Land of Loretta Lynn

I called into the Eagle (Gaylord's local radio station) this morning, as I have been at 7:00am every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and Mike Rieling told me that the only storm in the United States was right over Tennessee. Great. It had been raining all night. My choice was to hang out at the campground or move on. I threw my tent in the dryer, packed all of my stuff in plastic bags, and made the right choice by moving on. It rained part of the day, but for the most part, my ride was storm free.

About ten miles into my day I had to walk my bike up a hill. It didn’t seem to high at the time and I was thinking: “Maybe you’re losing your mojo, baby.” I ate a Powerbar (not the one you gave me, Joe) and tried to kick it up a notch, but who doesn’t get self doubts on occasion. An hour later I was a corner, thinking about what way to turn, when an old timer in a beat up pickup stopped and asked if I was lost. He gave me directions and warned me about the hills I would encounter along the way. I told him “Oh, my gosh. I just ran into one that knocked me out”, and he just laughed. “Whell, boy,” he said with a toothless grin, “that thar was the biggest hill in Perry County.” I forget what he called it, but it sure made me feel more confident again. Turns out that steep hill was over 300 feet high. Needless to say, it’s been difficult to make the big miles I was further south.

I passed the Loretta Lynn Museum but didn’t stop, after all, she wasn’t going to be there until later this month. The picture above is an typical example of the scenery throughout the day. I decided to stay in a hotel, and just as I pulled up the Imperial Lodge in Waverly, TN I got another flat tire. Luckily I’ve got plenty of time to patch some tires tonight. I should reach another bicycle shop in two days. It will be nice to ride on tires that don’t have patches. After eating the authentic and excellent food at the Mexican restaurant across the street, all I could think is “Life, she is good.”

P.S. Just a point of interest; I’ve stayed at four independent hotels along the way, and all are owned by people of Asian Indian descent, who live right behind the hotel office. Hmmm.

P.S.S. It’s 9:15am (central time) and I just found another hole in my tube. I guess I’m getting a late start this morning.