Just A Day

Thankfully, no raccoons bothered me in the night and I never got out of my tent in the dark to have to contend with copperheads. U actually slept reasonably well. I packed up my campsite, checked out, and hit the road by a little after 8. It was only a little over 60 miles to my next campground at Buck Hall Recreation Area. But thanks to the wind, it was tough going.

I hesitate to make an entry that is essentially how the day was really difficult and nothing of interest really happened for it. But that's how it goes sometimes, and I try to keep this blog accurate to my experiences and feelings. Most of the day was biking on highway with absolutely nothing to see (not ugly, just unchanging and unexciting), minimal or no shoulder, often with rumble strip, regularly strewn with trash, in the high heat, with a mean headwind. There was nothing enjoyable about it.

Around 9ish I realized I needed some actual breakfast and got a Subway sandwich loaded with veggies. Not long after, there was a brief bit of trail early in the day that was nice, winding and sometimes rough, but through some interesting forest, and a good break from the highway. I wanted to stop and take pictures of some of the more interesting scenery along it, but it felt unsafe and impolite to all the other cyclists who were on it considering the winding zero visibility turns. After it ended, it was back to highway, for almost every bit of the remaining day. The biggest exception and most excitement of the day was Georgetown, with its beautiful churches and its foul smelling, presently out of use, steel mill.

Other than that, it was just riding highway, cursing the lack of shoulder or its rumble strips or its debris forcing me to pop over said rumble strips and onto the main road, making slow time in the wind. I arrived, exhausted, a little before 4. Of course, to find out the campground is nominally full up, with no tent sites available, except the overflow, with no picnic tables and lots of mosquitoes. Luckily, I was told by the camp host that the lady who reserved the farthest camp site was supposed to arrive yesterday and did not, so it was mine as long as she doesn't show, but then I would have to move if she did. Fun, right? I waited awhile, then decided the heck with it and got set up. As of now, about 8, she has not shown, though someone (apparently her grandmother, who had no idea whether or not she was coming?) came over to see what my deal was. Here's hoping the site stays mine, because it is awfully late to move now. Let's hope I'm also properly prepared for the storm. Because it's supposed to come down hard tonight. Rifbt now I am lying directly on the tent floor, because it is much too hot to do anything else (can't stand a moment more out in the mosquitoes). Tomorrow should be an easier day.