Thanksgiving is already over

On Sunday evening, my uthah muthah and I drove to her friend's house out in the country, where the puppies are staying while looking for homes. We got plenty of animal time with the five puppies (one already found a home), two dogs, five cats, four horses, eight goats and numerous chickens.

On Monday we took a trip to Unclaimed Baggage in Scottsboro, AL, a store where the contents of unclaimed airline baggage is sold. It is basically a giant thrift store, except that everything in it is really nice, because the previous owners weren't actually intending to get rid of this stuff. They pretty much have every imaginable thing for sale there, from VHS tapes to wedding dresses to handmade silk rugs from the middle east to cell phone chargers. It's amazing how much stuff never gets reunited with its owner. I try to never have to check bags, but now I will be even more militant with my packing. The store has become a huge tourist destination, with busloads of consumers arriving daily. This was pretty much the worst place in the world for a person who has been living minimally for six months to go. I have been wearing the same approximately three outfits this entire time, and a bit of boredom has set in. I went nuts trying on clothes and flipping through CDs, DVDs and books. In the end, I managed to reign it in and just buy a couple of things, one that I actually needed, and some that I kind of sort of needed. (How am I going to pass on a really cute performance thermal undershirt for $6? I need that, right?) I tell ya though, if I lived near that place, I would have a lot of random stuff, and great Halloween costumes, as well as seventeen pairs of glasses. They had a whole wall of glasses ranging in price from $3 to $25, and there were several pairs I really liked. If any of you are in the area and need to get new glasses soon, consider picking up some frames here, and changing out the lenses. Cheap!

On the way back to the puppy boarding house, we got a flat tire, and were assisted by a kind young man who would not have been able to sleep at night if he had let us change the tire ourselves. Okay, those were my stepmom's words, not his, but he was still very much a southern gentleman.

I volunteered to stay with the animals that night, while my stepmom went home to take care of some business and her friend went to a gathering in Nashville with some friends. I was alone with the animals for less than an hour when I discovered one of the puppies had gotten into some heart medication belonging to one of the older dogs. She had somehow chewed the bottle open and an unknown quantity of pills had been eaten by an unknown number of puppies. Yipes! Panic! I monitored them for a while as I researched the medication online. Shortly, one of them began vomiting fairly often, and my research suggested the possibility of her heart stopping. Yipes again! I made a few panicky phone calls, and the puppies' foster mother calmed me down and said it would all be okay. The vet, on the other hand, said to bring her in right away, but that there was really nothing they could do for her. Helpful... Anywho, she lived through the night, which was promising, although she was still pretty lethargic and a bit vomity the next morning. Blurg, at least all of the other animals were fine. 1/~50 isn't a terrible failure rate...

On Tuesday, my stepmom picked me up and we drove up to Nashville to join the party. It was a gathering of Christian truckers, who were having an early Thanksgiving in a timeshare. There was a sermon and communion before the meal. Once again, I felt like an infiltrator. This time, I avoided caffeine, spread out the desserts, and managed not to attack, although things were much less ugly than at the Republican women's luncheon, so it was easier. It was difficult to keep my inner smartass in check, though, but I managed it by hardly talking the whole day, and emailing a bit of smartassery to a friend. I ate a metric ton of delicious homemade cooking, including homemade pie and cake for dessert. Yum! We were joined by a Shoney's waitress the others had met a day or two prior, who writes and performs and sells CDs of poetry. She showed up in her work uniform-- she had to work later in the day-- and gave us a show. Then it was back to Athens for a bit of down time.

Two hundred days and counting

Thursday was day two hundred on the road. My statistics for this one hundred days are less impressive than my first one hundred, in terms of biking and sleeping outdoors, but I've heard that I don't need to work anymore to impress you guys. Perhaps next spring and summer I will be hardcore once again, but I am quite happy with giving myself a break from the hard life. I celebrated my latest milestone with a ride out to a nearby state park, which was both lovely and quite peaceful, it being November and all.

Friday we went down to the Civil Rights Museum and 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, where we and all of the other predominately white tourists were assisted by the entirely black staff.

Saturday we went to the Ave Maria Grotto to see all of the miniature shrines and whatnot created by Brother Joseph Zoettl over the course of about forty years in the early twentieth century. He made use of a lot of material that was either found or given to him over the years, and his work was so precious and detailed, my stepmom and I were all sewed up in horse pies.

