Life Happens

"A bad day on the bike is still better than the best day at work." Unknown

Today was a test of wills. Less than pristine weather conditions (it was rainy), a detour for mechanical reasons (Mike's rear derailer malfunctioned) and physical limitations (I was tired and hit the wall) all made for a day where our forward progress was hard fought. 

We left in the rain this morning from the Woodberry Inn in Dan of the Meadows Va. Our first two hours of riding was a mixture of misty overcast and steady light rain. Fortunately the bottom never fell out so Mike and I were able, for the most part, to stay relatively dry. That is, everything from the ankles up. Ankles down we were a different story. Spray from the road quickly covered our legs and then drained down into our shoes. Our feet got extremely wet and extremely cold. I am just now regaining feeling in my toes from the exposure. 

Shortly after the rain stopped Mike began experiencing problems shifting. He was limited in his gear range and unable to get to either extreme small or large cassette in the back. If you are riding down the Boardwalk in Atlantic City this wouldn't be so bad. In the mountains though, this is a deal breaker. We rode for about an hour with his trouble continually getting worse. Thankfully our ever-present and willing-to-help sag support, Rhonda, was there to help out. We took a slight detour from the Parkway and drove up to Galax Va and received assistance from Corbitt owner of Main Street Bike Shop. He worked us in while we went to lunch and had us up and running in no time. (Kudos to Corbitt who truly did a fantastic and thorough job on our bikes.) While we were there I also asked him to take a look at Bella since something just didn't feel right with my riding today. On several occasions I checked to see if my brakes were sticking and rubbing my tires. It sure felt that way for most of the day. Unfortunately Corbitt confirmed nothing was wrong with Bella other than the weariness of the rider. I kind of wish it would have been my brakes; Corbitt could have fixed that.

So, after having Rhonda take us back to our departure point on the parkway, Mike and I trudged out another two hours before finally calling it a day before the heavy steady rain did finally set in. Based on the time lost from the detour, the ever-worsening weather conditions and the fact that I was spent, we made the decision to call it a day finish with 60 miles. 

All things not-with-standing we still had a great day, both on and off the bikes. We are now south of the boarder, NC and VA border that is, as we passed into North Carolina during today's leg of the ride. 

One final note in closing. You certainly see, hear and experience things on a trip like this that you most likely would not encounter in your normal day-to-day activities. For instance, day one we learned motor-pacing on the parkway is a no no. Day two I learned that Mike sometimes is inclined to talk trash to cows that are innocently grazing in the fields as we pass by. And today I heard a man yell to Mike, as he was attempting to relieve himself on the roadside, "It sure is hard to piss with everyone a watchin ya!" 
Words of wisdom from some unnamed philosopher in the countryside of Va. 

Cheers. 

Jason