What a load off! All I have to say is I can understand why people like to go on fully supported tours. It's hard carrying a load! I'm just not used to it at all. Kind of made my day more about just focusing on getting there than the journey.
I got a later-than-usual start this morning. I got up at 7:00 thinking I'd be on the road by 8:00. Didn't really work out that way. When I went to check the Red Ranger out of its room, the guy at the desk couldn't find the key! It took him several tries with several keys, all the while having to go back up and down the stairs from RR's room to the front desk. Finally he was able to open the door and the Ranger was sprung!
I took the bike back upstairs to load it when problem number one arose. The mid rack must have shifted during the drive to Savannah because the panniers didn't fit on it. The hubby helped me out and we readjusted the rack to accommodate the panniers. Then it was time to grab my pre-ride meal.
The hotel where we stayed didn't have a continental breakfast, so we stopped back at Huey's so I could fuel up for the ride. They didn't have peanut butter, one of my pre-ride faves. I settled on wheat toast, an egg, and a few bites of fruit.
With the bike all packed up, it was a challenge just getting it moving! Just walking with it was pretty grueling. I was hoping that was due to the carpet, but I was definitely concerned. Because of the craziness of getting everything ready in Orlando, I wasn't able to ride with the bike loaded down at all. What a difference! Probably not a great idea for your first loaded down ride to be day one of a week-long tour. Anyway, after finally getting the bike in the parking lot I was just thinking, man, maybe this isn't such a good idea. But I was just gonna keep going. A kiss and hug from the hubby and I was summarily dumped.
Steve went back to wrap up his stuff and I was on my way. First I actually sat on the bike and was trying to just push myself with my feet up and down the sidewalk. Not too promising! I walked my bike to my starting point at Bull and Bay streets and off I went...slowly but surely.
The ride out of Savannah was traffic free and easy to navigate. The only problem was I had to go to the bathroom pretty much immediately! After five miles I walked my bike into a Baymont Inn & Suites in Savannah and used their restroom. When I came out a woman asked me if I was a guest there. I replied that I would be tonight at their Statesboro location. She was about to scold me, but the deed was already done and I was out the door.
Then I stopped another five miles down the road to AGAIN go to the bathroom. Geez! Afterwards I hit the road and realized I wasn't wearing my gloves! Shit! I started to backtrack thinking I left them at the pit stop, but I had actually placed them on top of my "brain bag" and just forgot to put them on. Luckily I was going so slow that the wind didn't blow them off!
I had my first true rest stop at the 18-mile mark at the Effingham County line. You gotta love the name! I effing rolled into Effingham on my effing bike.
My second stop after 30 miles was in a town called Pineora (pronounced Pine-ora, not Pin-e-ora). As I was pulling into the El Cheapo gas station, I saw this guy near the road taking pictures of me. I thought to myself, what the hell would he want pix of me for? Turns out it was Mr. Drive and Dump! Steve actually had driven around and waited at El Cheapo to make sure I was doing okay. He was taking action shots! I'd post them, but he hasn't sent them to me yet. Short visit and then he was off...for good. At that point it really was beyond the point of no return.
In my travels I saw a grand pumpkin patch, LOTS of churches, and quite a few blooming cotton fields.
I grew up in Texas and don't think I ever saw cotton growing. It really is beautiful. I also saw quite a bit of Spanish moss, which I learned in Savannah it isn't Spanish at all and isn't moss at all either. It's an angiosperm (yeah, yeah...I said sperm) that grows on southern oaks (and others as well). Apparently in the early days people used to use the Spanish moss as filler for their mattresses to make them more comfortable. What they didn't know was that Spanish moss is full of chiggers...and the phrase "don't let the bedbugs bite" was born. Gotta love stories from the South!
Unfortunately I didn't take many on-road pictures. As I said earlier, it became evident that my stamina was waning pedaling with all the weight. I was lucky if I could get the speed in the teens with a slight downhill, but my typical speed on the flats was 11-12 mph. Disturbing! Doesn't bode well for later in the ride when I'm actually going to be seeing some rollers. The hardest part (and impossible for me on an incline) is taking off with the load. Fortunately drivers stuck behind me at a red light were not in a complaining mood today.
After 40-ish miles I actually made a wrong turn and got off route and wasn't aware of it until about 10 miles down the road. There was a split at Route 119 and I took the 119 that said to Statesboro, which I wasn't supposed to do. I ended up in Stilson, GA, which was not on my route. When I stopped in Stilson and checked my maps, I was devastated! Today was my longest day and I went 10 miles off route and would have to double back???? But then I met these folks.