So for all of my statistics loving pals: My total miles travelled on my bicycle in the first two hundred days of my journey has been 5477.1, but the miles that were actually loaded touring miles were 5124.7. The breakdown for days 101-200:

-2633.6 total miles ridden during 50 days of riding, for an average of 52.7 miles per day.
-2435.4 miles ridden loaded toward a new goal during 44 days of riding, for an average of 55.4 miles per day. The rest were unloaded miles ridden while sightseeing.
-8 consecutive nights sleeping outside
-37 total nights sleeping outside
-33 consecutive nights sleeping indoors
-30 nights I paid for lodging
-$795 spent on lodging

Caffeine and Republicans

Since my dad and other mother picked me up from Virginia, I have been lounging at their place in Athens, Alabama (near Huntsville), making cookies, eating, biking, watching movies and taking walks with my stepmom and her good friend. The walk this morning was the best ever, filled with puppies and ice. If you are a puppy freak like me, check out my youtube, because I actually uploaded FIVE videos of the puppies... And have no fear, the puppies have been moved to a safe place, and homes are being sought as I type.

Later, I accompanied my stepmom to a luncheon for the Republican Women of Madison, where she was touting her new book. I was sadly, grossly, pathetically, woefully underdressed, but the southern belles were gracious. Things went pretty smoothly, but I was feeling so out of place I ended up downing four cookies and five glasses of iced tea. After the luncheon, four or five women were still hanging around, kvetching about the president elect, and it was interesting to see how the same fears the liberals had about the Bush administration heading towards becoming a nazi-like fascist regime have now become the conservative's fears about the Obama administration. It seems like whenever anyone in this country disagrees with anyone else, the go-to insult is "Nazi." It's the new n-word. To quote Jon Stewart on the Daily Show, "you have to try really hard to be that evil!" It's a facile and generally completely inaccurate comparison that we make way, way too easily. Anywho, I managed to just sit back and listen for a while, but then things started to get too ugly, and all of the sugar and caffeine kicked in, so I took on the whole room. Fortunately my stepmom, who has totally missed her calling as a conflict negotiator, jumped in and brought the energy level of the room down before I started throwing punches.

Once again, I quit

Saturday, 15 November: I spent some time looking at weather reports last night, and saw that my future involved rain, snow, strong headwinds and very low temperatures. Realizing that my heart is not in this right now, I called in the cavalry. My dad and stepmom are on their way to pick me up and take me to their place in Alabama, where I will regroup and decide how the rest of my travels will be conducted.

Check back infrequently...

Another inch forward

Friday, 14 November: The weather was alright today, kinda sunny, not super windy, and I took yesterday off, so why is today so difficult?

A couple of hours into my ride, I stopped for some gas station coffee. I'm seriously addicted to that syrupy-sweet stuff that comes out of the "cappuccino" machine. I noticed there was a Greyhound station right behind the gas station, and was seriously tempted, but I decided to ride on. I kept following USBR 76, which is always taking long scenic detours around populated areas, which can be a good thing, unless you encounter a sign a couple miles into your hilly detour informing you that the road you are on is closed ahead. Sigh. No choice but to backtrack, unless I want to follow the posted detour route to who knows where and for how long. Since the backtracking brought me back to the bus station, I took it as a sign and went inside to inquire about the possibility of getting me and my Surly to Huntsville. The guy working there didn't know if they could take my bike, and said it was really up to the driver, and he had no way to ask. I could either hang around the bus station until after dark when the next bus was due to arrive, and hope that the driver would take pity and let me aboard, or ride on. Not wanting to risk a nighttime ride to shelter in the predicted rain, I rode on, reminding myself that there is no such thing as "a sign." A few minutes later, I had a roadside meltdown. When I saw that I was only a couple miles from a KOA, I called it a day. Sadly, I didn't get very far today, but at least I was able to dry out my tent (I packed up wet this morning) and do some laundry in the cheapest laundromat I have seen on this trip. Maybe tomorrow I will get somewhere, although the weather report suggests that may not be the case.

Lovely fall weather

Thursday, 13 November: It rained today. I stayed put.

Inching right along...

