I'm One of the "Good Ol' Boys" Now

This was supposed to be a nice, easy day. Although it was enjoyable, I am finding none are really what you would call “easy”. I was about the first person at the Shiloh Museum this morning, and I could tell the staff was wondering how a dude on a bicycle could be there so early by the inquisitive look on their faces. I took off from Shiloh thinking that I would get done riding early so I could do my laundry (see last entry.)

I stopped for a barbeque chicken wings and potato wedge brunch in Crump, TN at gas station diner, similar to many I have eaten at along the way. I sat down to eat with a couple of “good ol’ boys” named Lowell Tyler and Paul Plunk who warned me about the earthquakes just north of here. They gave me some good advice on my route and mentioned that I would be passing right by their house. Sure enough, an hour later there they were shooting the bull in Lowell’s front yard. He gave me a Tennessee map, which will come in handy during the next couple of days.

When I posted my blog at the Decaturville, TN library I was still feeling pretty good about my day. The elevation changes were more serious than a shoestring, rising over 300 feet throughout the day, so I was a little pooped out, but my camping plans only meant another hour of cycling.

Until I reached the first campground, which didn’t have a washer. But that was OK, since there was another campground only 8 miles down the road. Then I had a flat, meaning I had to patch a tire at the side of the road, because I haven’t come to a bike shop in about 800 miles. I finally reached Mousetail Landing State Campground, only to find I was at the site without washing facilities. But that was OK, the other site was only a few miles down the road. Until I saw the hill you have to climb to get there. You know how road signs warning about big hills show trucks climbing up the 30 degree side of a triangle. Well, this sign had the triangle tipped up on it’s 60 degree side. And it wasn’t an exaggeration.

So here I am, at 11:00pm writing this entry in the laundry room and feeding a new mouse friend Rice Chex. Christa thought I should give you some statistics, so here they are: 1219 miles, 15 days (including my first days ride from Ft. Myers, FL to Marco Island), average speed 14mph, 89 hours of pedaling time. How’s that, honey?

Tomorrow promises more adventures, so I’d best be hitting the sack. One final thought: I’ve been writing haphazard thoughts that I think you’d find interesting, but if you have any questions post them on the blog. I’ll try to answer them tomorrow night. In the words of the famous Red Skeleton, “Good night, and may God bless.”