9/27/09 Full day in VA-Miserable MT Descent/wipeout/pleasant end
I set off this morning after talking to Ike, the guy who let me stay under the shelter. He was talken to me. “yeh, I wouldn’t camp out hea wit out no gun. If a bear stuck his head in my tent, he’d see my 45 and he’d be leaving.” It’s ok that Ike and I have different perspectives on camping, he was a good guy. The rain started coming down even though I got out early, but it was just light. And I was still in pleasant spirits as there was a lot of climbing and the rain kept me cool. I thought about gearing up but I didn’t want to get hot so today I just opted to get wet. But then it picked up and once I got to a summit I knew I’d freeze on the way down so I put my gortex coat on over the other one. I was good for a while but then the rain broke my defenses on my feet. I hate soaking wet feet! I got on a mountain that I must have climbed for 3 or4 miles and the rain had picked up and the spirits were not doing so well anymore. I had had it with being soaking wet so I did something at the top that I had yet to have done, and that was change outfits. I had a dry rain coat, the gortex one. I had dry base lair shirts and a long sleeve so I made up my mind to change as quick as I could. So while stopping and taking my gear off, people keep on stopping as they drive by and wanting to talk about where I’m from and where I’m going….and I’m like, HELLO, I’m freezing my ass off and am trying to get changed! But I didn’t say that, cause they were just caring, not to intuitive, people inquiring. Some drove by and just looked and I wondered what they were thinking. I left my tights on cause I just wanted to get my core dry. So I did it as quick as I could. One guy thought there was something wrong and stopped to ask and I said no, just fine (in a rush as I try to make my change trying to keep what is dry, dry. Are you sure nothings wrong. And mind you now, my mood is not good. The first thing that popped into my head was “Nothings wrong besides no one leaving me alone so I can do this!” I was in a real hurry to try to get to my intended town (which didn’t happen) But anyway, I got changed with two new undershirts then my new jersey and put my gortex on and it felt so good to be dry and warm. I loaded up and headed down a rainy, misty mountain. I soon realize that my breaks have decided that they are no longer going to function very well. I was on them as hard as my hands could squeeze and that was just enough to keep me at a moderately slow pace. I didn’t want to let go for very long because if I got my speed up and then squeezed, it wouldn’t slow very fast at all. My hand muscles were getting so sore from squeezing I just wished the down hill would end, but it was several miles long (something that is usually good) at one of the switchbacks the road got real steep for a little bit, too much for my breaks to slow me and I got going to fast to make the corner. It wasn’t a sharp drop off like some, so I had room to crash the bike off the road and that’s what I did. The car right behind asks if I’m alright and I was and I said that he could go on. Now I really wasn’t too happy but I was glad that I didn’t hurt myself or the bike after giving it a little look over. I continue down the steep rainy mountain on the breaks 100 percent as hard as I could squeeze them and when my hands hurt too much I just stopped to give them a break vs. letting go for a second and picking up speed. Some of those ledges, if I let the bike go, I’d be shopping for a new bike, not to mention everything else. I also noticed that my odometer was finally shot. It has a little rubber missing and I’m assuming it got too wet. I make it down the mountain and soon realize that I’m not going to make it to Demascus where I know there is a nice dry motel waiting for me. So much of my gear is soaked. I prayed that I’d just find something or someone like a couple nights ago. It was getting dark and I see a hey shelter but keep going, keeping that in the back of my mind. Then I saw a church with a shelter. YES! That will work. I pull in and there were cars in the lot. So I figure I’d just go in and ask. Churches on this route see us all the time and are used to cyclists staying in shelters. They said I could stay there. They were just about ready to start Bible study. So I said, Oh, I’ll join you. I think they were surprised to have a 20 something guy want to join them. Then they actually let me stay in the church, which was sweet because right now all my wet gear is drying over the heat vent on an elaborate close line I constructed with coat hangers and parachute chord.
It sure is nice to be inside, warm and dry. Prayer answered. I was miserable for the last hour and a half and this is much better than I even expected. I would have settled for the shelter outside and thought that was great just to have a roof over my head. Every night the last five nights, something nice has come along just when I needed it. Well it’s time for bed now, nice, dry and warm.
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