Wednesday, 12 November: Another cold, hilly day. In the afternoon I decided that, although it might have been possible to reach my intended destination (another KOA) before dark, I didn't want to try. Those hills are killer. I backtracked (blurg!) a couple of miles to a state park. I consoled myself about the short day and the backtracking by telling myself that at least it would be cheaper than the KOA. Wrong. They have done that thing that many state park campgrounds seem to do late in the season, which is to close down the cheap camping area and refuse to bargain on the price for the expensive sites. And there are way too many park employees milling around to try to cheat the system. I guess I could have put an empty envelope with a fake name and address in the drop box, but I just couldn't do it. Someone has to pay all of those park employees.

At least I got another hot shower and was able to charge all of my electronics.

Happy Veterans' Day!

Tuesday, 11 November: Today I was faced with a tough choice: stay on USBR 76 and skirt some large population areas, riding on tranquil country roads into a corner of the national forest where I could probably do some backcountry (free) camping, or stay on the highway through some cities and pay to camp at yet another pricey place. As much as this seems like an easy choice, there were complicating factors. 76 is a longer route, and appears to be more hilly as well. I am still feeling black bear-anoid, and tying my food up after dark is no fun. And last but not least, it has been pretty cold lately, and a hot shower before bed is great for bringing the feeling back into my toes. As I sat on a roadside break contemplating my options, a police officer pulled up and ran my ID and asked me a bunch of questions. It seems there have been some "B&Es" in the area recently (I had to ask: it's breaking and entering) and he thought it would be a good idea to question the transient. He was very nice about the whole thing, but this still helped me make my decision. I don't want to give these guys more reason to hassle me, so I went for the pay camping option.

The ride went fine, although it was less than pleasant going through the cities. In case you were wondering, Salem, VA is full of teenage boys who shout unintelligible things from their reeking filthy trucks. Seriously, doesn't Virginia have emissions laws?! My lungs are illin'! But I digress. The hills were manageable, and I made my destination before dark, where I received a pleasant surprise: I was only charged $8 to camp. Now that's more like it!

All in all, a pretty decent day.

KOA is still pricey

Monday, 10 November: Felt like crap. Stayed in my sleeping bag all day. Was bummed that I was wasting a sunny day, but thought that it would be better to take one day now than two or three later.

Today was almost like a do over of yesterday

Sunday, 9 November: I woke up late again today, but this time because of exhaustion, not partying. It wasn't warm like yesterday, but it was sunny. I had a cold, mean headwind.

For the third time this trip (or is it the fourth?), I sold my soul to the devil for cheap goods. When a girl needs such disparate items as headphones, tortillas and Luna bars, and is a little short on time, where else is she to go but Wal-Mart? My favorite headphones that I continue to buy because they are comfortable, even though the left ear always stops working in less than a year, were cheaper there than I've ever seen them. (What's the deal with that left ear, Sony?)

I got tired and called it quits early, since I was at the KOA, and my next camping opportunity was too far away to reach before dark. I seem to have lost the ability to find free or cheap camping. It's partly because of my mood, but also because I don't have enough daylight hours to go asking around and then move on if I'm out of luck.

I think this is the first time I've stayed at a KOA on this trip. To me they always seem like the epitome of luxury "kamping," but they are actually cheaper than the place I stayed last night. Which isn't saying much.

I'm basically following the I-81 corridor southwest through Virginia, and then will continue along I-75 through Kentucky on my way to northern Alabama. And camping is pricey this close to the freeway! At least it exists. If any of you know of someone along this route who would take in a stinky dirty cyclist, please let me know!

Another gorgeous day

Wasted on pedaling uphill against the wind. Blurg. At least it wasn't raining.

Saturday, 8 November: I got a late start due to last night's festivities, and my own dilly-dallying. I am sort of following US Bicycle Route 76 diagonally across Virginia, with some modifications. On my way through Afton, I stopped by the cookie lady's house, hoping at least to meet her, and possibly to sleep there. Sadly, she did not seem to be home, and the cyclist house was closed for the winter. I'm bummed that I missed her, because she's practically an institution in the cycle touring world. I rode on, bypassing the part of the route that went along Skyline Drive. It was just a bunch of unnecessary hills. That road won't get me again! Instead, I went over to the other side of the mountain that I had spent much of the day riding up, and headed for an exorbitantly priced campground. It was my only option. But I guess I get enough free days that it all equals out. I rolled in after sunset again-- gotta stop doing that!-- and found it to be a pleasant enough place run by a very sweet man. Not sweet enough to give me a discount of any sort, although I didn't try for one, but sweet enough that I didn't hate handing over my money to him. That seems like a good persona to cultivate if you are in the service industry...

