September 20 Crossing America

Alma, GA – Reidsville, GA a distance of 56 miles.
Distance traveled through today 5,376 miles, 4,599 of them by bike.

It wasn’t a good night for sleep as my sinuses gave me a severe headache all night.  I took aspirin and sinus medication but nothing help.  Why did I once again forego bringing the Netty Pot?  My exuberance to cut weight I left off the one item which would have kept these headaches away.  If you find yourself with sinus problems due to allergens in the air, get yourself a Netty Pot.  I owe Diane for informing of this slick little remedy that works better than any medications I’ve ever tried.  It sucks because I was really exhausted and needed some sleep.  My baby bed mattresses worked well, too.  Oh well I’ll learn one day, doubtful.

I was relieved to see it wasn’t raining out yet, prediction is 80% chance of rain today.  Thus, I was on the road as soon as it was light enough.  Made it to Baxley, 19 ½ miles, before the rain started.  Had a good ride till then, the 9 ½ mile stretch into Baxley was just repaved but not open to motorized traffic yet so was able ride with two lanes and a wide shoulder without any traffic.  Though I have to restate, riding here on the East Coast has been stress free of motor vehicle close encounters.  I stopped at a Micky Ds in Baxley until the
rain stopped and then made a dash for Reidsville.  It wasn’t really a dash as today there were many more hills and they were steeper.  Found myself using the old granny gears today, hadn’t had to do that until now here in the East.

At 33 miles, there was a Country store with a snack bar type restaurant to stop for a break before tackling the last 20 miles into Reidsville.  I needed a break due to the hills and my bottom is chaffed from the one day I rode my S-Works with the wrong saddle.  Good timing for a break, too, as it began raining just as I sat down to eat.  While eating another gentleman came and sat at the table next to mine.  I asked him his opinion which road I should take to Reidsville from here and that was the start of making a new friend.   My new friend Wayne Brantley retired from the Georgia Highway Patrol after serving 30 years.  He was genuinely interested in my journey and effort to raise money to
end MS.  In his line of work he didn’t make contact with many good guys.  I
assured Wayne there are quite a few, in my 3 ½ months on the road I hadn’t met one mean spirited person.  He agreed there are a few good folks left.  It must be tough dealing with bad guys day in and day out makes one a little jaded toward the public.  He also warned me there is a State prison just outside of Reidsville and I need to be cautious who I talk with there.  Just before I was leaving Wayne asked me where I was staying in Reidsville.  I told him I didn’t know for sure as I was winging it day by day trying to stay wherever I could for free.  Wayne thought for a few minutes then he said I have a good friend in Reidsville when you get there you look him up.  If anyone can find you a place to stay he can.  I thanked Wayne for his help and told him I’d better get going as it didn’t appear the rain was going to let up.  He said he hated to be the bearer of bad news but the weather prediction is for rain the next three days.  Thanks, Wayne I didn’t need to hear that.  I know I’ve stated it many times before in my journal but it is a fantastic feeling inside to constantly meet nice folks like Wayne and all the other good folks I’ve told you about these past months.  My Crossing America has become a journey of discovery of the kindness and generosity which dwells within the heart and soul of folks all across this land.  Wayne there are a great many folks who would make your heart rejoice knowing the bad guys are few in number compared to the Good.

All the way to Reidsville I rode in the rain.  The good news, riding 10 miles directly east I ran out of hills but not before I had to use my “Weave and Wobble” technique to get up a couple hills.  Riding a fully loaded bike the weave and wobble becomes even more difficult to control making for a “I hope all passing motorists continue to give me lots of room when they pass”.

After the hills were beind me and the riding much easier I could enjoy the beauty of this part of Georgia with many of acres of Pine Forest Farms, cotton fields.  Old abandoned Tobacco barns and even spotted a couple of abandoned share cropper homes.  There was one in particular I would have loved to share with you but it was pouring down rain as I rode past it and didn’t want to jeopardize ruining my camera but the haunted beauty of it will reside in my mind forever.  I did manage to get a picture of another but it doesn’t come close to the first one.  I guess you will have to take a journey of your own to see it.

Abandoned share cropper home

Did I mention my bottom was chaffed earlier?  It was nothing compared to now for as I sit here writing in this journal I can hardly bear the pain.  Does that mean I have a pain in the ass or I am a pain in the ass?

Arriving in Reidsville, I immediately sought out Wayne’s friend Winton Johnson.  I found him doing some work at the Twin Oaks Baptist Church.
He was getting things set up for a function the church was having tonight.  After introducing myself I told him Wayne had asked me to contact him for help in securing me a place to stay tonight.  I let Winton know all I needed
was a floor and it would be nice to have a shower but I could go without that
luxury.  Winton said, “It’s a good thing you are doing and you need your rest to continue your journey.  You need a motel room to yourself where you can shower and sleep comfortably”.  With that Winton phoned someone, walked away from me for a couple minutes, then came back and told me there was a motel in town, where it was and how to get there and then handed me the money to pay for it.   I thanked him several times and I guess my eyes were swelling up as I remounted Spirit and road away.  Fully in awe of being the recipient of and witness to the deed of a “Good Samaritan”.

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