a trail. I went around and tried it a block down. Same thing. I could just barely make out where a four-wheeler had made the grass go down. I figured I was here, I might as well look at it. I approached the woods and discovered there really was a trail. It was rediculously overgrown and there were mud puddles, but it was there. I knew I would need to do something different. Luckily there were roads that followed it the whole way. I had to get about a mile down the trail first though. Part was out of the trees. It was worse- more mud puddles and hard to pedal dirt. I came across a small bridge originally made for a train. I had to push my bike carefully over the planks, knowing that any step could be the one that puts me in the water. I think I could see those weird long spiders dropping and only hanging on by their web when I rolled above them. Finally I was on the other side and both a sign and pavement greeted me. The sign indicated that the trail was for members only. Good, it's a crappy trail anyways! I took the pavement. It was lovely for pretty much the rest of the day. No shoulder, but also no traffic. Around 7 I pulled into a little gas station. I intended on buying water because of the bad luck I'd been having, but they only had 16oz bottles for a buck each- I'd have to buy like 10 to fill up. Actually that's not too bad, but I'd feel really wasteful. I filled up at the sink instead- it tasted fine. When I left, someone passed by and asked what I was doing- it was a short conversation and of course she told me to be safe. I wanted to check the general store down the street, but when I got there, it was closed. I was going to try opening the door just to make sure when the lady I talked to a minute before seemed to be calling to me. I peddled back and she said that the owner wanted to talk to me. She said she didn't realize what I was doing and she asked if I had eaten anything all day. I assured her I did, but she offered me free hot food and an ice cold fountain drink anyways. I happily accepted. It was getting late, but I decided I eat some of it there. Chicken strips and fish strips- it was really good, but I had to get back on the road and find camp. I thanked her again and continued on. I tried to get past all the houses, but it was getting dark. Perhaps there won't be crazy spiders near people. I found a road that looked like it might have been a long driveway. There was a clearing with trees blocking it from the road. It would have to work. I partially tried to hide behind two trees, but figured it would be dark soon. Plus I felt that I was far enough to the side that no one would see me. It wasn't the best spot- it was accross from a turnoff that apparently had a lot of houses. Cars turned there frequently. I held my breath when a car finally turned down my road. They must not have noticed me. Hopefully they won't in the morning either.
I don't know how I've slept in some of the places that I have. Trains wizzing by, semi's roaring past, birds and bugs screaming throughout the night. The semi's were especially plentiful here. They were so loud that I was sure they were speeding. But then again, vehicles that big are sure to be loud no matter what. My tent would shake every time one that was not very aerodynamic would pass by. When I woke up in the morning, I checked for ants. The raid must have worked! There were only a few ants exploring, probably to be expected when they have nothing to find. I had to brush quite a few spiders off my tent, but they were all small and nothing compared to the monsters on the other side of the road. At my first gas station stop, I got provisions and then just before leaving, a guy asked about my trip and claimed that I must be a millionaire. This always seems weird to me when people think bike touring is expensive. It would take someone about 4 months to save up enough money for this trip which also happens to be around 4 months long. If I sell the gear afterwards, it would be much less. If I got everything used, it would be less. And so on.
I was sceptical about the next part of my journey. I was supposed to get on the Louisiana trail. I read reviews about it and it sounded like it was more for atvs or hiking- not for a road bike. Dispite the spiders from the day before, I decided to check it out anyways. I went to where I was supposed to turn onto it and passed right by it. Looking on Google, it seemed more like someone's yard than a trail. I went around and tried it a block down. Same thing. I could just barely make out where a four-wheeler had made the grass go down. I figured I was here, I might as well look at it. I approached the woods and discovered there really was a trail. It was rediculously overgrown and there were mud puddles, but it was there. I knew I would need to do something different. Luckily there were roads that followed it the whole way. I had to get about a mile down the trail first though. Part was out of the trees. It was worse- more mud puddles and hard to pedal dirt. I came across a small bridge originally made for a train. I had to push my bike carefully over the planks, knowing that any step could be the one that puts me in the water. I think I could see those weird long spiders dropping and only hanging on by their web when I rolled above them. Finally I was on the other side and both a sign and pavement greeted me. The sign indicated that the trail was for members only. Good, it's a crappy trail anyways! I took the pavement. It was lovely for pretty much the rest of the day. No shoulder, but also no traffic. Around 7 I pulled into a little gas station. I intended on buying water because of the bad luck I'd been having, but they only had 16oz bottles for a buck each- I'd have to buy like 10 to fill up. Actually that's not too bad, but I'd feel really wasteful. I filled up at the sink instead- it tasted fine. When I left, someone passed by and asked what I was doing- it was a short conversation and of course she told me to be safe. I wanted to check the general store down the street, but when I got there, it was closed. I was going to try opening the door just to make sure when the lady I talked to a minute before seemed to be calling to me. I peddled back and she said that the owner wanted to talk to me. She said she didn't realize what I was doing and she asked if I had eaten anything all day. I assured her I did, but she offered me free hot food and an ice cold fountain drink anyways. I happily accepted. It was getting late, but I decided I eat some of it there. Chicken strips and fish strips- it was really good, but I had to get back on the road and find camp. I thanked her again and continued on. I tried to get past all the houses, but it was getting dark. Perhaps there won't be crazy spiders near people. I found a road that looked like it might have been a long driveway. There was a clearing with trees blocking it from the road. It would have to work. I partially tried to hide behind two trees, but figured it would be dark soon. Plus I felt that I was far enough to the side that no one would see me. It wasn't the best spot- it was accross from a turnoff that apparently had a lot of houses. Cars turned there frequently. I held my breath when a car finally turned down my road. They must not have noticed me. Hopefully they won't in the morning either.
Thursday, September 11, 2014
Day 75
Firewood
The ants chewed through the plastic bag. I don't really know what I was thinking. If they can chew through a tent, they can chew through a bag. I spent an hour and a half getting them off my gear. Time to come up with a better solution. I got on the road and started thinking. I settled on getting a box of heavy duty bags from a gas station. If they can't get anything useful, they would come in mass. I grabbed some duct tape to- maybe my duct tape wasn't working because it was old and got wet. I also got icecream. A pint is less than two bucks here. I'm going to be eating a lot. I read that coffee grounds works as a barrier- maybe I'd find it somewhere. I spent ages looking for a post card today. The first city didn't have any. The second city didn't have any. I checked gas stations, the tiny airport, a museum, grocery stores, a tractor supply, a hardware store. I called drug stores. Zero luck. I could have tried other cities, but I don't want my trip through every state to turn into my year spent hunting down post cards on a bike. So I used a generic one that I got at the post office. By generic I mean it's blank with a stamp on it. I even checked two more places while leaving town. At the last one, they had banana split icecream for the cheap price- I had to have it. Finally I headed out of Texas on the tiny shoulder highways, where the speed limit is 70. Luckily there wasn't too much traffic but it was still stressful. As soon as I got to the border, the speed limit went back to a comfortable 55 and the shoulders widened out. I stopped by a gas station for the umpteenth time today. No post cards, but supposidly there was a truck stop just outside the next town. Yippy! I headed that way and soon discovered that it was the wrong way occording to Google. Not the first time today that I've missed a turn. It was faster to get where I was going by going back, so I did. And my shoulders disappeared again. Ugg. I crossed an awesome lake- it was full of green plants. Near sunset, I noticed up ahead that it looked like the road went basically straight up. I was preparing for the harsh climb when I realized that it must be a drawbridge. No problem, I would just have to end the day early. I occasionally saw a car coming down from it though- how in the world? But as I got closer, I realized that the structure of the part of the bridge above the road made it appear that it went much higher than it did. It was still a bit of a climb but nothing like what I expected. I passed by a few houses and realized that with my lucked, it would be best to find camp a bit early. I found a spot where I could see through the trees. I pushed my bike down to it and almost ran straight into the biggest spider I have ever seen. The body was really fat. It was scurrying along on its web- lucky for me. If I hadn't of seen it.... Let's not even go there. I went down a bit, looked for another spot to enter. Another spider. Just as big. Now I was really stuck. I can't go in the woods. I hopped to the other side of the road. There was more grass on this side. I set up camp in obvious view. There are probably huge spiders in the grass, but I didn't know what else to do. I sprayed the raid around my tent and climbed inside. I thought a cop was shining a light on my tent at one point but the moon had just traveled above the tree line.
