Rest Day - June 10th, 2019
Will today be a rest day or a riding day? That will be determined by when my package of parts is delivered by Fedex. If it arrives before 10:00 I could be on the road by 11:00, giving me seven hours in which to reach my next destination (Peaks of Otter) 60 miles from here. If it arrives by 2:00 I could leave by 3:00 and make it to an alternate destination (Otter Creek) 34 miles down the road. If it arrives later than 3:00 I’ll spend another night here in Montebello.
It’s 7:05 a.m. and it’s raining, as it has been with varying intensity through the night.
It’s 9:35 p.m. and again raining after not raining at all for most of the day. At about 10:00 this morning I went to the camp store and was told by Stephanie who works at the store that my package had left Memphis and her best guess was that it would not arrive until 3:00 or 4:00. With that information I knew that I would spend another night in Montebello and ride to Peaks of Otter on Tuesday.
While I was at the store I saw Terry who yesterday had told me about cell service on Spy Rock and told him that I planned to walk four miles to the Parkway where I had heard that there was cellular service. Terry offered to drive me there, and I accepted. I told Terry that I needed to draft some email messages that I would send and we agreed that we would meet either at his RV, at the store, or on the road between them in half an hour or so.
After finishing my emails I was walking to Terry’s trailer when I saw him on the road headed to the store to pick up some things. We drove back to his RV where I met his wife, Jaye. While we were there Terry offered me the use of their gazebo for the night so that I could have all my things dry off before leaving tomorrow. I gratefully accepted his generous offer (I’m sitting in the gazebo as I write this) and we headed back to the store to see whether it was too late for me to check out from my campsite. Although it was now twenty minutes after the checkout time, Stephanie said that I had never committed to staying Monday night since whether I would do so depended on when my package would arrive, so I did not need to pay for another night.
Terry and I drove out to the Parkway but we had to go about seven miles rather than four before I had a decent signal. I sent the email and Facebook messages I had prepared, received a few responses to the messages I sent yesterday, and downloaded my route from Peaks of Otter to Tuggles Gap.
When we returned to the Terry’s RV at about 1:00 Terry told me that he would be driving home to Charlottesville but that Jaye would enjoy my company in the evening. I said that I would look forward to spending time with her. Then Maddie, one of the camp hosts, came to tell me my package had arrived just after Terry and I left for the Parkway. I collected my package and returned to my campsite to pack it up for a move to the gazebo. So that the bug screen of my tent would dry out, I left it on its pole and managed to carry it, along with two plastic bags containing food and items for the laundry, as I walked my bike to the gazebo. I imagined I must have looked like something in a Fellini movie.
Jaye made a salad with strawberries and tomatoes, cooked broccoli with melted cheese, and heated my canned beef stew. While sharing dinner we had an engaging conversation.
At 10:10 it’s raining with an intensity much higher than anything I’ve experienced in the last four days. I’m grateful to have the protection of the gazebo.
At 10:35, having discovered that the fabric above and around the gazebo is being breached by the rain, I set up my tent which I had packed away. The tent is partially free-standing. With no way to use stakes on the wooden floor my sleeping space will be extra narrow tonight. However I will not bring into the tent either the handlebar bag or the trunk bag or my helmet or either pair of shoes as I usually do, so there’ll be enough space for me to lie down.
After setting up my tent I read email messages I received today and wrote responses to them. It’s almost midnight and I’m about to go to sleep. The backs of both of my calves are swollen around my Achilles’ tendons, which I first noticed yesterday. I have no sense of injury and am able to walk or squat with ease. I hope the swelling does not interfere with my riding.
It’s 7:05 a.m. and it’s raining, as it has been with varying intensity through the night.
* * *
It’s 9:35 p.m. and again raining after not raining at all for most of the day. At about 10:00 this morning I went to the camp store and was told by Stephanie who works at the store that my package had left Memphis and her best guess was that it would not arrive until 3:00 or 4:00. With that information I knew that I would spend another night in Montebello and ride to Peaks of Otter on Tuesday.
While I was at the store I saw Terry who yesterday had told me about cell service on Spy Rock and told him that I planned to walk four miles to the Parkway where I had heard that there was cellular service. Terry offered to drive me there, and I accepted. I told Terry that I needed to draft some email messages that I would send and we agreed that we would meet either at his RV, at the store, or on the road between them in half an hour or so.
After finishing my emails I was walking to Terry’s trailer when I saw him on the road headed to the store to pick up some things. We drove back to his RV where I met his wife, Jaye. While we were there Terry offered me the use of their gazebo for the night so that I could have all my things dry off before leaving tomorrow. I gratefully accepted his generous offer (I’m sitting in the gazebo as I write this) and we headed back to the store to see whether it was too late for me to check out from my campsite. Although it was now twenty minutes after the checkout time, Stephanie said that I had never committed to staying Monday night since whether I would do so depended on when my package would arrive, so I did not need to pay for another night.
Terry and I drove out to the Parkway but we had to go about seven miles rather than four before I had a decent signal. I sent the email and Facebook messages I had prepared, received a few responses to the messages I sent yesterday, and downloaded my route from Peaks of Otter to Tuggles Gap.
When we returned to the Terry’s RV at about 1:00 Terry told me that he would be driving home to Charlottesville but that Jaye would enjoy my company in the evening. I said that I would look forward to spending time with her. Then Maddie, one of the camp hosts, came to tell me my package had arrived just after Terry and I left for the Parkway. I collected my package and returned to my campsite to pack it up for a move to the gazebo. So that the bug screen of my tent would dry out, I left it on its pole and managed to carry it, along with two plastic bags containing food and items for the laundry, as I walked my bike to the gazebo. I imagined I must have looked like something in a Fellini movie.
Jaye made a salad with strawberries and tomatoes, cooked broccoli with melted cheese, and heated my canned beef stew. While sharing dinner we had an engaging conversation.
* * *
At 10:10 it’s raining with an intensity much higher than anything I’ve experienced in the last four days. I’m grateful to have the protection of the gazebo.
At 10:35, having discovered that the fabric above and around the gazebo is being breached by the rain, I set up my tent which I had packed away. The tent is partially free-standing. With no way to use stakes on the wooden floor my sleeping space will be extra narrow tonight. However I will not bring into the tent either the handlebar bag or the trunk bag or my helmet or either pair of shoes as I usually do, so there’ll be enough space for me to lie down.
After setting up my tent I read email messages I received today and wrote responses to them. It’s almost midnight and I’m about to go to sleep. The backs of both of my calves are swollen around my Achilles’ tendons, which I first noticed yesterday. I have no sense of injury and am able to walk or squat with ease. I hope the swelling does not interfere with my riding.
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