There were a lot of things I was prepared to endure on this trip. Hours of cold with numb feet in Virginia in late July was simply not one of them. Today we passed through some of the prettiest country of the entire ride under the grossest conditions imaginable.
| This would be me during minute one of the ride today. An inauspicious start. |
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The temperature remained in the mid- to upper-50's for most of the ride and I was rained on - and I'm talking colossal streets-were-turned-to-rivers rain - for four solid hours. The final bit of the ride it continued to mist. At first I thought - well, I'm soaked . . . can't get any more soaked than soaked. This thought sustained me for the first hour or so. After that I was simply a beaten man.
The ride climbed up and over one of the coolest climbs I've ever done - and into Hayter's Gap. After that there was one more significant climb before I got into Meadowview, VA. I'd decided before the day's ride began that I was going to determine whether to follow the standard route (90+ miles to Wytheville) or the short-cut on Route 11 based on the weather. The decision was simple.
Unfortunately after the second climb was over and I reached Route 11 what followed was 40+ miles of "mud". "Mud" is when you're on a road that doesn't really climb steeply, but you're always picking up elevation . . . sometimes imperceptibly. Add the "mud" along with the cold and sustained rain and I'm afraid the engine room really never delivered any power. I just never loosened up or got into any rhythm.
We're spending the night tonight with another friend from school - Sandra Ferguson and her husband Mike. She was able to gather up Karen and Jill - also classmates of ours from Pharmacy School. Was great having dinner with those guys - I don't think we've seen any of them (except for Christmas Cards and emails) in about 15 years! Huge thanks to Sandra and Mike for gathering everyone together.
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How many pharmacists does it take to . . . ?
The gang - to the right of myself and Amy are Karen, Sandra, and Jill. |
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I also have to thank Sandra & Mike for allowing my friend Scott Adams to rendezvous with us and spend the night as well. Scott has now joined Destination: Across the Nation and will be with us for almost all of the riding in Virginia. Scott and I have known each other since 1981 I think, and he and I got into bike riding together back in High School, along with Jim Randall and Mike Montgomery. I still remember back in the good old days when Scott painted a pair of his sneakers black so they'd look like cycling shoes. Classic! I still remember many other stories about Scott that I will refrain from sharing here. Anyway, I think he and I have shared more miles together on bikes than apart - so it's awesome to have him join the ride.
We both have our fingers crossed for improved weather tomorrow.
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