The ants chewed through the plastic bag. I don't really know what I was thinking. If they can chew through a tent, they can chew through a bag. I spent an hour and a half getting them off my gear. Time to come up with a better solution. I got on the road and started thinking. I settled on getting a box of heavy duty bags from a gas station. If they can't get anything useful, they would come in mass. I grabbed some duct tape to- maybe my duct tape wasn't working because it was old and got wet. I also got icecream. A pint is less than two bucks here. I'm going to be eating a lot. I read that coffee grounds works as a barrier- maybe I'd find it somewhere. I spent ages looking for a post card today. The first city didn't have any. The second city didn't have any. I checked gas stations, the tiny airport, a museum, grocery stores, a tractor supply, a hardware store. I called drug stores. Zero luck. I could have tried other cities, but I don't want my trip through every state to turn into my year spent hunting down post cards on a bike. So I used a generic one that I got at the post office. By generic I mean it's blank with a stamp on it. I even checked two more places while leaving town. At the last one, they had banana split icecream for the cheap price- I had to have it. Finally I headed out of Texas on the tiny shoulder highways, where the speed limit is 70. Luckily there wasn't too much traffic but it was still stressful. As soon as I got to the border, the speed limit went back to a comfortable 55 and the shoulders widened out. I stopped by a gas station for the umpteenth time today. No post cards, but supposidly there was a truck stop just outside the next town. Yippy! I headed that way and soon discovered that it was the wrong way occording to Google. Not the first time today that I've missed a turn. It was faster to get where I was going by going back, so I did. And my shoulders disappeared again. Ugg. I crossed an awesome lake- it was full of green plants. Near sunset, I noticed up ahead that it looked like the road went basically straight up. I was preparing for the harsh climb when I realized that it must be a drawbridge. No problem, I would just have to end the day early. I occasionally saw a car coming down from it though- how in the world? But as I got closer, I realized that the structure of the part of the bridge above the road made it appear that it went much higher than it did. It was still a bit of a climb but nothing like what I expected. I passed by a few houses and realized that with my lucked, it would be best to find camp a bit early. I found a spot where I could see through the trees. I pushed my bike down to it and almost ran straight into the biggest spider I have ever seen. The body was really fat. It was scurrying along on its web- lucky for me. If I hadn't of seen it.... Let's not even go there. I went down a bit, looked for another spot to enter. Another spider. Just as big. Now I was really stuck. I can't go in the woods. I hopped to the other side of the road. There was more grass on this side. I set up camp in obvious view. There are probably huge spiders in the grass, but I didn't know what else to do. I sprayed the raid around my tent and climbed inside. I thought a cop was shining a light on my tent at one point but the moon had just traveled above the tree line.
Day 74
More ants
I find ants fascinating. I always have. I used to catch them and put them into clear plastic bottles full of dirt and watch them dig around. I think that is coming back to haunt me. The ants were still not bad enough to wake me up, but I did wake up a bit early and checked my basket. I didn't do anything to prevent them from getting in. I haven't had an any problem yet, and I've been doing this for 74 days. I figured last night was just unlucky. Now they were back in full force. They found their way to my other bag this time. I spent over an hour taking everything out of it and getting most of the ants out. I didn't have food that wasn't sealed, but they still managed to find crumbs and whatnot. I got everything clean except for my rain jacket. The pockets have a huge flaw- they are waterproof on the outside, but mesh on the inside. This means if it's somewhat warm while it's raining, or you are exerting at all, your sweat will end up getting the stuff in your pockets even more wet than the rain would. I had trash in that pocket from food, so of course the ants were all over that. I almost put it on- I'm really glad I didn't. I tried to brush them off as they came out of the mesh, but it was impossible. I just stuffed it in a plastic bag and tied it shut. The tent got the usual shake treatment. To top off the morning, by taking all my stuff out, I realized that I no longer had my rain pants. I used them yesterday- I must have put them over my back bags, put my shoes back on, then pedaled away, forgetting about the rain pants. Hopefully someone found them and can use them. I hate littering. But just wait, this day gets worse. Not too far down the road, my front tire goes flat from a wire. Not much of a problem, I do have one spare tube. I installed it and kept going- surly I'll pass by a bike shop today or tomorrow. Then my back tire goes flat. A bigger wire this time. Crap. Somehow my stupidity got me into this situation again. I thought about walking the 9 miles back to the nearest Walmart, or catching a ride back. Then I remembered my patch kit again. I didn't think it would be possible to patch, because I can't submerge the tube in water to find the hole easily. I thought the hole would be too small to find otherwise. But I pumped it up anyways, and lo and behold, I could easily hear the hiss by holding the tube up to my ear and moving it around. I put a patch over it and was happy to be back in business. Now I had two options: continue on for 40 miles to the next Walmart on the way and hope I get no more flats (or at least only get flats that I can fix with my patch kit) or bike back the 9 miles to the nearest Walmart. Of course, I decided to press on. I stopped for water and food, and could not find the hose for my water after I filled up even though it was in plain site (the two ladies working there helped me look, one even put her hand in mop water to look for it... I felt so dumb). And then a few miles later my front tire went flat. Another wire. I pulled over by some horses and patched the previous tube. It was thorn resistent, so more worth patching. But I could not get the patch to work. I think the hole must have been too big or something. I used my last patch on the regular tube and expected the worst, but it worked! I now had the option again- continue for 30 some miles or turn back for 15. Well, I knew the road behind me was full of wires, so I kept going. I finally got some decent biking in. I think I might have even gotten a bit of tailwind. I made it to the first town in Texas at 6- plenty of time to buy some tubes and look for a postcard. I went to Walmart and of course, they had exactly one tube that I needed. I learned today that 27 inch tubes and 700c tubes, the type I use, are actually interchangeable. But of course, they didn't even stock 27 inch tubes that were wide enough for my tires. So I had to walk away with just one tube, town patch kits and no post cards. I checked several more places, but no one had post cards. I knew I was going through at least one more town in Texas, so I just decided to leave- I only had an hour to find camp. Google took me to a road that had signs indicating that entering meant consent to being searched and what not. I figured I had nothing to hide. About a half mile later, I came across a locked fence and had to turn back. I'm pretty sure that's the first time Google really failed me. Near Reno, the path it gave was basically possible, although certainly not for a touring bike. The fenced off roads in Washington/Oregon were likely public at some point. But this was clearly not bikable. I turned around and headed back- I'd just take the highway. It wasn't that much further. After an hour or so the houses thinned and I pulled over. A few bushes and some grass obscure me from view. I set up my tent and set to work. Unfortunately, duck tape didn't work at all on my tent. My only option was to put my bags and basket that had food in them at some point in a trash bag. I suppose ideally I would then put them in a tree, but I'm sure it was too heavy, and really inconvenient. So I put it on top of the holes, hoping it would block their way in. Or at he very least, if they can't find food, maybe only a few will come in. I checked it a few times before going to sleep. There were always a few, but they hadn't made there way into the bag... Hopefully they never will.
