FLASK Trip Update:
April 22:
75 miles to Rose Hill (?). 8-6. Spent too much time in Columbia looking for postcards, which I didn't find. The solar charger'sz not charging even though I try to keep it reasoably oriented to the sun all day. Nice time in McComb: stopped to say Hi to the fire department & gave them the blog address, had really good italian mango ice at a little mom & pop stand, then finally found postcards at a super friendly little shop in a beautiful little town called Summit. Took the wrong highway out of town (98 instead of 54) so when I asked an old man in his front yard where Percy Quinn State Park was ... well. I had a flat on the rear tire I nursed for awhile & finally replaced. Finally stopped at Rose Hill Missionary Baptist Church & camped in the grass lot. I had an unbelievable, fulfilling, happy evening as I stepped into & stayed with the realization that I was on the big adventure of my life. The little anxiety I was feeling about not being in a park & how that feels like a kind of failure ... disappeared. I stayed in the moment as I stretched & it was physically & spiritually FANTASTIC! Stayed loose while cooking & eating dinner in a splayed seated posture - though I managed to let the pot fall off the stove twice! I was really connected to the moment as I relaxed in Dead Man falling asleep & felt a strong sense of the universe & how I was part of it's atomic fabric. Cool & seriously awesome.
April 23:
71 miles. 8-730. Rode 10 miles to Bude this morning & met Tim, a nurse, on my way into a neat little bakery/eatery. We sat down together & chatted for probably 2 hours. His wife's suffering with cancer but he was a remarkable guy: fun, nice, thoughtful, interesting, & helpful. I didn't make time in Natchez to see Longwood ( an antebellum home) or Natchez Under the Hill (a bar) he'd recommended because I just felt it best that I keep moving given the time. Two more rear flats today - it's the damn 1" tubes that the LOSERS at Steve's Bike Shop in Panama City sold me. They're splitting at the seam when not underinflated. When I ask for 1 1/4" tubes, THAT'S WHAT I WANT! I was sad to leave MS - everyone there was soo friendly. It was cool to cross the Mississippi River, though, & so far the folks in Louisiana are nice, too. Camped behind a rundown Baptist church so need to get up early so I'm well gone before they start getting ready for Easter service. Another very good stretch & the hip's doing fantastic on the trip. It feels better than it has in probably a year. Wrist is fine but I've developed some ass pimples that don't feel so great (I need to clean & swap my riding shorts every day). I would like to be home while Rae's winding down & celebrating school (really & truly) but this adventure is really fun & I'm stoked to be doing it, in it, & living it.
April 24:
75 miles to Gum Springs CG in the Kasatchie NF. 8-6. Happy Easter. 3 flats before I could even get on the road. Those a-holes at The Bike Shop are on my s%#$ list. Breakfast was good even though it was at a gas station in Jonesville, LA - ham & cheese omelette, though the folks there weren't overly friendly. 2 more flats leaving there, then nursing a semi-flat, then two more for a total of 7 today. Stopped in Jena's Autozone (yea! Open on Easter!) & got tube patch with regular patches & rubber cement. Of course, I didn't get any more flats after just pumping up the tire some more! Hahaha! I ripped of big chunks of mileage on the saddle this afternoon. Instead of the typical 5-7 mile rest period I did 22, 16, & 12 stretches. Ass is numbing, wrist is fine, palms hurt in the morning but were fine all afternoon. Stayed on 84 out of Winfield at 5:30 & rode easily to Gum Springs CG in Kisatchie NF. Beautiful campground with water at my site & great view through pines of a nice lake, in which I cleaned up both myself & the days clothes. I know I'll sleep better - I've been so sticky the last few nights it's actually uncomfortable, which must be pretty bad because I typically shower less than one per week (if I can get away with it. i.e. if Rae's not around). Bugs forcing me to sleep in the tent again. Too bad because otherwise it's just gorgeous out - light breeze, low clouds, whispering pines. Mmmmm ... outdoors. The desire to see & be with Rae is overwhelming some times & often I get weepy; especially if I'm listening to music.
April 25:
94 miles to Shreveport. 7-530. I thought I saw a bobcat today, making its way into some tall roadside grass. Good breakfast in Clarence, LA, at a donut shop opened just last week by some lovely Cambodians. My ass is covered in a rash but feels fine. Palms hurt but I think I just need to keep my left grip adjusted properly - I'm worried about locking it down until I know what position's best. Terrific tailwind nearly all day so made it to River City Cycling, where they comp'd me 2 tubes (they're probably too big but that's probably better than the too thin tubes I have) & told me about the tornadoes forecast for tonight. I've hunkered down at a crappy Days Inn, showered (wow, was I dirty), cleaned clothes, got some Newcastle, & had beef tips & rice for dinner. I'd rather not stay tomorrow, even though I'm figuring out that I'm days ahead of schedule so will definitely hang with Freddie B in Sherman, TX, this weekend.