Last night drove out to “my” spot & found an RV wedged in sideways. The first spot w/o XM was full of liter. Drove to 3rd site & somebody was tent camped off in the trees. Picked 4th spot right beside & received XM, actually a deeper pull off the road spot.
Chilly w/ heater on low.
Reading Confederates in the Attic in which the author interviews Shelby Foote who was prominent in Ken Burns Civil War series. Learning more about the Civil War.
Beautiful blue sky day. Frost on the downed leaves. Drug my feet leaving as I wanted to ride on h2o & not ice. Grocery shopped then drove to Dupont Corn Mill Shoals parking lot. Just a few cars in lot. A guy came up to me and said that he met me the night I camped out off road 1206. I couldn’t place him at first but he was the guy following me and he stopped his van to talk to me. It rained that night and he said that he was totally rained out on his ride. I hooked up w/ him for a short ride here as he had other plans.
I rode Cedar Mtn 2x because I missed a junction. But what a great ride. Ride up the rock: all rideable & the downhill was sweet rolling & dropping over rocks. Same route I rode w/ SORBA guys.
Crisp in shade but in sunlit patches it was almost summer time warm. Just great. Oh, & not a cloud in the sky which was a deep blue.
I encountered 2 guys w/ accents I couldn’t place joined me to trail to river. I sat down & pulled off my socks, rolled up my leggings, & put my shoes back on all the while answering their questions about the riding on the other side. I crossed but they decided otherwise:
No ice on shore this time.
I put dry socks in wet shoes but hey, the mud from Issaqueena was gone. I recalled the SORBA ride exactly & returned to the river xing. As I arrived a 3 generation family arrived. Some of the elders watched as I removed my socks etc. I shouldered my bike and waded across. The current was strong enough to pull my bike downstream. I made it to the last step up onto the shore when my h2o foot slipped out from underneath me splatting me on my back side. I went thru several gyrations before I finally hit rear end. The bike stayed up right. The grandfather grabbed my bike & helped me out of river. Even though I was dripping wet I was not cold thanks to wicking properties of shorts & leggings & wonder of wool long underwear top. Put socks back on. Watched a woman walk across in her socks which she said gave more traction than the hard plastic soles of our bike shoes.
Back @ TH that was now plugged w/ rigs: hikers & bikers. Just a beautiful day. Chatted w/ several riders. Van w/ Mtn Biking the States attracts attention.
Shower @ laundromat. Bought propane. Guy told me I need to bleed air out of tank before I fill it because the air won’t allow propane to enter. Randy, this is the same story w/ our lighters.
Entered store where beautiful woman works. A big friendly smile but no connection to our first encounter. Her shift was ending and she made zero effort to chat. She was gone. Smile was just a customer smile, nothing more but I made more of it.
Talked to Sam @ The Hub and learned more about bikes. Kona has a new suspension design that you need to see to get an understanding. 32# bike but climbs like a 5″ travel but descends like a 7″. Shimano brakes stop on a dime and give change back. More powerful than my Formulas. The bike is too much for me as I still walk stuff that my 5.5″ Turner will handle.
Fixed dinner @ Dollies again before heading back to woods.
Forecast for next several days is clear but getting closer to 30 deg w/ snow/sleet forecast for New years Day.
I am very sore all over tonight. I am modifying my riding style to keep a constant spin going instead of my pedal rest pedal rest method. Takes work. Road riding will help.