Day 25: Kosciusko, Mississippi to Livingstone, Alabama

It's 8pm.

I have finished my ride.  Hung up my wet dirty clothes to dry and wash tomorrow.  The warm shower is always the best at the end of these rides.  Ate an Alabama fish fry dinner.  I am warm, dry, fed and sitting on my bed writing this. 

The thunder outside just got my attention.  Big flashes of lightning.  I just looked out the window and the rain is coming down so hard I can't see the cars parked in the parking lot outside.  Hard to get excited about riding in that another day....but hopefully this is a night t-storm that will be finished by morning.  Sheets of rain....jeez!  Scary lightning! 

 

Today's ride started in pouring rain again.  But this time I was better prepared.  Just because it 70 to 80 degrees outside doesn't mean you won't get cold if you are soaking wet!  Rain jackets trap all the heat inside and it feels like a sauna....but it sure beat hypothermia!  So I rode the morning in my rain jacket unzipped and it worked just fine.  By lunch the rain had cleared and it was just slightly steamy warm in the 80's.

 

Today I rode with young Greg.  He had a really tough day yesterday and ended up riding alone and came in about 1 1/2 hours after everyone else, after 6:30pm.  All day I thought he was ahead of us since we had to stop for so many flats.  But he actually had 5 flats yesterday and the first one was about 2 miles from the start.  That put him way behind everyone. 

By the time he came in last night, his feet had been waterlogged for so long that his skin was folded in deep prune-like creases on the soles of his feet and it was painful for him to walk.  I felt so bad for him.  Being out in that extreme weather is hard enough, but alone, and with so many problems is super tough.

Luckily today was much better.  No flats, rain only in the morning, dryer feet.

Tomorrow's ride is 127 miles.  Forecast....rain.  Sigh!

But when it stopped raining today I could finally take a few pictures:

Well.  Was it something I did?

This is Greg's foot today by lunchtime. Our shoes are like little swimming pools filling with water that comes off our wheels on the wet road. Yesterday was 10 times worse.  We stopped at Payless shoes today in a town we rode through and bought him some dry socks.  His feet are size 14.  He is only 16...

We hooked up with Sue later in the morning and rode with her the rest of the day.

This is what the rural households use for trash containers out on the road.  Keeps the critters out.

Kudzu is the vine that is growing over everything here.  It is called the "vine that ate the south."  It is super invasive and grows a foot a day.  It is a climbing, coiling, trailing vine that originated in Japan and is out of control here.  It creates a weird rounded landscape that is very green but Dr. Seuss-like.

We crossed into Alabama today but on rural roads and had no welcome sign.  This is Doug and Greg after dinner at the town sign....Our plan is to turn around and get the Alabama sign when we cross into Georgia.

Wishing I was in Fresno roasting in the heat and wishing for a little rain once in a while.

Stay dry and I'll try too.

Love,

Lori

 

 

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