A lot has happened since our last blog. As we move further and further to the west, it is becoming increasingly more rural, thus less opportunities to use MacDonald’s free wifi! On Saturday we set out with the aim of covering the 500 miles to St Louis in 8 days, one of those being a rest day. That averages at about 72 miles a day. However, having braved the worst of the Appalachians, 70 miles a day is not too strenuous at all. We didn’t get off to a fantastic start, as the very late night we had in Knoxville, made things come Saturday morning very slow. We only left at 12:30, but we covered really good ground and had done 60 miles or so by 6:30.
Now to explain my title...I thought it would be a good idea to have another tumble. Trying to experience G-Force, on a touring bike, going round a sharp corner, at the end of a steep hill = NOT A GOOD IDEA. Only minor cuts and bruises. I have to say; in the last 2 months I have fallen off my bike more times than I think I have in my entire life!
This morning there was a big drop in temperature...although sunny it was only about 8c. In the morning we ran into two fellow cycle tourers. We chatted to them for about 1 hour. They were both devout Christians, who cycle round the country for a living. They have no income and no credit cards, however leave it up to God to provide for them. How is this possible you may wonder? We asked the very same question, but they do it and it clearly works, as it became apparent that one of them had been on the road, not necessarily cycling, but living off no income since 1984. Eventually, after a good teaching of the Christian faith we got on our way and by 6:30 we had done roughly 70 miles. With only a couple of miles to go till Edmonston, my chain somehow got ridiculously stuck and tangled as I was changing down a gear. So we tugged and pulled for about half an hour, trying to yank the chain out...however no joy. The chain was stuck in a way that the back wheel could not go round, so I couldn’t even walk with the bike at all. I hitch hiked the last mile into Edmonston where I sourced out a car mechanics. There Will and I finally sorted out the problem (with a little help from a local southerner). We couldn’t find a wifi, which we really needed, not only to write a blog but also so we could work out where we would spend the night whether it be a motel or a nearby campsite. So we headed to pizza hut. Fast food always solves our problems. Whilst there Will chatted nicely to the employees and managed to get a place to stay, in the form of a front lawn. One of the workers at pizza hut kindly said we could camp on his front lawn. So after a bit of searching in the dark, we found his house and I am currently sitting in the tent on the lawn, writing this blog! All in all we covered the distance we set out to do and have got a place to stay for the night so it has been a good day.
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