Friday, September 17, 2010

It's Real and Unreal



Stats Tuesday, September 14 –Thomson, GA to St. George, SC. Day distance 127; ride time 8 h 07 m; ave speed 15.7; total climb 2,793; total miles 3,329.8


This is our last “full” day of cycling. We are on schedule. But it does not seem real.

In some ways it will seem strange to no longer be cycling day after day after day. I know it’s artificial, but this cross country cycling adventure has temporarily become “a” regular life. But it’s not regular life. Today seemed real and not real all at the same time.


The woop/woop of my rear wheel, however, was entirely real. The new tire I got in Columbia, TN had developed a bubble. It was cheap and I knew it. I hoped it would last into Charleston. But no, I needed another tire. Didn’t want to be in rural South Carolina and have to hitchhike somewhere to get a tire.


We found a bike shop in Augusta which had the correct size. Good thing. By the time we got there the belt was exposed on the tire. Ten more miles and we could have been stranded.


I’d told Mickey that after Augusta we’d probably have flat terrain in South Carolina. But no, it was rolling for 20 miles or so.


Our mileage today determines our distance tomorrow. We don’t want to ride 100 miles on the final day. So we decided to put in the amount we did today (127 miles) to set us up for a before noon arrival in Charleston tomorrow. With the extra time in Augusta (tire replacement) that required us to ride until 7:00.


Last night. It’s almost over. It’s real and unreal.

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