The Death of Fate

This is going to be a short post about the past couple days because I really want to get to a new post about today, I'm trying to keep some sense of order here if you can't tell.

Yesterday I started off the day staring a 130 mile ride in the face. That was the last thing I felt like doing, but you don't get to the end of the day without putting in the first mile. As I was fumbling through my maps I realized that one section of the route met up with the route again three sections away. Helloooooo shortcut!!!!! I'm finding out that everyday on this trip, you always find what you're looking for. There are just so many options out there and so many different paths that if you can't find a way out or a better option then you're not really looking hard enough. Life lesson number 5641.

I started the day from Reidsville, GA and ended near the Okeefenokee Swamp in Folkston, GA. Monday night in Reidsville was spent at a $40 hotel (the Indian woman behind the counter gave $2.80 off because I chatted it up with her for 30 minutes or better). While riding to Reidsville earlier that day I crossed the SC/GA border. This was the worst concentration of loose dogs that I've seen yet. Pitbull after pitbull after....Cujo? Who the heck owns these dogs and haven't they ever heard of a leash? After the dogs I hit a stretch of dirt road that Jess and Mike warned me about. They were right, it was soft and I almost crashed numerous times. The whole stretch of the road I was praying, "please God, no dogs, please!!!!" I guess you could say I'm one of those "Oh Shit" believers.

Ok, so that is over with. I rode past huge Vidalia Onion farms, guys spraying the heck out of pecan trees, corn field after wheat field after oat field, and all else that makes Georgia what it is. While in Statesboro, GA I learned that SC actually producesore and supposedly better peaches then GA. As the peach juice was dripping offs hands I had to agree. I stopped at Vandy's BBQ in Statesboro and needed to look up a review for the place online before eating there because the outside of the building looked so bad. The review confirmed what I thought when I saw the large smoker out back, one of the best BBQ joints in Statesboro. When I went inside to order everybody stared at me for about the first 10 minutes (common occurance down here that I'm becoming very accustomed to). "What's everybody order here" I ask the woman as she walks up to my table. "Large plate, potato salad and stew combo." It was good to the last drop. The plate came with four pieces off Sunbeam bread (as it should have because Sunbeam must have given Vandy's their sign back in 1970. One huge Sunbeam Bread sign hanging from the front of the building with "Vandy's Bbq" underneath it in small letters. Anyway , I used every last breadcrumb to make sure that nothing was left on the plate, slurped up the rest of the sweet tea, and wished I had another stomach so I could order another.

I wish I could post more frequently because every minute something new happens that is worthy of a sentence. I used to wonder how travel writers filled up a whole book but now I understand.

After my departure from Reidsville and finding the shortcut I found Jeff Greenberg. As it turns out, Jeff is going to Key West via bike also. This is a long story about how we met, but we did so we rode together. Jeff looks about 10 years younger then he is and has the enthusiasm of someonewho is 20 years younger. I pushed Jeff to ride way past his intended mileage on Tuesday, but it was worth it. We shared a pizza at Mikey's Pizza in Folkston, GA and then found a great campsite for $5 per tent. There were beautiful Magnolia trees all around with moss hanging from the limbs. In the middle of the night I had a friend who wanted to get into my bag of food. I moved quick in the hammock and let out a pssssttttt sound which sent the critter straight up into the air and then intothe woods. Jeff helped me to hang my food off a tree just in case he came back.

In the am it was time for another day of riding.