And they say we’ll have some fun when it stops raining

Dear friends and family,

After a week recovering from my beach riding ordeal, I realize how much recovery i needed. I believe I was pretty near heat exhaustion, so it was hard on this old body. Working that hard in that much heat for so long put more of a strain on my than I originally thought, so a week off doing little exercise other than shoveling ice cream into my mouth was a needed antidote. Other than the ice cream of course.

I also got to visit with my sister Gerianne, the physical therapist who diagnosed my shoulder pain to a possible pinched nerve from too much leaning forward and not straight. Imagine- biking, rowing and writing are all (for me) leaning forward and cause problems. Thanks for the exercises to fix this lifestyle problem little sister.

I realize that the family offers lots of medical expertise, with one sister an RN, a niece an OBGYN (does not apply) and sister in law psychiatrist (I would rather not know what she sees in me), so now all recovered and riding again.

The first day riding i was trying to beat the thunderstorms brewing in the northeast, and enjoyed a lovely ride along the Dismal Swamp Trail, with no cars and few hikers and bikers. By evening, after being camped in my hotel, the rain and wind started.

The Dismal Swamp was dug completely by slave labor, all 22 miles of it. And it served as an escape route for those native Americans and slaves seeking freedom over the years, estimated to be 50,000 strong!

I chose a short ride for the next day in the strong winds and steady rain. Unfortunately a lot of it was on a two lane highway with lots of traffic and high speeds (for cars, not for me), so was quite unpleasant.

Today i am forced to stay put due to the roads being closed with flooding from the storm out on the ocean affecting this area. There are winds forecasted to be up to thirty knots from the north as well, the direction I am heading. I’ve got all my gear spread around the room to dry, so just as well allowing time.

I find myself in a crappy (cheap) hotel in the suburbs of Suffolk, Virginia with poor choices for food within walking distance, poor cell and WiFi connections for trip planning, a constantly running toilet and air conditioning that barely works. It does make me question my motives. So far, the actual riding exercise is quite enjoyable, so I feel like I may need to change something. 

This bike has the heaviest load so far of my tours with the camping and cooking gear, yet once I get riding seems to go just fine. It is damn near impossible to maneuver by pushing and getting into doors, but I am glad that the riding part is not just doable, but goes well. Maybe strong legs but weak elsewhere?

I just finished explaining in my crummy Spanish the problem with the toilet to the house cleaners, who spoke NO English. Sure am glad for that skill. And they told me that half the city was without power so cell and WiFi were down from the floods. 

Now with toilet fixed, WiFi and cell restored, I rejoin the modern world. 

Once I get further away from busy cities and camping along the trails, this should be more fun, but for now it is more like that song of camp Granada which goes “and they say we’ll have some fun when it stops raining”. 

Starring tomorrow the ride follows the East Coast Greenway, which is supposed to be either trails or country roads with wide shoulders, especially for bikes. Can’t wait.

Sending love,

Charley

And a special thanks to Sarah, who I met at the outer banks campground for the picture of me riding at sunrise along the beach. She and her friend were camping further south than I and caught this as I sped (joke) by.