It was a great ride, and fun to be riding with someone again. Joe is strong going up the hills - I couldn't keep up with him on his nice vintage Schwinn 12-speed. We stopped at a store, drank a Gatorade, and talked with two guys on motorcycles. Clarksville is a pretty town.
I said goodbye to Joe and headed off on Hwy W, alone again. It was fun hanging out with Pastor John in Louisiana, and riding bikes with Joe. They are two great guys and I'm glad I ran into them !
Hwy W was very pretty, but it was narrow and windy, and the hills kept getting steeper and steeper. Lucky for me, there was almost no traffic on the road today. About 10 miles out from Clarksville I had to stop and sit under a shade tree to cool down.
It kept getting hotter and hotter, and the hills were getting steeper and steeper. It seems like somewhere around 100 degrees the black asphalt layer on the top of the road starts melting. Today it sounded like you were riding over sticky glue, and the melted asphalt got all over my tires and bike.
I passed a little old man on an antique tractor mowing the sides of the road in Paynesville. At about 20 miles out of Clarksville I came upon the Sun Valley Golf Club. I was pretty hot, so I went inside and cooled off with a Gatorade and 3 glasses of ice water. Back on the road, there were a few more big hills, then I missed a turn onto Walker Road.
I stopped under another shade tree to figure out where I was. It turns out I was about 3 miles North of Troy, when I was supposed to be 3 miles East of Troy. Oh well, no big deal I guess.
I rode into Troy and decided I'd better stop there for the night. It was only 4:30, but I was burnt out and it looked like it was 30 miles to the next town with motels or camping. And 30 miles in these hills could take you 2 hours, or it could take you 5 hours.
I missed the Cuivre River State Park Campground when I made my wrong turn, and I couldn't find any other campgrounds nearby. So I figured I'd better get another motel. I checked in early, so I rode the bicycle downtown, looked around, and went to Stefanina's for pizza.
It was a pretty tough day, and ended on a somewhat sad note. When I got back to the hotel I noticed my little green buddy "HOPPY" was gone. The last photo I have of him was at the Sun Valley Golf Course, so he must have jumped off somewhere between there and Troy. I'm sure going to miss the little guy !!
Sorry to hear Hopper went on his way, I was looking forward to meeting him. Just reading about climbs in sticky asphalt in 100+ heat makes me tired. You are amazing, Pete!
ReplyDeleteGreat pictures, Pete. Glad you got to ride with someone for awhile, too. But sorry about your Hoppy buddy going AWOL. Audrey had a katydid that rode on the outside of her windshield from New Mexico to somewhere across Texas on her long, difficult drive home. It jumped ship in Texas, but it was a good companion during that part of her trip. I'm lovin' the blog, brother! - Karen
ReplyDeleteHi Pete. I'm enjoying your blog and all the great pictures of the places you're seeing. Really love hearing about the people you're meeting. I am sure Hopper will bring smiles, happiness and companionship to the next traveler he meets. Kind of wish he had a blog like yours. Good travels to you. Love, Sandy
ReplyDeleteI hope the hotel had a nice pool so you could rehydrate your whole body, melting asphalt sounds super hot. Tonight on the Olympic news they showed a fellow who biked from China to the Olympics, from pacific to Atlantic ocean, he looked just like you would expect an older chineese man to look, and he seemed to be enjoying the attention of the young ladies who wanted to get their picture with him. :-) hope the road is a little less steep for you this weekend.
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