I tend to be an accent sponge anyway, but Southern accents seem to be the most infectious. Two seconds into a conversation with a heavily accented person, I find my vowels slipping a bit. Although it seems to facilitate their understanding of the words that are coming out of my mouth, so it's not all bad. I just worry that people will think I'm mocking them, when they know I'm not from around here.

I love a sunny day off

And warm, too!

Friday, 7 November: I took a day off and explored Charlottesville, VA. I walked to the UVa campus to check out the really cohesive architecture, then took the free trolley downtown to wander a bit. The free speech wall, which is basically a giant chalkboardy area, was a fun idea, and had some amusing stuff on it. And a lot of lame teenager garbage. I ate at the Tea Bazaar, which is a super mellow place to sit for a while, then took the free trolley to the campus, and walked back to the apartment. It turned out to be my host's birthday, so we went downtown for a beer and some food, then came home for more beer and Rock Band. I could get addicted to the drumming...

Charlottesville is a pretty cool city. It's in what I'm discovering is a sort of sweet spot for population size: around fifty thousand, although the student population swells this number some. This seems to be large enough to give a decent variety of restaurants and theaters, but small enough to be pretty friendly. They also have what appears to be good public transit.

I am now headed, once again and despite my better judgement, into the mountains of Virginia for some more pain. For various reasons, this seems to be the best route if I want to get to Alabama by Thanksgiving. That's right, as catchy as "Alabama by Christmas" sounds, I would really rather be there by Thanksgiving, as it is my favorite holiday, and I don't want to miss out on any mashed potatoes and gravy. I heard that there are areas of little reception in the mountains, so there may be some days when I don't post.

The applesauce *was* homemade

Made with Lodi and Rambo apples, sugar and lemon juice. Fantastic!

Thursday, 6 November: After a very VERY leisurely breakfast and chat with Margaret Dawson of Dawson's Country Place Bed and Breakfast, I struck out for parts south. Last night I kvetched about the price, because for someone who tries to camp for free as often as possible, it was a little over my budget, but if you are a couple looking for a quiet getaway, it is actually pretty reasonable. They are located just a short drive from Shenandoah National Park, Charlottesville and three presidential homes, including Monticello. The house is set on 28 acres, mostly wooded with walking trails, abutting two hundred some acres of farmland, so it is quite peaceful. The food is tasty, and the conversation delightful. 540-948-3119 or 866-538-0138, if you're going to be in the Madison, VT area.

I had time to laze around because I was only headed to Charlottesville, just a half day's ride to the south, to stay with friends of friends. The ride in was uneventful. I stopped about two blocks away from my destination to consult my GPS, and was overtaken by my host, who was biking home from work. Exquisite timing! After some good conversation and a shower, we went to the Saigon Cafe, a Vietnamese restaurant recommended by Margaret Dawson. My food wasn't quite what I expected it to be, but it was still pretty tasty, and the price was good. After more conversation, an intrusion from a random guy selling firewood door-to-door (?!) and an excellent new episode of "30 Rock," we were off to bed.

I couldn't hack it

It was just too brutal.

Wednesday, 5 November: Wooooobama!

I spent hours and hours today riding uphill through dense fog and drippy rain. It was brutal, with no compensatory views. I literally had to eat every three miles because I was expending so much energy. The cars and I couldn't see each other until they were right up on me, and there was no shoulder, so every time I heard a car coming I just pulled off onto the grass, thankful for the break and the fact that the pavement didn't have a big drop off at the edge.

I finally reached a high point and headed down into sunshine and beauty and fast fast rolling. My goal of reaching the only open campground in the park, 42 miles from my starting point, and having a shower was starting to look attainable. Then I reached the low point and started heading back up again. I consulted my maps, and it looked like I was in for some ridiculous climbing, so I took the opportunity provided by the crossroad at the low point to exit the park for good. At least I can say I've been to Shenandoah National Park.

I had a wonderful roll out of the mountains, into the sun and warmth and gently rolling farmland hills. I was on a fantastically smooth road with little traffic, headed for a campground that my AAA campbook said existed, and had tent sites. I considered calling ahead, but I couldn't get reception when I thought of calling, and my phone was dying and I wanted to hurry to get there before dark. The campbook had not yet led me astray.