I find ants fascinating. I always have. I used to catch them and put them into clear plastic bottles full of dirt and watch them dig around. I think that is coming back to haunt me. The ants were still not bad enough to wake me up, but I did wake up a bit early and checked my basket. I didn't do anything to prevent them from getting in. I haven't had an any problem yet, and I've been doing this for 74 days. I figured last night was just unlucky. Now they were back in full force. They found their way to my other bag this time. I spent over an hour taking everything out of it and getting most of the ants out. I didn't have food that wasn't sealed, but they still managed to find crumbs and whatnot. I got everything clean except for my rain jacket. The pockets have a huge flaw- they are waterproof on the outside, but mesh on the inside. This means if it's somewhat warm while it's raining, or you are exerting at all, your sweat will end up getting the stuff in your pockets even more wet than the rain would. I had trash in that pocket from food, so of course the ants were all over that. I almost put it on- I'm really glad I didn't. I tried to brush them off as they came out of the mesh, but it was impossible. I just stuffed it in a plastic bag and tied it shut. The tent got the usual shake treatment. To top off the morning, by taking all my stuff out, I realized that I no longer had my rain pants. I used them yesterday- I must have put them over my back bags, put my shoes back on, then pedaled away, forgetting about the rain pants. Hopefully someone found them and can use them. I hate littering. But just wait, this day gets worse. Not too far down the road, my front tire goes flat from a wire. Not much of a problem, I do have one spare tube. I installed it and kept going- surly I'll pass by a bike shop today or tomorrow. Then my back tire goes flat. A bigger wire this time. Crap. Somehow my stupidity got me into this situation again. I thought about walking the 9 miles back to the nearest Walmart, or catching a ride back. Then I remembered my patch kit again. I didn't think it would be possible to patch, because I can't submerge the tube in water to find the hole easily. I thought the hole would be too small to find otherwise. But I pumped it up anyways, and lo and behold, I could easily hear the hiss by holding the tube up to my ear and moving it around. I put a patch over it and was happy to be back in business. Now I had two options: continue on for 40 miles to the next Walmart on the way and hope I get no more flats (or at least only get flats that I can fix with my patch kit) or bike back the 9 miles to the nearest Walmart. Of course, I decided to press on. I stopped for water and food, and could not find the hose for my water after I filled up even though it was in plain site (the two ladies working there helped me look, one even put her hand in mop water to look for it... I felt so dumb). And then a few miles later my front tire went flat. Another wire. I pulled over by some horses and patched the previous tube. It was thorn resistent, so more worth patching. But I could not get the patch to work. I think the hole must have been too big or something. I used my last patch on the regular tube and expected the worst, but it worked! I now had the option again- continue for 30 some miles or turn back for 15. Well, I knew the road behind me was full of wires, so I kept going. I finally got some decent biking in. I think I might have even gotten a bit of tailwind. I made it to the first town in Texas at 6- plenty of time to buy some tubes and look for a postcard. I went to Walmart and of course, they had exactly one tube that I needed. I learned today that 27 inch tubes and 700c tubes, the type I use, are actually interchangeable. But of course, they didn't even stock 27 inch tubes that were wide enough for my tires. So I had to walk away with just one tube, town patch kits and no post cards. I checked several more places, but no one had post cards. I knew I was going through at least one more town in Texas, so I just decided to leave- I only had an hour to find camp. Google took me to a road that had signs indicating that entering meant consent to being searched and what not. I figured I had nothing to hide. About a half mile later, I came across a locked fence and had to turn back. I'm pretty sure that's the first time Google really failed me. Near Reno, the path it gave was basically possible, although certainly not for a touring bike. The fenced off roads in Washington/Oregon were likely public at some point. But this was clearly not bikable. I turned around and headed back- I'd just take the highway. It wasn't that much further. After an hour or so the houses thinned and I pulled over. A few bushes and some grass obscure me from view. I set up my tent and set to work. Unfortunately, duck tape didn't work at all on my tent. My only option was to put my bags and basket that had food in them at some point in a trash bag. I suppose ideally I would then put them in a tree, but I'm sure it was too heavy, and really inconvenient. So I put it on top of the holes, hoping it would block their way in. Or at he very least, if they can't find food, maybe only a few will come in. I checked it a few times before going to sleep. There were always a few, but they hadn't made there way into the bag... Hopefully they never will.
Day 73
Pony
I woke up to the sound of grass being pulled up and chewed. I wasn't sure what it was- deer would be a sure bet, but they usually run away after getting a good smell of me. The chewing also sounded different than I would expect. Maybe a cow? The area didn't look like the usual pasture that I saw cows in. I heard a nae-ing sound like a horse and then I was pretty confident that's what it was. When I got out and started packing, I discovered that it was a little pony. It even let me pet it a little. Of course my tent had the usual giant spiders exploring the outside that I had to fend off. I put everything on my bike and was putting on the basket when I noticed a few ants on the bottom. Crap. I had to kill two or three this morning. I figured just a few had made it in. I checked my tent. Dozens, maybe even 100, were swarming around some crumbs. I wondered how in the heck so many got in, but then I realized that it really only takes one. If that one ant leaves a chemical trail, the rest will easily find the hole. Sure enough, I found the two ants sized holes. I didn't know the best way to deal with this situation. I thought about just packing up as usual and perhaps trying to crush them by packing it tightly- but I doubt that would work. They are pretty tough. I doubt a day would be enough to suffocate them too. I decided to take the rain fly off and then just try to shake them all out. It seemed to work pretty well. I was finally able to pack up and hit the road. ---- this is where I left off, I must have fallen asleep. I don't really remember what happened for the rest of the day. I believe I passed through a small town just before sunset. When I was a few miles from it, it seemed like there were plenty I places to camp. I picked the right side of the road first. It had a steep slope and lots of small bushes and trees. It wasn't going to work. I went to the other side of the road. Too many thorn bushes- I'd be directly on top of them. I pushed my bike down a ways. It was just as bad. I decided to get back on the road. Maybe it would be better further down. Unfortunately it was pretty dark by now. I randomly chanced upon a break in the shrubbery to the right. I pushed my bike down and discovered a pretty much perfect spot. Someone had cut a little trail here. It didn't seem to go far. I set up camp and just hoped there were no ants here.
I woke up to the sound of grass being pulled up and chewed. I wasn't sure what it was- deer would be a sure bet, but they usually run away after getting a good smell of me. The chewing also sounded different than I would expect. Maybe a cow? The area didn't look like the usual pasture that I saw cows in. I heard a nae-ing sound like a horse and then I was pretty confident that's what it was. When I got out and started packing, I discovered that it was a little pony. It even let me pet it a little. Of course my tent had the usual giant spiders exploring the outside that I had to fend off. I put everything on my bike and was putting on the basket when I noticed a few ants on the bottom. Crap. I had to kill two or three this morning. I figured just a few had made it in. I checked my tent. Dozens, maybe even 100, were swarming around some crumbs. I wondered how in the heck so many got in, but then I realized that it really only takes one. If that one ant leaves a chemical trail, the rest will easily find the hole. Sure enough, I found the two ants sized holes. I didn't know the best way to deal with this situation. I thought about just packing up as usual and perhaps trying to crush them by packing it tightly- but I doubt that would work. They are pretty tough. I doubt a day would be enough to suffocate them too. I decided to take the rain fly off and then just try to shake them all out. It seemed to work pretty well. I was finally able to pack up and hit the road. ---- this is where I left off, I must have fallen asleep. I don't really remember what happened for the rest of the day. I believe I passed through a small town just before sunset. When I was a few miles from it, it seemed like there were plenty I places to camp. I picked the right side of the road first. It had a steep slope and lots of small bushes and trees. It wasn't going to work. I went to the other side of the road. Too many thorn bushes- I'd be directly on top of them. I pushed my bike down a ways. It was just as bad. I decided to get back on the road. Maybe it would be better further down. Unfortunately it was pretty dark by now. I randomly chanced upon a break in the shrubbery to the right. I pushed my bike down and discovered a pretty much perfect spot. Someone had cut a little trail here. It didn't seem to go far. I set up camp and just hoped there were no ants here.
Day 72
Old tree
Not a whole lot of interesting stuff happened until the end of today. There were some more fantastic views. I think this is probably what Colorado would have looked like if it hadn't rained the whole time I was there. There were some scary highway parts I had to deal with. I only had about 15 minutes of dirt road the whole day- Freedom Road. It also lightly rained during those 15 minutes. I ended up passing through a town around 7- the perfect time to stock back up for the next day. I took the first turn, to a Sonic and a gas station. Unfortunately the gas station didn't have a mini mart. I think I've been to Sonic once before, so I didn't realize that they don't have an inside for people. I paused at the employee only sign on the door with my two water bladders in hand. I should have just gone down the road- surly there would be more than one gas station. But it was too late. I caught eyes with one of the employees. He opened the door and I asked if I could fill up my water. He paused for a long time. I'm sure I'm the first person to ever ask him that. He then said sure. A girl brought them back out to me. I figured with them being so gracious, I had to buy something there. I got a double cheeseburger. They make a darn good burger. I should have gotten a shake too. It slipped my mind. It was getting dark, and I had to ride in the road (no shoulder), so I headed out. One block down there was a McDonald's connected to a minimart. It was cooler than most- they sold baseball cards, Pokemon cards, and comic books there. Quite the change from what I was used to- gas stations with just food and car stuff. Now that I had plenty of food and water for tomorrow, I headed out of the city. It was a getting dark, so I tried the woods on the right. There was a nice open spot, perfect for a tent. Unfortunely my bike ended up getting kinda stuck in the torn vine stuff. The ground had these thorn plants too. I stupidly tried to get my bike past it anyways. I had a Pringles container full of two different kinda of Pringles and a few leftover cookies. Somehow in the process of moving my bike around some throrns grabbed right on to this container and dumped all of it's contents on the ground. I now had two options. I could spend the last remaining minutes of light trying to pick it all up just so that I could sleep without bearbait outside my tent, or I could leave it all there and try to find a better place to camp. I chose to leave. I pedaled down the road, hoping it was far enough away from my spill. I tried the other side of the road this time. Much better. It declined sharp enough that I was pretty close to the road but totally hidden. I set up my tent in the dim light and climbed inside. I felt bad- there were dogs that were surly barking at me, driving their owners nuts. I actually heard these owners- they played country music and yelled at their dogs. Obviously I was much closer than I like to be, but at the same time, this state is so wild that I prefer being close. I fell asleep just hoping that whatever found my spill wouldn't be able to smell the path to me.
