June 19 Crossing America

Cave In Rock, IL – Carbondale, IL.  Distance 83 miles, I rode only 18 of them.

There are baddays, there are good days and then there are some really bad days which is how my long anticipated adventure is turning out.  Today I let myself down.  Awoke at 4:44 AM to lightning and thunder erupting all around me, crap again I thought to myself.  Got this great idea to quickly take down my tent, move my sleeping mattress and bag to a small pavilion about 50’ from where my tent was located and wait out the storm there.  My thinking was I’d keep my tent dry as it won’t be needed tonight.  Then I’d put my pad and bag under a picnic table for additional protection from the weather but yet be mobile enough to quickly throw my bike clothes on and stow the rest of my gear and get on the road ahead of most of the other riders when the weather did break.  Well the best laid plans don’t always work out especially with my luck lately.  The wind must have been 40+ mph blowing the torrent of rain sideways across the pavilion.  Decided OK, I’d use my bike, Duluth bag (large military canvas backpack used extensively in the Boundary Waters area of Minnesota and Canada), and clothes bag as a block from the torrential rain which did work.  I no more then laid down on my sleeping pad and stream of running water began rolling into the pavilion, I hadn’t noticed the shelter was slightly lower than the surrounding ground, so I quickly crabbed my pad and bag up.  I deflated the mattress pad and put it away and used my sleeping bag as a blanket to keep me warm and dry from sweeping rain blowing through the pavilion.

About 8:30 most of the storm had passed and I decided to get on the road as 83 miles will be a long day and I’ll have big problems trying to keep from slowing the group’s progress.  I’ve been told the sweep riders are getting tired of having to ride so slow.  They should be the rider who is giving a hundred percent effort and is still the slowest of the group.  I made it about 2 miles before the sky opened up with another down pour.  I looked skyward and asked Mother Nature why she was pissing on me as I’m doing my best to keep going.  That must have worked as it soon stopped raining but I was thoroughly drenched.  It really didn’t matter as the hills were causing me to sweat buckets anyway.  Did I mention that I’m drinking between 2-3 gallons of liquid a day?

The hills today are unending, shorter and steeper.   Gripe pete, my knees are screaming for mercy.  Ouch!   Ok, you win knees I’ll walk this hill and then another and another and another.  Gees, at least in the Appalachians the hills were long but I could keep a good cadence (revolutions of the pedals per minute) and not stress my knees all that much.  Today as I’m climbing these steeper shorter hills each down stroke of the pedal I’m getting a stabbing pain like a spike being driven up through my knee, especially the right one, causing extreme discomfort and the need to dismount and walk up some of these hills.  Oh yea, got the extra bonus of a headwind again today but much stronger than yesterday.  This is about all the fun the Old Guy can tolerate.  I struggled to keep going, decided I would flag down Bridget when she came by as it should be soon as I had gone about 16 miles.  To my surprise the big van with the trailer came by first with Pepper driving I hailed for him to stop but he went on by without stopping, he did honk as he drove on.  This thoroughly pissed me off.  About 2 miles later I saw Bridget coming in my mini-van and pulled out in the center of the road so she would have to stop.  When she stopped I told her to pull over as I’m done for the day.   Loaded my bike onto the van and we drove to the first rest stop another 7 miles up the road.  Pepper was there, too.  Pepper came over and asked what my problem was and I told him I’d reached my limit of fun for the day.  I’m battling saddle sores from riding in wet clothes, my knees are screaming with pain and I need to rest.  To which he replied, well we’ll take you to a doctor in Carbondale and if he says you can’t ride your bike then you can ride in the car.  About this time I’m ready to blow a fuse but realizing Pepper has a dilemma he’s trying to keep 16 riders riding their bike not riding in the vehicles.   I do understand his position but I also understand when I’ve reached my limit I have to do what is best for me.   Thus, I said, “Pepper I’m 65 and have had knee problems for over 45 years.  What a doctor will want to do is give me a cortisone shot in the knees and tell me to take it easy for a week or two.  I personally find the shot painful and not much help and I’m certainly not going to sit in a motor vehicle for the next week or two.  Therefore I will ride my bike as much as I possibly can but when I feel I can no longer ride I will ride in “MY “van which is being used as a SUPPORT vehicle”.   Pepper said, “I have to act as a coach and try to motivate folks to keep going and that is what I’m doing with you”.  Sorry Pepper I’m past needing motivation from outside sources this is my dream to ride across America and I’ll do as best I can to accomplish my dream.  If it means I have to ride in a motor vehicle on occasion then that is what I will do.  To this Pepper turned and walked away.  He doesn’t have any clue as to how much it hurts in my heart to have to quit riding.   This is my dream adventure not his.   I’ll do what is best for my body to be able to keep going and complete my journey.

After Pepper walked away I changed into some dry riding clothes, had some food to eat and decided I might try riding again at the next rest stop which would give me about 50 miles riding today.  It wasn’t until George and Amanda, today’s sweep riders were leaving the rest stop that I learned Bridget is not going to the next rest stop but rather to Carbondale direct.  Bridget’s family is having a family reunion next week and she’s flying home to be with them and will rejoin us in Pueblo.  Had I known this I would have ridden with Pepper to the next rest stop.  Just as well now I’ll have two days without riding which should help give my saddle sores time to heal and my knees to feel better.   As when we begin riding again on the 21^st we will be in the what is referred to as the “Little Ozarks” for two days before actually being in the real heart of the Ozarks the two days after that.  God please grant me the strength to be able to carry on and the wisdom to know when I’ve done enough.

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