I arrived at the campground about ten minutes before sunset, only to be told that they only accepted RVs, and had no place for tent campers. I pretty much pleaded with the woman to just let me camp on the lawn where no children were playing, but she would not budge, and had no compunctions about turning a lone cyclist away at sunset. She tried to direct me to a campground that was "eight" miles away (closer to ten. I saw the sign. But who's counting?) but I said I couldn't make it that far tonight. She sent me instead to a somewhat pricey bed and breakfast-- although it's not as bad as that hotel in Jersey!-- that was "three" miles away. Actually 4.75, and this time I'm counting.

I arrived just as it was getting dark enough to be scary, and man, did she do me a favor sending me here! The couple running the place just keep getting nicer. The woman said she would knock ten bucks of the price, then she gave me dinner (I think the applesauce was homemade!), then she knocked another fifteen off. It's basically just a big house (I guess that's what B&Bs usually are) with two guestrooms. Mine is a whole little suite over the garage with a kitchenette and a tv and everything. I was excited about watching "Pushing Daisies," but it doesn't seem to be on. Man, that month off sure brought back the tv addict right quick.

The ups and downs today were steep like the mountains.

Did I pick the wrong route?

So far, Shenandoah is beautiful, but brutal. I'm not convinced yet that the beauty outweighs the brutality.

Tuesday, 4 November (election day!): I made it to Shenandoah National Park with almost no rain, which was great, since it had been predicted with a fairly high probability. I saw evidence of brief sprinkling, but I missed most of it. When I got into the park, I climbed 1300 feet in five miles. Blurg. Not so fun toward the end of the day. I was planning to stealth camp, but I chickened out, and there weren't a lot of good places anyhow. I stopped at the visitor center and got a backcountry permit and directions to the nearest place where that sort of thing is allowed. I got there shortly before dark, scarfed a bunch of food, tied the rest of my food up, and pitched my tent in the dark just as the rain was starting in for serious. Now I am safely ensconced within my tent, too exhausted to even bother with the handi-wipe bath...

Virginia is for lovers

I can't actually vouch for that, but I can say that it's pretty nice where I am.

Monday, 3 November: With some difficulty, I left my friend's house and headed west, toward Shenandoah. I'm not in quite the best riding shape after my lazy month off, but am certainly better off than when I started the trip back in May.

I stopped in a national park for lunch, and a kindly ranger who also happens to be into cycling stopped by to chat. I picked his brains about my upcoming camping options, since it had become clear to me that I had grossly underestimated the distance to my intended camping spot. My options were poor, and I steered the subject around to stealth camping possibilities, not specifically for tonight, but for when I'm riding through Shenandoah, since most of the official campgrounds have just closed for the winter. Once we had discussed this a bit, and I said the magic words ("leave no trace"), he offered to let me stay in the picnic area of the park. Given the choice between riding a half day and camping for free or riding really hard until dark and paying money to camp, I went with the former. Now that I am headed south, and am really not that far from Alabama, I'm not feeling the need to push myself too hard. Besides, I don't want to end up in the sorry state I was in when I arrived in Virginia a month ago. I took him up on his offer, and am now lounging in a beautiful meadow surrounded by trees. I have a covered picnic area and pit toilets, and the ranger will lock the gate at sundown. There is no water here, but the kind ranger offered to fill up my bottles for me. He returned with an extra gallon on top of that, so now I don't even have to think about conserving water! Wooo!

Also, it was a little bit sunny.

Don't go to beauty school

Well, not for a haircut. Not if you care how it looks...

Friday, 31 October: I spent two hours getting a haircut at the local beauty school. That route is definitely one for those with more time than money. I enjoyed watching the cute beauty school kids, but was a bit unhappy with the haircut.

I dressed up as the bottom of the closet (odds and ends from costumes past, with a few socks, random scarves and a hanger hanging from my clothing) and attended a Halloween party with my gracious hosts. Fun stuff!

Saturday, 1 November: Brunch, lounging, "Zack and Miri Make a Porno."

Sunday, 2 November: Brunch, lounging, shopping, laundry, packing... Yup, I'm getting ready to scoot tomorrow.

I am increasingly unhappy with this haircut. At least it grows quickly, so I should be able to get it fixed up before too long.