Not a whole lot of interesting stuff happened until the end of today. There were some more fantastic views. I think this is probably what Colorado would have looked like if it hadn't rained the whole time I was there. There were some scary highway parts I had to deal with. I only had about 15 minutes of dirt road the whole day- Freedom Road. It also lightly rained during those 15 minutes. I ended up passing through a town around 7- the perfect time to stock back up for the next day. I took the first turn, to a Sonic and a gas station. Unfortunately the gas station didn't have a mini mart. I think I've been to Sonic once before, so I didn't realize that they don't have an inside for people. I paused at the employee only sign on the door with my two water bladders in hand. I should have just gone down the road- surly there would be more than one gas station. But it was too late. I caught eyes with one of the employees. He opened the door and I asked if I could fill up my water. He paused for a long time. I'm sure I'm the first person to ever ask him that. He then said sure. A girl brought them back out to me. I figured with them being so gracious, I had to buy something there. I got a double cheeseburger. They make a darn good burger. I should have gotten a shake too. It slipped my mind. It was getting dark, and I had to ride in the road (no shoulder), so I headed out. One block down there was a McDonald's connected to a minimart. It was cooler than most- they sold baseball cards, Pokemon cards, and comic books there. Quite the change from what I was used to- gas stations with just food and car stuff. Now that I had plenty of food and water for tomorrow, I headed out of the city. It was a getting dark, so I tried the woods on the right. There was a nice open spot, perfect for a tent. Unfortunely my bike ended up getting kinda stuck in the torn vine stuff. The ground had these thorn plants too. I stupidly tried to get my bike past it anyways. I had a Pringles container full of two different kinda of Pringles and a few leftover cookies. Somehow in the process of moving my bike around some throrns grabbed right on to this container and dumped all of it's contents on the ground. I now had two options. I could spend the last remaining minutes of light trying to pick it all up just so that I could sleep without bearbait outside my tent, or I could leave it all there and try to find a better place to camp. I chose to leave. I pedaled down the road, hoping it was far enough away from my spill. I tried the other side of the road this time. Much better. It declined sharp enough that I was pretty close to the road but totally hidden. I set up my tent in the dim light and climbed inside. I felt bad- there were dogs that were surly barking at me, driving their owners nuts. I actually heard these owners- they played country music and yelled at their dogs. Obviously I was much closer than I like to be, but at the same time, this state is so wild that I prefer being close. I fell asleep just hoping that whatever found my spill wouldn't be able to smell the path to me.
Saturday, September 6, 2014
Day 71
Cat
I slept great- I always do when I'm inside. I didn't want to get up- there was a cat curled up in my lap that I didn't want to disturb. But it was after 8:30, and I still had to pack up. I got up, folded laundry, filled up my water, and I was ready to go. I thanked Josh and was on my way. I headed to the bike shop, but of course they didn't carry thorn resistant tubes. The Walmart Museum was nearby. They had postcards, but of course they were all Walmart related. They did have Arkansas on them though. The people there were extremely friendly, and asked a bunch of questions about my trip. They insisted I check out the museum- they would watch my bike for me. I've been listening to a tech podcast a lot, so I have heard the history of companies like Amazon, HP, RIM, Apple, Microsoft, but never Walmart. It was pretty interesting. They changed a lot about how department stores work. Sam was a great leader and he always pushed the company forward. When I was done checking that out, I discovered that Google no longer gave me a route through Oklahoma. I could have easily just found a road west and I'm sure I'd get it back, but I couldn't imagine the hills being too much worse just a few miles in either direction. I felt that in order to avoid them, I would have to add on so many miles that it wouldn't be worth it. I usually don't like going through big cities, but it looked like there were plenty of bike paths. I had to ride in the road a bunch at first, but there were a few short bike paths and then more road. Google wanted me to be in the road a bit more than I needed to- sometimes I found bike paths that I took instead. Finally I got to Skull Creek Trail, a nice long bike path. It must have been cross country practice or maybe track- I had to pass by a bunch of high schoolers running on the trail. There were a few bridges to go over- the streams looked pretty. On the rails, there were these disgustingly long spiders- they looked more like shrimp or octipi. Once the trail ended, I was on the sidewalk along a pretty major highway. The sidewalk got worse and worse until I felt like a dirt road would have been better. At one point I had to walk it through grass. Eventually I got a small shoulder that grew into a large one- perfect. The traffic had finally died down as well. I had to deal with some hills. I didn't mind- the shade of the trees was keeping me cool. I heard gunshots off in the distance- it sounded like target practice. I finally got to a place where I could see for miles, right before the sunset. It was a great view. I sat there for a bit, enjoying it. Then a car passed and the shooting continued, this time right across the street from where I was. This brought me out of my short trance an I continued on. There were many more great views. It seemed like some houses were built on cliffs. You could see a valley just past them. It started getting darker. There should be plenty of good places to camp- there are lots of woods here. Then a wolf crossed the street. Maybe it was just a big coyote, but it still freaked me out a bit. I pedaled many more miles to put some distance between it and me. There were actually so many houses that finding a place wasn't easy. I finally settled for a tree next to the road. I'm very visible but at least if I get eaten, I'll be found quickly.
I slept great- I always do when I'm inside. I didn't want to get up- there was a cat curled up in my lap that I didn't want to disturb. But it was after 8:30, and I still had to pack up. I got up, folded laundry, filled up my water, and I was ready to go. I thanked Josh and was on my way. I headed to the bike shop, but of course they didn't carry thorn resistant tubes. The Walmart Museum was nearby. They had postcards, but of course they were all Walmart related. They did have Arkansas on them though. The people there were extremely friendly, and asked a bunch of questions about my trip. They insisted I check out the museum- they would watch my bike for me. I've been listening to a tech podcast a lot, so I have heard the history of companies like Amazon, HP, RIM, Apple, Microsoft, but never Walmart. It was pretty interesting. They changed a lot about how department stores work. Sam was a great leader and he always pushed the company forward. When I was done checking that out, I discovered that Google no longer gave me a route through Oklahoma. I could have easily just found a road west and I'm sure I'd get it back, but I couldn't imagine the hills being too much worse just a few miles in either direction. I felt that in order to avoid them, I would have to add on so many miles that it wouldn't be worth it. I usually don't like going through big cities, but it looked like there were plenty of bike paths. I had to ride in the road a bunch at first, but there were a few short bike paths and then more road. Google wanted me to be in the road a bit more than I needed to- sometimes I found bike paths that I took instead. Finally I got to Skull Creek Trail, a nice long bike path. It must have been cross country practice or maybe track- I had to pass by a bunch of high schoolers running on the trail. There were a few bridges to go over- the streams looked pretty. On the rails, there were these disgustingly long spiders- they looked more like shrimp or octipi. Once the trail ended, I was on the sidewalk along a pretty major highway. The sidewalk got worse and worse until I felt like a dirt road would have been better. At one point I had to walk it through grass. Eventually I got a small shoulder that grew into a large one- perfect. The traffic had finally died down as well. I had to deal with some hills. I didn't mind- the shade of the trees was keeping me cool. I heard gunshots off in the distance- it sounded like target practice. I finally got to a place where I could see for miles, right before the sunset. It was a great view. I sat there for a bit, enjoying it. Then a car passed and the shooting continued, this time right across the street from where I was. This brought me out of my short trance an I continued on. There were many more great views. It seemed like some houses were built on cliffs. You could see a valley just past them. It started getting darker. There should be plenty of good places to camp- there are lots of woods here. Then a wolf crossed the street. Maybe it was just a big coyote, but it still freaked me out a bit. I pedaled many more miles to put some distance between it and me. There were actually so many houses that finding a place wasn't easy. I finally settled for a tree next to the road. I'm very visible but at least if I get eaten, I'll be found quickly.
Day 70
Coons
Last night's visitors kept me up for a bit. I believe the first was the same as the one in Colorado- a weird wining sound and almost like a purr after. I'm fairly certain that was a racoon. However, I'm also pretty sure there was something else- deep snorts like a deer would make, but it seemed slightly different- it hung around a bit longer that usual. I was sure it was a bear at the time, but considering it didn't try to get at anything in my tent, I don't think it was. Maybe it was a wild boar, but more likely just another deer. Regardless, since it didn't seem to go away, I started yelling at it. "Hey! Get out of here..." It didn't seem to work. I had to repeat it several times. Sticks fell on my tent, like something was climbing a tree. This is the most freaked out I've been in a while. I think I really need to get a game cam and put it facing my tent. I really wanna know what these animals are.