I don't know their names, but I'm calling them my Stilson saviors. I was going to double back when I started to ask them about some roads that looked like I might be able to cut a shorter route back to where I was supposed to be. They let me know that if I just took a right at 80 out of the gas station, I was only 15 miles away from Statesboro. I have a Georgia map with me, but I really wanted to stay true to the ACA maps because there's just no way for me to know the condition of any roads if I go rogue. My Stilson saviors let me know that normally 80 sucks for traffic, but on Sundays I guess everybody is in church or something so the roads aren't too bad. So I went with it, and it ended up cutting my ride short by 11 miles. I was thrilled! Although 80 on Sundays still isn't great for cyclists, I was grateful to arrive in a shorter amount of time.
So all in all I was on the road for seven hours and went 60 miles. I was on my bike for 5:12, which shows how slow I was going. It was definitely difficult at the end. I didn't really bonk...just pretty fatigued from pulling the weight.
I LOVE my motel! I have a jacuzzi tub for two with a flat screen TV in the bathroom for my bathing viewing pleasure! There's also a 42" flat screen in the room, a kitchenette, a couch, king-sized bed and a desktop computer. Came into the room just as the Falcons scored a touchdown against the Cowboys. Yeesh! Fortunately that turned out okay. I unloaded the bike to give poor Red a break, washed out my cycling clothes, refilled all my water bottles and stuck them in the fridge for tomorrow, tightened all the bolts on the bike, topped off the tires, and then filled the tub and luxuriated.
I headed across the street to R.J.'s Steak and Seafood for a lovely dinner and met some amazing people. I decided while I was there that since I didn't spend the day getting to know Georgia that I had to make up for it by talking to some people and getting some local flavor. I thought I'd pose one question to everyone I talked to: What is one thing about Statesboro you think I should know? Here's what I got:
Kimberly - Statesboro is a good place to live.
Her husband Robertson - Everyone should eat at Club Zone Bar & Grill (which coincidentally they own).
Carol - Statesboro is the proud home of Georgia Southern University, whose football team has won several national titles (Division 1-AA).
Jeanne from nearby Medder - Medder is one of the major stops for BRAG (Bicycle Ride Across Georgia).
Danny - Blind Willie McTell wrote the song "Statesboro Blues".
Mary Ellen (lovely woman in a wheelchair who wears size 11 shoes and loved my Ecco sandals...I had to write down all the info I knew about how she could get a pair) - She came as a new bride to spend one year in Statesboro and ended up staying for 61 years.
Tammy - Statesboro is the home of Braswell's Foods.
Pat Maddox - If you come to Statesboro you should visit the Mill Creek Water Park.
Fred Maddox (no relation to Lester, or Greg who doesn't know how to spell) - Fred is friends with Bud Jorden ("make sure you spell it right, now"), who invented closed captioning.
These people were so friendly. Pat and Fred (the Statesboro Maddoxes) invited me to sit at their table, making it a table for eight. It was the first time in a long time I was with a group of people that said a prayer before eating. One of the men, Tom, couldn't understand why I couldn't explain the difference between the Caption 1 and Caption 2 settings on his "tellyvision set". Pat told me if I ran into any trouble on the road, just call the Statesboro Maddoxes and she'll come pick me up and put me up in her home for as long as I needed. I found it amazing how "tell me one thing I should know about Statesboro" can lead to meeting and spending time with such genuine and friendly people. Now that's what this tour is all about.
After 45 minutes of departing from the group I headed back to the motel to sit a spell and write to y'all. I'm sore...mainly knees and butt. A little worried about the long haul, but I'll try to handle it one moment at a time. I'm also slightly concerned about the weather. Today was glorious, but rain is expected later tomorrow and I think it's going to be around for a while. Really don't want the Red Ranger and Tonto spending our days in the rain. We'll see what happens.
All right. Time to look over the maps for tomorrow and get organized. For now then, from Statesboro, Georgia...sleep tight and don't let the bedbugs bite.
"Sleep tight and don't let the bedbugs bite" - nice finish ;-)
Oh Motherp. I'm so proud of you! I hope the added weight isn't too much of a drag, and may the weather be good to you too. Keep making it through and keep writing - it is so wonderful to hear these tales from the road! I appreciate the play-by-play (in places) and the color. In fact, I even told Colwyn that you're a closet personal essayist, but maybe that's my fancy...
Talk to you soon. I'm thinking of ya and wish ya well!
All the love,
Daughterp
I got up this morning and went straight to the computer to see if you blogged. And I love it. I love what you're doing and I love to read about it. You never cease to amaze me. The Highway 80 "rogue" trip concerns me a little, but I'll keep my worries in check. Just know we all love you and we are tracking you and wishing you a safe, DRY journey.
Well, I'm making progress. At least it let me post anonymously. That was Leica at 8:08.
Wow!! Les, awesome job!
It is so much fun to read and watch and think about you out there on the open road. You, my friend, are amazing!
Jenni
So glad to hear all is well. Excellent post. Hope you have an even better day 2!!! I'll pray for blue skies.
So glad you're safe and sound -- well, safe anyway -- just kidding! Love you so much and so proud of you. I'm praying for dry weather the rest of the week. Sun