Day Four

It's funny how people start to anthropomorphize their various modes of transportation. Today, for the first time on the trip, I started talking to my bike during uphill sections. I remember taking a 12 hour solo car trip during my senior year of college, and spending the last hour trying to convince my car not to break down. Today, I tried to coax my bike to make it to the top of each hill. I have not yet decided whether my bike is male or female.

We camped under a gas station carport last night. There was a big sign that said "Bicyclists Welcome to Camp", so we set up shop. All went well except for the 3AM wake up call from the police, who apparently have nothing better to do on a Sunday night than to harrass people camping legally. All three of us slept in one tent. We hung a headlamp from the ceiling, and there was some serious bonding over a fifth of whisky and a botched game of poker. The game went like this:

Jon: I'm in. One shot.
Iris: Call.
Me: I'll see your one shot, and raise you two shots.
Jon: Call.
Iris: Call.

Jon: FULL HOUSE. Drink.
Iris: Man, I had two pair. Queens and Kings.
Me: I had three Kings.

Me: This is a pinochle deck. Everyone drink.

We tried to play some high-low after that, but it was short-lived. Sleep occured not long after, and since the night got very cold, having three people in one tent was actually helpful. I think that in a few weeks, when we're farther south and the temperatures get warmer, we'll have to split up.

It's only day four, but I'm loving Iris and Jon. We seem to handle each other very well. Today we rode about 50 miles, into Charlottesville, VA, where we're staying with a friend of Iris's. Right now, Jon is cooking dinner. It turns out that he's worked as a cook for years. Jon is intense about very few things, but he is an intense cook. Iris and I were not invited to help.

Later tonight, I'm hoping to hang out with BRAD UHL (!!!) and Jon has declared that tonight will involve "party hats", so I'm glad we have an easy day planned for tomorrow. We're riding into Afton to stay for free with a woman known as the "Cookie Lady." We found her in The Book (this incredible guidebook that Iris brought) and we called ahead today to let her know that we're coming. Today's ride was amazing. It was all rolling hills through farms and fields, with lots of color and tons of wonderful smells. Also lots of cows. The cows never act surprised when I ride by, but they follow me with big eyes, and their ears move from side to side.

The next couple days will be FILLED with mountains, and probably will not be filled with internet. I'll have my phone, though, and I love phone calls.

Thanks for comments, texts, etc. I miss a lot of people very much, but I can already tell this is good for me. Also, blogging is a little bit cathartic. Iris says that I am addicted to the internet. This may or may not be true. I'll post some pictures later.

xoxox