Sunday, July 16, 2017

Such is Life

Day 42 - 7/15/17 - Eureka, KS to Chanute, KS - 66 Miles

Average Speed - That's a sensitive subject

Lodging - Chanute City Park - free
So at around the 18 mile mark today I stopped in a small country store for some gatorade and chocolate milk (I've been craving chocolate milk lately).  The man behind the counter asked me to sign the register and pick a riding companion out of the bucket.  I obliged, tucked him in my handlebar bag cover and rode off.  A quarter mile down the road I glanced down at my map, forgetting about my new partner, and it scared the crap out of me.  I almost crashed!  Oh well, I guess it's like any relationship, it takes time to get comfortable with one another.  I need to come up with a name?

I woke up this morning to my tent being soaked, not by rain, but by humidity.  The first half of this trip, I experienced little to no humidity.  Growing up in south Louisiana, going to school in Texas and now living in Virginia, humidity has just been a normal part of my life.  The last few weeks was my first, prolonged exposure to no humidity.  Let me be perfectly clear here...I LIKED IT!

It was a foggy morning...
...but it quickly burned off and the sun made it's relentless presence known.

As the day progressed, the hills became noticeably more prevalent.
With the hills, heat, headwinds and humidity, the last 9 miles were an absolute slog.  Such is life riding a bicycle.

During those 9 miles, I got chased by my first dog (a boxer) of this trip, and get this, the stupid thing bit me on the foot!!  It didn't hurt or do any damage, but it was disconcerting.  Over the years, I've been chased by dozens and dozens of dogs while riding my bike, but this was the first one to ever bite me.  It just so happens that last night in the campground, I met an English couple (David and Jesse).  We rode together off and on throughout the day.  When I encoutered this dog, they were a ways behind me.  When they caught up, I asked them if that dog chased them.  David said that it had and it bit him on the foot as well!  I'm thinking it was just his way if saying hi.  He really needs to find another way.

The community pool I visited, once again for free, actually had one of those lazy rivers, where you get on an inner tube and you just float on the current.  I floated around and around on that tube, cooled down and forgot about the travails of the day.  Such is life riding a bicycle.

2 comments:

  1. That's some kind of riding partner. Geez....what should you name him? Kansas...Larry the lizard...the possibilities are endless. ☺️ We've had terrible humidity here this last little bit. I hope you get a reprieve! Dq

    ReplyDelete
  2. Larry the Lizard...I like it!

    ReplyDelete