Day Two- Done

It feels good to write done. It’s as if I’ve finished something that was on my “to-do” list. Alright, let’s get to the nitty-gritty.

Today, July 22nd, I was surprised by two enormous hills which I didn’t even see coming. They are sneaky little buggers. I had a pace of 4 MPH up them which lasted about twenty minutes both times. Quite draining! Which isn't a bad thing, because I still had some rain to leave behind. Top speed today was 34.3 MPH in a 35 zone. I almost got a ticket. Not really, but that would've been an interesting talk with the officer. 

I made a couple friends today. I met a cat (see picture). I believe the people at the store said his name is “Mangy Cat.” I bet when I left they called me “Mangy Man.” Other than all that rain, I haven't showered yet. Something tells me that you won't be the only ones knowing this though. The other friend I made today, coincidentally is Rain. She sent me the following message on the other blog page, “I had the most awesome pleasure of meeting you today at the Acorn store in Andover. You are an inspiration and I admire what you are doing. After you walked out of the store, I was explaining to my co-worker how you had touched my heart, as tears began to roll down my face. As I told you, my father had polio as a child. May God be with you & bless you on your journey!! I will never forget this day I met you! God Bless!! **Rain**” 

Later on in the day, I found myself in a race with an Amish cart and horse. By no means did I sign up for this, but there I was. I finally passed them after about an hour of riding. It must've been hilarious to the carts heading the other direction. About an hour later, another cart was heading in my direction and I'm fairly certain the horse wanted me dead (see lesson of the day). The man driving the cart had swerved all over the road, but maintained control. I took a picture of the cart (without stealing a soul).

Toward the end of the night, around 6 pm, I felt a little drag on my rear tire. As I was riding, I saw a sign for a bicycle repair shop, go figure. I stopped in and about 3 hours later was ready to go, thanks to Chris. He taught me a few things about bikes while I was there. That's how I learned that my spokes were a little worn, a couple of them popped loose. On my way out, he pointed me in the direction of Allegany American Legion #892.

When I got to the Legion, I brought my bike inside (which they were nice enough to allow), and sat down at the bar. I was greeted with some sly comments, but warm hearts. Gene kept the jokes coming, Ed offered me the pizza he made that day at the golf course (which I ate, of course. Not the golf course, the pizza!), and Anne Marie kept a grandmother’s eye on me. I was offered a drink, and when I replied, “I’m not drinking any alcohol on this trip,” they insisted. So, a bottle of water went down the hatch. They gave me a place to sleep, a shower, and a great memory (see picture).

Yet another cloudy sunset, but I’ll share it anyway.

Daily Lesson #2: Dogs really don’t like bikes. Either that or they don’t like cyclists. Either way I’m out of luck. 

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