Monday 16 May 2011

Tusk...Day 22...Springfield to Tuscalosa...Sun 15/05/11

Today's stage is probably the shortest of the trip at only 80 miles and accordingly we got a lie-in and were away into the drizzle and rain by 9am.
When there is a bit of water around quite often it's more comfortable to cycle solo as you won't get covered in other folks' road spray and you don't have to worry about their brakes not working so well in the wet, so after about 10 miles I did my own thing.
This actually turned into a beasting as I floored it until our only stop of the day at 41 miles and caught everyone except the front two. Indeed I managed to ride a mile past the lunch stop...d'oh!

Homer's Springfield workplace...


Our only stop and place of civilisation all day...although the blighters had renamed their petrol station just to confuse simple folk...


Squall after drizzle before rain preceeding another squall. Wet and cold feet after 20 miles is such a morale booster...


Tuscola's main drag. Nothing to see here...move along...


Synergy, 'innit? Actually Amishland was a bit on the closed side but I had already had my fill of the Amish brethern earlier when I was on a road in the middle of nowhere and doubting if I was on the right track or not, when this horse and closed-carriage came towards me.
I gestured to the driver to stop but the young lady blanked me and continued talking on her mobile phone! That never happened to Harrison Ford, did it? On reflection I did wonder if I would have stopped for a wheezing'n'soaking vision of unathletic prowess either. Nah, the cheeky mare was bang out of order, hah-hah!


My first stop after a hot shower was an adjacent Pizza Hut...


...followed by a trip to Dennys a little later. The gent nearest the camera on the right is Ohio 'yeah baby' Bob. It's quite possible that he will still be there as you read this as His Bobness is possibly the most deliberate eater. Ever.
"Hell, I resemble that remark!". Top man.


Back to more challenging stuff tomorrow with 120 (possibly wet) miles to Lebanon. No, not that one. The one in Indiana. Ah, you knew that already. Cheers!

Stats...stats...stats...Wet numbers!