This was a pretty short day. Once I got on the road, it went from dirt to paved to sort again several times as usual. I'm getting good at talking to cows. They sometimes run away when they see me, but once I moo at them they just stop and stare as if to say "Wow, a cow stuck in a mans body!" I got chased by more dogs. Eventually I was put on a pretty scary highway. I tried to look for a way around, but there weren't any good ones. I decided to try to take them anyways. When I got to the first one, I decided to skip it. It looked more dangerous than the road I was on. It had no shoulder and it was very steep and curvy. The next turn off was the same way. Finally I found a light to turn at. I followed the last car- and of course the light turned yellow right as I entered the intersection. This isn't a problem for cars, but I go really slow. I just pumped as hard as I could. I got to a sidewalk and relaxed. Soon I arrived at the bike path that pretty much led directly to where I was headed- my next host. My friend Lacee got me in touch with her sister, Kristal. Since I knew where I'd be a few days in advance, I finally had the opportunity to buy some external battery packs from Amazon. I bought two, and each have more capacity than everything else I have combined. So with them, I should be able to last about 3 weeks or so. I don't know if I want to go that long without a shower yet. We will see. Anyways, it was only 3 short miles. Right before their house, I had to go up the craziest hill. I think I might have been able to make it, but there were leaves. I just imagined my tire slipped on them and decided to get off and push. That wasn't much better. I inched my way up the hill. I'm sure it was the steepest part of my trip so far. Exhausted, I finally made it to the top. I made my way to their house. I wasn't totally sure which one it was. Many houses had their garage doors open and were hanging out. No one ushered me over. Finally a guy came out and looked at me with an "ah, there he is" kinda face, and I knew I was in the right place. His name was Josh- Kristal's boyfriend. They both invited me in. I got some nice freezing cold water. I won't go into too much detail here, but it was really nice being here- I felt like I already knew them. We talked a lot and ate delicious burgers for dinner. I slept with their cat- much more cuddly than the mosquitos and spiders that I was used to.
Last night's visitors kept me up for a bit. I believe the first was the same as the one in Colorado- a weird wining sound and almost like a purr after. I'm fairly certain that was a racoon. However, I'm also pretty sure there was something else- deep snorts like a deer would make, but it seemed slightly different- it hung around a bit longer that usual. I was sure it was a bear at the time, but considering it didn't try to get at anything in my tent, I don't think it was. Maybe it was a wild boar, but more likely just another deer. Regardless, since it didn't seem to go away, I started yelling at it. "Hey! Get out of here..." It didn't seem to work. I had to repeat it several times. Sticks fell on my tent, like something was climbing a tree. This is the most freaked out I've been in a while. I think I really need to get a game cam and put it facing my tent. I really wanna know what these animals are.
This was a pretty short day. Once I got on the road, it went from dirt to paved to sort again several times as usual. I'm getting good at talking to cows. They sometimes run away when they see me, but once I moo at them they just stop and stare as if to say "Wow, a cow stuck in a mans body!" I got chased by more dogs. Eventually I was put on a pretty scary highway. I tried to look for a way around, but there weren't any good ones. I decided to try to take them anyways. When I got to the first one, I decided to skip it. It looked more dangerous than the road I was on. It had no shoulder and it was very steep and curvy. The next turn off was the same way. Finally I found a light to turn at. I followed the last car- and of course the light turned yellow right as I entered the intersection. This isn't a problem for cars, but I go really slow. I just pumped as hard as I could. I got to a sidewalk and relaxed. Soon I arrived at the bike path that pretty much led directly to where I was headed- my next host. My friend Lacee got me in touch with her sister, Kristal. Since I knew where I'd be a few days in advance, I finally had the opportunity to buy some external battery packs from Amazon. I bought two, and each have more capacity than everything else I have combined. So with them, I should be able to last about 3 weeks or so. I don't know if I want to go that long without a shower yet. We will see. Anyways, it was only 3 short miles. Right before their house, I had to go up the craziest hill. I think I might have been able to make it, but there were leaves. I just imagined my tire slipped on them and decided to get off and push. That wasn't much better. I inched my way up the hill. I'm sure it was the steepest part of my trip so far. Exhausted, I finally made it to the top. I made my way to their house. I wasn't totally sure which one it was. Many houses had their garage doors open and were hanging out. No one ushered me over. Finally a guy came out and looked at me with an "ah, there he is" kinda face, and I knew I was in the right place. His name was Josh- Kristal's boyfriend. They both invited me in. I got some nice freezing cold water. I won't go into too much detail here, but it was really nice being here- I felt like I already knew them. We talked a lot and ate delicious burgers for dinner. I slept with their cat- much more cuddly than the mosquitos and spiders that I was used to.
Day 69
Bigger stream
There were various flashes of lightning, booms of thunder and sudden heavy rainfall that woke me up every once in a while. One time I saw a bright flash and a boom right after- it felt like it had to have hit no more than 100 feet away from me. The stream was a bit higher in the morning, but still a long ways away from drenching me. The road sounded busy. A tractor crossed it and looked like it was coming for me. My guess is that he saw me and couldn't figure out what I was. He didn't stop though, he just turned and left. The road was easy to cross. I made my way back to the pharmacy I had seen yesterday. I had also seen signs that said no skating or biking- I'll be careful. The pharmacy had plenty. When I went to put a stamp on it, I discovered that all my stamps were wet. Again. I really need to get a bag for them or something. I bought 2 forever stamps from the pharmacy. I tried to chase down a post office. I ran into a blue box instead- it's just as good. Now on to Oklahoma! A few mibtues later, I glance down and see the last thing I expect. A lobster. In Kansas. What the heck. I assumed it dropped off a truck or it was a catch that someone decided they didn't need. I continued on. Road with no shoulders, turn, roads with great shoulders, turn, dirt road. I couldn't handle it- too slow. I turned on the next paved road. No shoulders, but very little traffic. I passed though a town and found a post office. Might as well get stamps. They were closed between 12 and 2. It was 1:52. Ain't nobody got time fo' dat. I continued on. Turn. Another town. Fantastic shoulders. Shoulders disappear. Oklahoma! There were a bunch of signs that were so old that all they said was NO. There were sand dunes and old abandoned houses. It felt like Area 51 or a nuclear test site or something. Most states pretty much blend into each other at the borders- this was different. It went from normal to abandonment right at the border. There was what seemed like a random pharmacy- no post cards. I went through another town, hoping to have better luck. Nothing- just abandoned, graffiti covered buildings. I continued and finally got back to civilization. I had to hop around a bit, but I finally came across a Walmart that had post cards. I headed through town. It only took a few blocks to find a blue box. The road out of town sucked- no shoulder and lots of traffic, but it eventually got better. Over some crappy bridges and then I found some woods. There were houses nearby but they were far enough.
There were various flashes of lightning, booms of thunder and sudden heavy rainfall that woke me up every once in a while. One time I saw a bright flash and a boom right after- it felt like it had to have hit no more than 100 feet away from me. The stream was a bit higher in the morning, but still a long ways away from drenching me. The road sounded busy. A tractor crossed it and looked like it was coming for me. My guess is that he saw me and couldn't figure out what I was. He didn't stop though, he just turned and left. The road was easy to cross. I made my way back to the pharmacy I had seen yesterday. I had also seen signs that said no skating or biking- I'll be careful. The pharmacy had plenty. When I went to put a stamp on it, I discovered that all my stamps were wet. Again. I really need to get a bag for them or something. I bought 2 forever stamps from the pharmacy. I tried to chase down a post office. I ran into a blue box instead- it's just as good. Now on to Oklahoma! A few mibtues later, I glance down and see the last thing I expect. A lobster. In Kansas. What the heck. I assumed it dropped off a truck or it was a catch that someone decided they didn't need. I continued on. Road with no shoulders, turn, roads with great shoulders, turn, dirt road. I couldn't handle it- too slow. I turned on the next paved road. No shoulders, but very little traffic. I passed though a town and found a post office. Might as well get stamps. They were closed between 12 and 2. It was 1:52. Ain't nobody got time fo' dat. I continued on. Turn. Another town. Fantastic shoulders. Shoulders disappear. Oklahoma! There were a bunch of signs that were so old that all they said was NO. There were sand dunes and old abandoned houses. It felt like Area 51 or a nuclear test site or something. Most states pretty much blend into each other at the borders- this was different. It went from normal to abandonment right at the border. There was what seemed like a random pharmacy- no post cards. I went through another town, hoping to have better luck. Nothing- just abandoned, graffiti covered buildings. I continued and finally got back to civilization. I had to hop around a bit, but I finally came across a Walmart that had post cards. I headed through town. It only took a few blocks to find a blue box. The road out of town sucked- no shoulder and lots of traffic, but it eventually got better. Over some crappy bridges and then I found some woods. There were houses nearby but they were far enough.
