Camping

Sorry, no wifi yesterday, but here is what I wrote.

Camping in America is very different. We saw a sign to a campsite yesterday which we followed up some steep hills to a forest. This would have been an awesome campsite, but they had poured gravel everywhere, to make it easier for cars. The World War 2 veteran in charge of the campsite told us many stories as we were trying in vain to find a spot for our tent, all of them interesting, but none of them helpful – except for the fact that “as long as I can recall – only 4 people have pitched a tent in this campground” – which didn’t help our dwindling resolves (bearing in mind we had just finished 70 miles and it was getting dark).

Today’s cycling on the contrary was excellent – we made great time – setting one of our fastest average speeds for the day: 22km/hr, and seldom stopping. We are by no means out of the Appalachian’s, but it has been flat nonetheless – we are cruising down a highway that goes down one of the valleys.

One minor problem is that a spoke on Alex’s back wheel has broken – but we hope to get it fixed in Knoxville tomorrow. We have a relaxing next two days – we hope – 50miles tomorrow, and then a rest day the next day.

We are camping today at Cherokee Lake Campground, and the Owner has given us the night for free as his donation to autism which we are very grateful for. It is a scenic campground for weekend RV owners, with a lake shore and a swimming pool – if you are ever near Rogersville, Tennessee, have a look!