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| (My Goal? - Not to Become Deep Fried Daddy!) |
If I thought Friday was a difficult day to get up and get motivated to ride, today was doubly difficult. We had an incredible day at Mammoth Cave yesterday and we left the cabins at 8:00 in the morning and we didn’t return until after 6:00. I lot of walking and climbing of stairs to see some incredible sights. Of course, all the climbing didn’t really help my thighs or calves after the long day in the saddle the day before.
But to really make matters worse, I was awakened at 3:30 by the sound of crashing thunder and rain falling on the cabin roof. Once again I made an executive decision to sleep until nearly six o’clock even though I knew Sarah would be riding with me this morning. Since we were in two separate small cabins it made life a bit more difficult but because of a snafu the owner had to book us that way. However, he did give us an incredible price and when he found out that Sarah, William and James had gotten their Junior Ranger badges at Mammoth Cave, he programmed the LED sign outside to congratulate them on their feat.
But this morning it was time to face the weather. I have been fortunate in that I haven’t really had to ride much in the rain for almost 2400 miles except for the occasional times that I’ve gotten caught in short, brief showers. However, as Sarah and I headed out it started coming down in a small drizzle. With the constant threat of the dogs I really didn’t want her to also deal with this so I left the decision up to her as to whether or not she would ride with me. She decided to go for it - have I mentioned what a trooper she is? She kept my spirits up and had me smiling she chatted away and made her 13-year-old observations about the scenery, life and how she hoped we could find some turtles to rescue.
We made some pretty good time and before we knew it we had made our goal of twenty miles and Sarah seemed as fresh as a daisy, if just a bit damp from her efforts. I, on the other hand, felt incredibly exhausted and not sure how I was going to make another 80 miles of riding. Almost all of the other blogs I have read all talk about how you ride yourself into shape and after the first week you get used to the riding and you’re stronger than before. In my case that was certainly true but right now I am just exhausted both physically and mentally. The physical part I can push through but the mental part is getting harder. I think part of it comes from the fact that I still don’t know if all this I am putting my family through is really making a difference. I haven’t gotten a financial report in a long time so I don’t know if people are actually donating. After the initial flurry of media coverage, it doesn’t seem as if the media are covering us anymore so I don’t know if we are reaching folks and if the word about Sunrise is getting out. Amy, the kids and I talk to everyone we meet about what we’re doing and the camp and we are still as excited to be helping as ever. It’s nice to hear the folks speak to us and show support in those conversations, but the whole point of the journey is to raise money to help these kids and right now we don’t know if that’s happening. I think that’s what is wearing down my mental state and my emotional one as well. The overall result is just to leave me starting to feel very tired, just when I am entering into the last third of the journey.
So after Amy and the kids pulled away I knew I had 80 miles to go and about ten miles later (a good 7 miles from the nearest town) the skies opened up like they never have before. Lightning was flashing just a few miles away, the thunder peals sounded like howitzer fire and the rain came down as if from some gigantic fire hose. Just as it started to rain hard I pulled over and put on my rain coat but my legs and feet were still getting soaked. It was okay as it was still a warm rain but the lighting and thunder made me nervous. But I had nowhere to go, so I kept pedaling.
Finally, just as I was coming up a hill I saw what appeared to be an abandoned structure to my right. Sighing a great sigh of relief and thanking God for providing, I took refuge there. Finally, about an hour later the rain and heavenly pyrotechnics subsided enough that I felt ready to give it a shot trying to make it to the next town. It rained lightly but steadily until half a mile from the intersection where I would make the turn to head up towards Harrodsburg. Praising my good fortune, I headed into the nearest gas station/convenience store and proceeded to warm up with a large cup of dark coffee and a cherry fruit pie - ahhh, the fuel of champions!
And oddly enough, the rest of the journey suddenly took on a new life. The wind shifted to be on my back, there were no more severe climbs and even the road surfaces seemed to be smoother. I was still wet and squishy but I started drying off as the miles went by. I was able to relax now that I was on US 68 which kept far enough away from houses so I wasn’t on constant paranoid Bubba Dog alert. There was only one encounter where a dog came right up to the road barking at me and I thought I’d have to use the pepper spray but he backed off after I yelled at him. Of course, every time I would go through a small town my nerves would go on edge again but 95% of the ride I was able to relax and enjoy making some really good time.
Before I knew it I was in Harrodsburg and even though Amy (who knew I was feeling exhausted today) told me to call her when I got into town and she would come and get me, I decided to ride the extra eight miles to where we were staying so I could get in a good 100 miles today. It ended up that I actually rode 104 when it was all said and done - and it didn’t hurt at all. We’re staying at the Shaker Village which for those of you from Long Island is akin to staying overnight at the Old Bethpage Village. It is a reconstruction of one of the old Shaker settlements here in Kentucky and our room is right over the Cooper’s shop. Its very cool and tomorrow we get to spend the day exploring history - I’m a happy boy.
On Tuesday I’ll be back on the road, this time riding for the Rain Boys and Girls. Of course, it would have ee appropriate for me to ride for them today. I love these kids but I’m really hoping it stays dry when I ride for them!
And the report for today;
FFR - 2 Turtles (Sarah was very upset), 10 frogs, 6 possums, 2 cats, 1 deer, 9 UFO’s
RRL - Plastic bin top, a screwdriver, bag of dog food (don’t these people feed their animals), car battery
Stay well and I hope to send more from the road,
For a different perspective of our journey, read Amy’s blog at www.crosscountrymama.blogspot.com
Find out more about our mission to help the children of Sunrise at www.connorsarmy.org.
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