Day 68
3 inches of water
So I bet all of you predicted what happened next. Around 1am, there was thunder and lightning. No rain- so I figured I was fine. The wind was crazy- I was glad I was so low, I'm sure my tent would be ripped apart if I was anywhere else. Around 2am it started raining. I figured I was still fine- I could feel that the ground was still somewhat dry. It was around 4am that I woke up and felt like I was on a water bed. Thankfully, only a bit of water made it into my tent- my basket was the only thing effective at keeping the floor down and letting water through the tiny thorn holes. I got out and took my bike up the small bank first. Then I got all my bags and set them on top of it, to keep them off the wet ground. I had to step in the water to do this and it was raining the whole time- I got pretty soaked. Finally I went back to get my tent with my sleeping bag and pad still inside. I almost slipped on the muddy bank. Finally I transferred all my bags back inside my tent, secured the rain fly, and climbed inside. I must have picked a good sleeping bag- dispite the fact that I was wet and pretty much everything was wet, I was still warm and somewhat comfortable inside of it. I slept through more rain, thunder and lightning. I decided to stay in my tent longer than usual- no point in getting out when you know it's raining. When I did finally get out, I had to remove two spiders and a web from one shoe and a dady long leg from the other. I usually keep them inside my tent, but they were wet and muddy this time. I won't make that mistake again. I laughed at the canal that probably had almost a foot of water in it at places. Oops. There were some places where dirt had built up though. If I had randomly chosen one of these islands, I would have been fine- although packing up in the morning would have been a pain. Finally I started heading toward the city I wanted to get to yesterday, Nevada. The gravel roads were specially annoying when wet- at times I had to walk my bike because my tires sunk into the mud. Finally I was on the main road into the city. The shoulders were fantastic- a whole car lane to myself. At one point two cars pulled over in front of me. No big deal, I just had to get on the road to get around them. Then right afterwards, two motorcycles pulled over in front of me. What the heck! I had to get in the road again. It's weird. I'm wearing a fluorescent green shirt- you can't miss me. Oh well. I restocked at a gas station. I got new water- the water from the public bathroom sink tasted like filtered sewage. I was either thirsty enough to not notice yesterday or it got worse overnight. I headed out of town, somehow missing my turn (how did I miss Main Street?). I was happy to be on pavement for so long, but it was negated by the crazy headwind. I turned and started going by houses. Tons of dogs barked and chased me down this road, but they all ended up being friendly. All I had to do was say "Wanna treat?" and they would usually stop barking. Down some gravel roads, waved at some farmers. I got into a town called Liberal and got some more food. A kid asked me where I was biking to- I said through every state. He nodded, like yeah that makes sense. I went past the school- they were the Liberal Bulldogs. I don't know why, but that cracks me up. When I got to the welcome to Kansas sign, it took me by surprise- I didn't think I was so close. There was a storm ahead. It started raining for a bit, but then it stopped, so I thought I was fine. Then it started to downpour. I thought about seeking shelter, but it was just house after house. At least I wasn't cold. The rain took a quick break, then it was like a hurricane. I was instantly completely soaked. It was difficult to pedal when I was being pelted with rain and wind going directly against me, but somehow I did it. The rain slowly died down again, for good this time. I just laughed. Rain isn't bad unless you have to put up with it all day. I had a hard time actually finding the city. My phone was almost dead. I can usually follow signs, but there were none. I just had to keep checking my phone. Finally I passed by a gas station- no post cards though. I headed into the city. I didn't have much time. It ended up being terrible timing- not many places are open past 7 on Labor Day. A lady pulled up behind me and waved. She got out and told me about the tornado and cyclone warnings. They were for south of here. I'd be ok for tonight. But there were also thunderstorms all around. She suggested to go to the park to find some shelter. I took her advice- even if I did find a post card, I wouldn't have enough time to find a place to camp. I went along the road that had the park- I couldn't find any convient places. I decided to just cross a different road- there were no houses nearby. When I went to cross, there were too many cars. I waited for a bit and then noticed there were woods on this side of the road. I headed over and quickly made a dog start barking. I headed back to the road. Finally I crossed it and headed into the woods. The thorns here were insane- they caught my clothing, legs, my tent as I set it up- so annoying. I took one last look at the stream nearby. It would have to rain about 6 feet in order to get to me. I climbed inside my tent. It wasn't raining, but the thunder and lightning kept me up for a bit.
So I bet all of you predicted what happened next. Around 1am, there was thunder and lightning. No rain- so I figured I was fine. The wind was crazy- I was glad I was so low, I'm sure my tent would be ripped apart if I was anywhere else. Around 2am it started raining. I figured I was still fine- I could feel that the ground was still somewhat dry. It was around 4am that I woke up and felt like I was on a water bed. Thankfully, only a bit of water made it into my tent- my basket was the only thing effective at keeping the floor down and letting water through the tiny thorn holes. I got out and took my bike up the small bank first. Then I got all my bags and set them on top of it, to keep them off the wet ground. I had to step in the water to do this and it was raining the whole time- I got pretty soaked. Finally I went back to get my tent with my sleeping bag and pad still inside. I almost slipped on the muddy bank. Finally I transferred all my bags back inside my tent, secured the rain fly, and climbed inside. I must have picked a good sleeping bag- dispite the fact that I was wet and pretty much everything was wet, I was still warm and somewhat comfortable inside of it. I slept through more rain, thunder and lightning. I decided to stay in my tent longer than usual- no point in getting out when you know it's raining. When I did finally get out, I had to remove two spiders and a web from one shoe and a dady long leg from the other. I usually keep them inside my tent, but they were wet and muddy this time. I won't make that mistake again. I laughed at the canal that probably had almost a foot of water in it at places. Oops. There were some places where dirt had built up though. If I had randomly chosen one of these islands, I would have been fine- although packing up in the morning would have been a pain. Finally I started heading toward the city I wanted to get to yesterday, Nevada. The gravel roads were specially annoying when wet- at times I had to walk my bike because my tires sunk into the mud. Finally I was on the main road into the city. The shoulders were fantastic- a whole car lane to myself. At one point two cars pulled over in front of me. No big deal, I just had to get on the road to get around them. Then right afterwards, two motorcycles pulled over in front of me. What the heck! I had to get in the road again. It's weird. I'm wearing a fluorescent green shirt- you can't miss me. Oh well. I restocked at a gas station. I got new water- the water from the public bathroom sink tasted like filtered sewage. I was either thirsty enough to not notice yesterday or it got worse overnight. I headed out of town, somehow missing my turn (how did I miss Main Street?). I was happy to be on pavement for so long, but it was negated by the crazy headwind. I turned and started going by houses. Tons of dogs barked and chased me down this road, but they all ended up being friendly. All I had to do was say "Wanna treat?" and they would usually stop barking. Down some gravel roads, waved at some farmers. I got into a town called Liberal and got some more food. A kid asked me where I was biking to- I said through every state. He nodded, like yeah that makes sense. I went past the school- they were the Liberal Bulldogs. I don't know why, but that cracks me up. When I got to the welcome to Kansas sign, it took me by surprise- I didn't think I was so close. There was a storm ahead. It started raining for a bit, but then it stopped, so I thought I was fine. Then it started to downpour. I thought about seeking shelter, but it was just house after house. At least I wasn't cold. The rain took a quick break, then it was like a hurricane. I was instantly completely soaked. It was difficult to pedal when I was being pelted with rain and wind going directly against me, but somehow I did it. The rain slowly died down again, for good this time. I just laughed. Rain isn't bad unless you have to put up with it all day. I had a hard time actually finding the city. My phone was almost dead. I can usually follow signs, but there were none. I just had to keep checking my phone. Finally I passed by a gas station- no post cards though. I headed into the city. I didn't have much time. It ended up being terrible timing- not many places are open past 7 on Labor Day. A lady pulled up behind me and waved. She got out and told me about the tornado and cyclone warnings. They were for south of here. I'd be ok for tonight. But there were also thunderstorms all around. She suggested to go to the park to find some shelter. I took her advice- even if I did find a post card, I wouldn't have enough time to find a place to camp. I went along the road that had the park- I couldn't find any convient places. I decided to just cross a different road- there were no houses nearby. When I went to cross, there were too many cars. I waited for a bit and then noticed there were woods on this side of the road. I headed over and quickly made a dog start barking. I headed back to the road. Finally I crossed it and headed into the woods. The thorns here were insane- they caught my clothing, legs, my tent as I set it up- so annoying. I took one last look at the stream nearby. It would have to rain about 6 feet in order to get to me. I climbed inside my tent. It wasn't raining, but the thunder and lightning kept me up for a bit.
