Let the fun begin. I woke up early and got on my way. When I say early this time I mean really early. I was on the road by 6:30. I wanted to get to Breaks Interstate Park by nightfall. That would put me in shooting distance of my next Mennonite Your Way home. If I missed my mark, it would be extremely difficult to make it the next day. The problem with that is that after that I had 110 miles to Berea Kentucky, the significance of which was unparalleled by anything else in the trip to this point. The reason being that I would both finish map 2 and be at my brothers house. If I missed any of these marks I would be set back a day at least and then there would be little or no point in stopping by the Mennonite Your Way home because I would not be peddling a full days worth and that would slow me up to much.
I set off making good speed and then missed a turn. Just my luck. I got back on my rout only after about two miles of backtracking and then I was making good time again. Then it started to rain. I pulled over and sat down out of the rain and tried to stay warm. It only took about an hour to finish and for the roads to dry up. Then I was on my way again. Thought the day the dogs began to come out and chase me a little more. I could tell I was getting into coal country as well. Little black lumps of coal were lining the edges of the road giving me a clear idea that I was going to be running into big trucks. I finished my climb with little trouble. Again I new I was nearly done with all climbing worth mentioning. Then came the decent. I hit a rock, dead center. Both tires rolled over it while I was moving + 30 mph and my bike began to wobble all over the road. I slowed it down and gained control but then realized that I had popped my tire. Of course it had to be the back one. I pulled over to the side of the road and began preparing to fix it. Within moments a big old ford pickup truck pulled up and an old man who went by Big Foot stepped out and asked me if I was alright. I told him I was and he informed me that he just wanted to make sure I had everything I needed to path my tire. I don’t know what he would have done if I hadn’t, but it was a nice gesture. He then offered to give me a ride to the next gas station so I could fill my tire with air. Looking around I realized it was about to rain again so I decided the ride up the road would be a good idea. He loaded up my bike in the back of his truck and off we went. The old man began telling me many things about the place I was. He had lived there all his life, and had never left besides one two week vacation out to Colorado. His goal is to some day go to Montana. He told me of the streams and the danger they are in from the coal companies and the crude oil pipe lines that have been going in sense the energy boom a year or so ago. Pointing to the stream we were driving around and he said, “There used to be good trout fishing in that there stream, but its all filled up with sand sense they started in (the oil and coal companies).
Big Foot dropped me off at the gas station and thank Jesus there was a Subway there. So I got a good dinner on Mothers day. I finished up and it began raining. Not just sprinkling, but raining. I decided to go for it. It was late and if I it didn’t stop raining soon than I would be riding in the dark and the rain. So I rode as fast as I could. As soon as I got a way from any cover it began pouring. Sheets of rain came down on my head as if I was standing under a shower. It was cold rain to, there was no comfort in it…only misery. By the time I reached the top of the hill where the campground was I was visible shaking and the power was off in the campground. The ranger that saw me told me to go ahead and set up camp and take a warm shower and that he would come up and take care of the paper work later. I decided to call home first because I new I wouldn’t want to go out into the cold after I was warm. Every one was at grandpa and grandmas having a grand time eating a huge feast that I can’t even imagine. While I was still shaking people would say over the phone, “Boy you sound cold. Well talk to you later.” It was nice to talk to family, but I was ready to go and take a shower.
Thankfully the showers still worked and there was plenty of hot water. It was a dark shower, but one I was not ready to leave. Only the cold water that would eventually come from the faucet could drive me from that stall. I got dried off and set up camp before heading back to the bathroom to find a place to put my bike in out of the rain. While I was in the bathroom draping my clothing over my bike I noticed an electronic hand dryer on the wall. Exited I hurried over and hit the button on the front of it—but no luck, the power was still off. I weighted for nearly an hour until dark until the power came back on and then I spent over an hour standing there drying my cloths and getting ready for the next days ride. Even my shoes got dried. I was so exited. By the time my cloths were dry it was dark and I went to bed, cold, exhausted and feeling more than a little alone.
Today I rode 80.4 miles in 7:12 at an average speed of 11.14 mph with a max speed of 39 mph.
I set off making good speed and then missed a turn. Just my luck. I got back on my rout only after about two miles of backtracking and then I was making good time again. Then it started to rain. I pulled over and sat down out of the rain and tried to stay warm. It only took about an hour to finish and for the roads to dry up. Then I was on my way again. Thought the day the dogs began to come out and chase me a little more. I could tell I was getting into coal country as well. Little black lumps of coal were lining the edges of the road giving me a clear idea that I was going to be running into big trucks. I finished my climb with little trouble. Again I new I was nearly done with all climbing worth mentioning. Then came the decent. I hit a rock, dead center. Both tires rolled over it while I was moving + 30 mph and my bike began to wobble all over the road. I slowed it down and gained control but then realized that I had popped my tire. Of course it had to be the back one. I pulled over to the side of the road and began preparing to fix it. Within moments a big old ford pickup truck pulled up and an old man who went by Big Foot stepped out and asked me if I was alright. I told him I was and he informed me that he just wanted to make sure I had everything I needed to path my tire. I don’t know what he would have done if I hadn’t, but it was a nice gesture. He then offered to give me a ride to the next gas station so I could fill my tire with air. Looking around I realized it was about to rain again so I decided the ride up the road would be a good idea. He loaded up my bike in the back of his truck and off we went. The old man began telling me many things about the place I was. He had lived there all his life, and had never left besides one two week vacation out to Colorado. His goal is to some day go to Montana. He told me of the streams and the danger they are in from the coal companies and the crude oil pipe lines that have been going in sense the energy boom a year or so ago. Pointing to the stream we were driving around and he said, “There used to be good trout fishing in that there stream, but its all filled up with sand sense they started in (the oil and coal companies).
Big Foot dropped me off at the gas station and thank Jesus there was a Subway there. So I got a good dinner on Mothers day. I finished up and it began raining. Not just sprinkling, but raining. I decided to go for it. It was late and if I it didn’t stop raining soon than I would be riding in the dark and the rain. So I rode as fast as I could. As soon as I got a way from any cover it began pouring. Sheets of rain came down on my head as if I was standing under a shower. It was cold rain to, there was no comfort in it…only misery. By the time I reached the top of the hill where the campground was I was visible shaking and the power was off in the campground. The ranger that saw me told me to go ahead and set up camp and take a warm shower and that he would come up and take care of the paper work later. I decided to call home first because I new I wouldn’t want to go out into the cold after I was warm. Every one was at grandpa and grandmas having a grand time eating a huge feast that I can’t even imagine. While I was still shaking people would say over the phone, “Boy you sound cold. Well talk to you later.” It was nice to talk to family, but I was ready to go and take a shower.
Thankfully the showers still worked and there was plenty of hot water. It was a dark shower, but one I was not ready to leave. Only the cold water that would eventually come from the faucet could drive me from that stall. I got dried off and set up camp before heading back to the bathroom to find a place to put my bike in out of the rain. While I was in the bathroom draping my clothing over my bike I noticed an electronic hand dryer on the wall. Exited I hurried over and hit the button on the front of it—but no luck, the power was still off. I weighted for nearly an hour until dark until the power came back on and then I spent over an hour standing there drying my cloths and getting ready for the next days ride. Even my shoes got dried. I was so exited. By the time my cloths were dry it was dark and I went to bed, cold, exhausted and feeling more than a little alone.
Today I rode 80.4 miles in 7:12 at an average speed of 11.14 mph with a max speed of 39 mph.
1 comment:
dustin!!
what a crazy story!!
i am soo proud of you!! i am sorry that you felt lonely and cold :(
hang in there :)
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