Day 24 1000 miles and still going

Perhaps we should take a photography class to try to learn how to capture some of the natural beauty we see. As we rode down 17 we came to several places where the trees and moss were like a canopy over the road. In most places there did not seem to be enough light to get a good picture.

We left the Hampton Inn in Walterboro at about 6:15. We started by climbing the hill over I 95 to get to 17a. It was a little rolling at first but there was not too much wind.  The scenery was pretty nice. There were huge trees that looked like giant elms (they weren’t) hanging with Spanish moss (not Spanish and not moss).

We were making pretty good time partly because there was no place to stop. At about 15 miles we stopped at a church to use their facilities. The pastor was nice enough to let us in.

About 5 miles later, near Yamassee, we came upon a convenience store and got some Gatorade. At about 9:30 we stopped in Point South at about the 26.5 mile mark. We ate at a Subway. There was basically nothing to stop at until we got to Hardeeville at mile 52.5 on our trip. We stopped at Subway again. I have to tell you that going 26 miles in this heat was a beast. Well, this was really my fault. There were some things in Ridgeland but I decided there would be something more to our liking further on. Well there was, at 52.5 miles.

In addition, there was a stretch of Route 17 that was in sorry need of paving so that there was a bump every three feet or so. It was uncomfortable and it slowed us quite a bit.

After we ate, we rode the last 4 miles to the Days Inn we had planned to stay at. They were having a sale -$39.95 all rooms. They had Wi-Fi, a coin laundry, and a pool. Perfect.

But the adventure was not over. We were sitting in the room when the power went off. Fortunately I had finished my work online. We walked to the office to find that much of the town is out. Apparently a transformer on the other side of I 95 burst. We just got information that perhaps someone hit a power pole south of the city. We don’t really know. It is being replaced but for now, nothing electronic works. That means no restaurant for now. I hope they fix it soon, it is getting warm.

We have been extremely fortunate with the weather. In spite of the forecast of thunderstorms the past two days, they have been expected in the late afternoon and we have been off the road by then. Yesterday we heard thunder but it never rained at our hotel. Today it is still sunny out although thunder storms are still expected. We’ll see if they materialize.

Today was beautiful, past amazing trees hanging with Spanish moss that made a total canopy over the road, providing plenty of shade. In addition, there were swamps with forests of tall trees growing out of them that have adapted to living in an aquatic environment. We crossed rivers and swamps throughout the day. The afternoon became quite hot, with temperatures in the mid-nineties. YUCK! At times it felt too hot to breath. But we drank a lot and are surviving with the help of stops in air conditioning for meals.

Today’s ride: We rode 56.5 miles (1.9 off route) at an average speed of 9.6 mph. We were on the bike for 5 hours and 51 minutes. We are now 1025 miles into our ride with perhaps 350 or a bit more miles to go.

Debbie’s emotionometer: The mood is good. We are feeling accomplished to have crossed the 1000 mile mark today.