Tuesday, September 2, 2014
Day 67
Nowhere
I was wondering why there were bees outside my tent. Or I guess the buzzing could have been giant flies- I've seen some here that are seriously about the size of 4 regular flies. There were some weird mosquito-like things too- smaller than mosquito eaters but bigger than a mosquito. Hopefully they don't bite. I got out of my tent and discoved that I was in a field of flowers. Really tall flowers. I packed up and got onto the road. That's when I noticed that both tires were flat. Awesome. I pumped them both up anyways, just to make sure. They seemed ok for a few miles, but then my back tire went totally flat. I used a pear tree for shade as I changed it out. The presta valve made me nervous, but I got it figured out. I hope. I got back on the road. I had to ride on gravel roads more than I would have liked. Soon I realized my front tire wasn't going to make it. I pulled over into some grass and set to work. A big spider tried to help by crawling up my leg. Hopefully these thorn resistant tubes will finally last a while- I'm getting sick of changing out tubes. More gravel roads, and then the fun really began. I noticed the wind before, but now that I was going south, I discovered that it was going north-east, but mostly north. I was going south-west, but mostly south. The struggle was real, all day. I kept trying to just go west, but I knew it was pointless because I would have to go south eventually. I just had to power through it at 4mph, downhill. Towards the end of the day, I realized I was running low on food and water. The slow pace meant I wasn't getting to the next city like I was expecting. I had been through a few small towns, but one was early on, so I didn't think about stopping at the general store, and one gas station that I checked out was closed. I found a town park. Hooray, it had a kitchen! But it was locked. The sign said that I could call and pay 20 bucks to use it. Nah. I looked around and discovered a spicket- hooray again! But of course, this was locked too. Apparently they value water just as much as I do. There was a plugin- I really wanted to stay and charge my stuff, but I really needed to find water. There was a town I could go through on my way- it was my last chance. I stopped by the park there- another locked spicket. Someone yelled, asking if I needed water and waved me over. A sink- hooray for the final time! By the time I was done filling up, the sun had gone behind some clouds. I tried to look for a good forest on Google, but I realized I would just have to pedal and look around. I ended up finding railroad tracks- perfect because there are always trees nearby and no houses- no one wants to live near a train. I saw thicker woods beyond it, so I decided to go there instead. The trees went along a stream. Once I was under treecover, I discovered that the stream bed was totally dry. I know it's a bad idea, but the flat surface, hidden from view, out of the wind, was just too tempting. I had been out all day and I didn't see a dark cloud in the sky. After I set up, I found out what all the wind was for. Apparently there's a chance of a storm tomorrow morning. And the wind is going to stay constant. Ugh.
I was wondering why there were bees outside my tent. Or I guess the buzzing could have been giant flies- I've seen some here that are seriously about the size of 4 regular flies. There were some weird mosquito-like things too- smaller than mosquito eaters but bigger than a mosquito. Hopefully they don't bite. I got out of my tent and discoved that I was in a field of flowers. Really tall flowers. I packed up and got onto the road. That's when I noticed that both tires were flat. Awesome. I pumped them both up anyways, just to make sure. They seemed ok for a few miles, but then my back tire went totally flat. I used a pear tree for shade as I changed it out. The presta valve made me nervous, but I got it figured out. I hope. I got back on the road. I had to ride on gravel roads more than I would have liked. Soon I realized my front tire wasn't going to make it. I pulled over into some grass and set to work. A big spider tried to help by crawling up my leg. Hopefully these thorn resistant tubes will finally last a while- I'm getting sick of changing out tubes. More gravel roads, and then the fun really began. I noticed the wind before, but now that I was going south, I discovered that it was going north-east, but mostly north. I was going south-west, but mostly south. The struggle was real, all day. I kept trying to just go west, but I knew it was pointless because I would have to go south eventually. I just had to power through it at 4mph, downhill. Towards the end of the day, I realized I was running low on food and water. The slow pace meant I wasn't getting to the next city like I was expecting. I had been through a few small towns, but one was early on, so I didn't think about stopping at the general store, and one gas station that I checked out was closed. I found a town park. Hooray, it had a kitchen! But it was locked. The sign said that I could call and pay 20 bucks to use it. Nah. I looked around and discovered a spicket- hooray again! But of course, this was locked too. Apparently they value water just as much as I do. There was a plugin- I really wanted to stay and charge my stuff, but I really needed to find water. There was a town I could go through on my way- it was my last chance. I stopped by the park there- another locked spicket. Someone yelled, asking if I needed water and waved me over. A sink- hooray for the final time! By the time I was done filling up, the sun had gone behind some clouds. I tried to look for a good forest on Google, but I realized I would just have to pedal and look around. I ended up finding railroad tracks- perfect because there are always trees nearby and no houses- no one wants to live near a train. I saw thicker woods beyond it, so I decided to go there instead. The trees went along a stream. Once I was under treecover, I discovered that the stream bed was totally dry. I know it's a bad idea, but the flat surface, hidden from view, out of the wind, was just too tempting. I had been out all day and I didn't see a dark cloud in the sky. After I set up, I found out what all the wind was for. Apparently there's a chance of a storm tomorrow morning. And the wind is going to stay constant. Ugh.
Day 66
Spiders
There are so many freaking spiders in Missouri. I've just had to come to terms with the fact that I will bike though many strands of spiderweb on this bike trail. Some branches are covered in the white trap of death. Other places had the classic spiderweb shape, with the spider perched in the middle. I heard several people walk/run/bike by before I got up- I'm not even really all that worried about it any more. I've never been bothered by anyone while I've been in my tent- only when packing up (the lady cop on like day 2) and when setting up (the closed rv park guy in what, Nevada?). While I was taking down my tent, I think I identified like 4 different kinds of spiders- one was incomfortably big. I hope it isn't like this for long. It took about 5 minutes to get to the next rest area, where I got to fill up on water. I decided to take a slight shortcut by going on the highway for like 3 miles. Then I got to go over a huge bridge crossing the Missouri River. The city on the other side looked anchient and worth checking out, but of course I didn't have time. I got back on the bike trail and continued on it almost to the end of the day. It really was a great trail. There were consistent places to get water or to use the bathroom along the way, and places to get food nearby. I met many people along the way, mostly they were doing part or all of Katy's Trail. There was a tree down in the middle of the road- a guy pulling a trailer behind his bike and I moved it out of the way. I was pedaling along when I saw something weird in the road- maybe a big crack or stick or something- it was really dark colored. I completely passed it before realizing it was a snake. I stopped and got off my bike to check it out. It hadn't moved at all until I approached it on foot. I managed to get a foot on it a bit off the trail. I tried picking it up, but it quickly wrapped around sticks and stuff. It showed me the inside of its mouth- definitely non-venomous. It pooped on my hand, and I realized this was probably a losing battle. I let him slither off. I finally got to Clinton, the end of Katy's Trail, about an hour before sunset. I navigated through the small city and then came upon a road closed sign. Awesome. On Google, there really didn't look like there were any better routes. I figured I'd go for a bit and if it sucked, I'd turn around. I was a bit worried though, because it was slowly getting dark. It ended up being one of the most interesting parts of the trip. It was a paved road, so most of the riding was smooth. But it was overgrown in many areas. There were several bridges. This is where things really got rough- the space before and after a bridge was usually disintigrated. The views were amazing- the water reflected the colors of the setting sky. A crane flew off that was as big as a pterodactyl. It kinda did have that Jurassic Park feeling to it. It was so weird, going from city streets and suddenly being thrown into the wilderness that felt like it never saw people. I got to a bigger bridge and ironically found people- two guys, a truck and a boat. At the end of the bridge, there was a 6 foot drop. So this is why the road was closed. It was an easy fix though. I took off my basket and then lowered the rest of the bike down. I checked out the giant spiders in their webs on the bridge and then jumped down. I had to push my bike up a pretty steep incline to get back on the road. It was dark enough now, I needed to find a place to camp. The road got much better here- no plants in the road at all. But it was still the wilderness. I picked a random spot off the road. The plants were taller than I was. My path was very obvious. I settled down in my tent and listened to the sounds around me- owls, insects, birds, a dog barking, the occasional far off truck, an airplane, coyotes, and possibly something sniffing at my tent. Hopefully nothing too big.
