Washed Up in Savannah

Location: Savannah, GA
Ride: here
Ah, the sunny Savannah days and it's famous foggy nights... I have no idea what I am talking about, but that's what I have experienced, so it is so. Yeah, that's me last night having a late night walk. Giving a place time to grow on me, as I am doing this time around, has made a big difference.

Last year, even though it took me three months to get across the country, I still feel like I rushed it a bit. This time it's more of a crawl, and I'm enjoying the suck-it-in part.

Why Not?

Location: Athens, GA
Yesterday was everything I never wanted. I had toilet fever, or as someone put it more kindly, the "tummy flu." I don't know which cook to shake my finger at, but I think it had more to do with the 830 miles I did in 23 days and the 36,000 calories I replenished with Miller Lite, bananas, and butter-heavy dinners. I feel better after 15 hours in bed, but also a little restless. 

So I'm pulling the trigger, and I'm headed to Savannah on Monday.

I love when I tell people where I am going next and get the following reaction: "Why the hell are you going there?" And my answer is "Because I have never been there," which is just another version of "Why not?" That usually ends that discussion.

Breeze-Like

Location: Tucker, GA
Ride: here
Just a short one to wish everyone a happy holiday, even though I don't like them very much. But other people do, and it's not my duty to change the world,  just to live happily in my own. And that's what I am doing today, and I hope you're doing the same.

I'm thankful for being able to ride my bike, for having great friends, for my new friends who reach out to me and inspire me back, for the new experiences I get myself into, and those that just show up on my doorstep.

It's That Kind Of Party.

Location: Athens, GA
I like to throw parties. Used to be I would have one at my house every month or so. I inherited this appetite from my parents who also had the fever, though in retrospect, theirs had a suspicious "Ice Storm" flavor to them.
I would secretly roll around in all of the guests jackets, which were tossed onto an upstairs bed. I would inspect the pockets for treasures, route through purses, smell each coat deeply, especially the collars, and I would guess which guest matched which coat. It was warm and strange and it fascinated me.

Cycling Remains

There is a formula for the best riders that exist and ever will exist; they do not tolerate moderation, and are worse at practicing it. All of the cyclists I know, have ridden with, or watched; we all have a fierce independent streak that you will not want to get in the way of. 

What drives a person to a bicycle in the first place? Escapism or being fat, or both. When I ask people what got them into cycling those are the top two answers. "I was a chubby kid," or "I wanted to get away." So it was as if we were running away but necessarily counting on being welcomed home at the same time. It's a "fuck-you" but it's also an "Ok, I'm cool now, I'll take some dinner."

Take your best guess.

Location: Athens, GA

The weather channel can really fuck with your rides. Back in the day when there wasn't a 24 hour coverage of clouds and shit, you just looked up and made your best guess. Today, I mostly hung out wondering when and if the rain would come. Finally a text message from Gaimon;"Fuck it, can you go in twenty?" 

I've had days where I sat around being pissed off not being able to ride because the forecast was rain, and then it was sunny all day. Now, I'm not the kind of rider who won't ride in rain, and as evidence I present my ride in Perpignan, but I'd also rather not ride in the rain. Either way, the point is that I hate it when technology gets in the way of my spontaneity.

Pina Colada Effect

Location: Athens, GA 
Ride: here

When you aim your plane straight up into the air and give it full gas, you're just asking for a sputtering and a stall to occur. And I stalled and began a lead zeppelin descent since Saturday's ride. Big ride up Mount Mitchell. Move. Big ride at the Gran Fondo. Then Athens, GA. New city with no plan, I know no one, and it was motherfucking cold.

I questioned if coming to Athens (with the intent of staying put for an entire month) wasn't too hasty, given that my most cherished moments of last Exodus were flying into a new town, marking my spot, and then hauling ass again into the unknown. I was also feeling quite blue, as I am inclined to feel when it is chilly. So that wasn't something I was unsettled by.