There are so many freaking spiders in Missouri. I've just had to come to terms with the fact that I will bike though many strands of spiderweb on this bike trail. Some branches are covered in the white trap of death. Other places had the classic spiderweb shape, with the spider perched in the middle. I heard several people walk/run/bike by before I got up- I'm not even really all that worried about it any more. I've never been bothered by anyone while I've been in my tent- only when packing up (the lady cop on like day 2) and when setting up (the closed rv park guy in what, Nevada?). While I was taking down my tent, I think I identified like 4 different kinds of spiders- one was incomfortably big. I hope it isn't like this for long. It took about 5 minutes to get to the next rest area, where I got to fill up on water. I decided to take a slight shortcut by going on the highway for like 3 miles. Then I got to go over a huge bridge crossing the Missouri River. The city on the other side looked anchient and worth checking out, but of course I didn't have time. I got back on the bike trail and continued on it almost to the end of the day. It really was a great trail. There were consistent places to get water or to use the bathroom along the way, and places to get food nearby. I met many people along the way, mostly they were doing part or all of Katy's Trail. There was a tree down in the middle of the road- a guy pulling a trailer behind his bike and I moved it out of the way. I was pedaling along when I saw something weird in the road- maybe a big crack or stick or something- it was really dark colored. I completely passed it before realizing it was a snake. I stopped and got off my bike to check it out. It hadn't moved at all until I approached it on foot. I managed to get a foot on it a bit off the trail. I tried picking it up, but it quickly wrapped around sticks and stuff. It showed me the inside of its mouth- definitely non-venomous. It pooped on my hand, and I realized this was probably a losing battle. I let him slither off. I finally got to Clinton, the end of Katy's Trail, about an hour before sunset. I navigated through the small city and then came upon a road closed sign. Awesome. On Google, there really didn't look like there were any better routes. I figured I'd go for a bit and if it sucked, I'd turn around. I was a bit worried though, because it was slowly getting dark. It ended up being one of the most interesting parts of the trip. It was a paved road, so most of the riding was smooth. But it was overgrown in many areas. There were several bridges. This is where things really got rough- the space before and after a bridge was usually disintigrated. The views were amazing- the water reflected the colors of the setting sky. A crane flew off that was as big as a pterodactyl. It kinda did have that Jurassic Park feeling to it. It was so weird, going from city streets and suddenly being thrown into the wilderness that felt like it never saw people. I got to a bigger bridge and ironically found people- two guys, a truck and a boat. At the end of the bridge, there was a 6 foot drop. So this is why the road was closed. It was an easy fix though. I took off my basket and then lowered the rest of the bike down. I checked out the giant spiders in their webs on the bridge and then jumped down. I had to push my bike up a pretty steep incline to get back on the road. It was dark enough now, I needed to find a place to camp. The road got much better here- no plants in the road at all. But it was still the wilderness. I picked a random spot off the road. The plants were taller than I was. My path was very obvious. I settled down in my tent and listened to the sounds around me- owls, insects, birds, a dog barking, the occasional far off truck, an airplane, coyotes, and possibly something sniffing at my tent. Hopefully nothing too big.
Day 65
Dog barking
I wanted to get up early to get out of there without being detected, but of course I slept in anyways. Once a four-wheeler went by on the trail, that was my sign of a missed opportunity. I packed up quietly. There were spiderwebs everywhere. I pushed my bike out of the forest and pedalled away. The houses came into view. I took a few minutes on the main road before I relaxed. That's also about how long it took for the road to turn and reveal a huge forest with no houses around. I really hate not have service and having limited battery power. Oh well, I got sleep. I pedaled on, past a historic cemetery, up and down hills, and I was in Columbia. Gotta love the names of cities here. I got a pint of icecream and ate it under the shade of some bushes while I watched the cars go by. Navigating through the large city was a pain. Google took me through a college campus and down some steps, but eventually I got to a bike shop- one that finally claimed they had thorn resistent tubes. I bought two. They were rated for 35-43mm- seems like a huge range to me. They weren't as wide as the first ones I got, hopefully they sill work. They only had presta valves- good thing my pump works on either valve. I then headed south-west in order to meet up with a bike trail that went north-west. Kinda annoying but there was no other way. A bit after I found the trail, another biker asked about my trip and we talked for a few minutes. Then he took off- he was pretty fast. 30 minutes or so later, he passed by going the other way. He stopped, told me about the storm coming in and offered his house to me so that I could wait it out. Before, I was trying to figure out where I was going to stop to get my stuff charged up- I was down to my last 30%. I also needed to do laundry. I've ridden through storms and they usually don't last long, but this was a perfect opportunity to get some stuff done. Plus, if this guy thought it was bad enough to come back and offer shelter, maybe it was worse than I had experienced. We pedaled back to Columbia- only a few miles. After meeting his family's 6 month old puppy, starting laundry, taking a shower and plugging all my electronics in to charge, I got to feast on some delicious pasta. The storm didn't last as long as the laundry. Once it was folded and packed, I was ready to get moving again. I thanked him and headed back to the trail. It had some fantastic views. I saw a cave, and I just had to check it out. Tons of frogs jumped out of my way as I tried not to step in the stream that cut through the middle of the cave. I couldn't go far- the flashlight on my phone wasn't very effective and the stream soon took up the whole cave floor. I headed back out a different way, and that where I saw the sign- apparently I wasn't supposed to go in there. It houses grey bats, which are indangered. Oops. I didn't see any, so hopefully I didn't disturb them. Later, there was an abandoned brick structure built into the cliff wall. This is where runners started to be on the trail- probably a cross country team. Finally it was dark enough to start looking for camp. I looked near a creak, but the ground was too sloped. I ended up just finding a spot off the trail. There was some cover, but not enough to be completely hidden. Oh well. Night was coming.
I wanted to get up early to get out of there without being detected, but of course I slept in anyways. Once a four-wheeler went by on the trail, that was my sign of a missed opportunity. I packed up quietly. There were spiderwebs everywhere. I pushed my bike out of the forest and pedalled away. The houses came into view. I took a few minutes on the main road before I relaxed. That's also about how long it took for the road to turn and reveal a huge forest with no houses around. I really hate not have service and having limited battery power. Oh well, I got sleep. I pedaled on, past a historic cemetery, up and down hills, and I was in Columbia. Gotta love the names of cities here. I got a pint of icecream and ate it under the shade of some bushes while I watched the cars go by. Navigating through the large city was a pain. Google took me through a college campus and down some steps, but eventually I got to a bike shop- one that finally claimed they had thorn resistent tubes. I bought two. They were rated for 35-43mm- seems like a huge range to me. They weren't as wide as the first ones I got, hopefully they sill work. They only had presta valves- good thing my pump works on either valve. I then headed south-west in order to meet up with a bike trail that went north-west. Kinda annoying but there was no other way. A bit after I found the trail, another biker asked about my trip and we talked for a few minutes. Then he took off- he was pretty fast. 30 minutes or so later, he passed by going the other way. He stopped, told me about the storm coming in and offered his house to me so that I could wait it out. Before, I was trying to figure out where I was going to stop to get my stuff charged up- I was down to my last 30%. I also needed to do laundry. I've ridden through storms and they usually don't last long, but this was a perfect opportunity to get some stuff done. Plus, if this guy thought it was bad enough to come back and offer shelter, maybe it was worse than I had experienced. We pedaled back to Columbia- only a few miles. After meeting his family's 6 month old puppy, starting laundry, taking a shower and plugging all my electronics in to charge, I got to feast on some delicious pasta. The storm didn't last as long as the laundry. Once it was folded and packed, I was ready to get moving again. I thanked him and headed back to the trail. It had some fantastic views. I saw a cave, and I just had to check it out. Tons of frogs jumped out of my way as I tried not to step in the stream that cut through the middle of the cave. I couldn't go far- the flashlight on my phone wasn't very effective and the stream soon took up the whole cave floor. I headed back out a different way, and that where I saw the sign- apparently I wasn't supposed to go in there. It houses grey bats, which are indangered. Oops. I didn't see any, so hopefully I didn't disturb them. Later, there was an abandoned brick structure built into the cliff wall. This is where runners started to be on the trail- probably a cross country team. Finally it was dark enough to start looking for camp. I looked near a creak, but the ground was too sloped. I ended up just finding a spot off the trail. There was some cover, but not enough to be completely hidden. Oh well. Night was coming.
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