August 3: Mission Accomplished
Mission accomplished. Sometimes on longer trips I plan a few more miles than usual on a particular day to set myself up for a favorite ride the following day. Today’s route from Black Mountain, North Carolina to Ozark, Arkansas took me almost 800 miles in scorching heat and high humidity through three different states. But it will all be worth it tomorrow.
My general riding strategy when covering longer distances is to go between 160-180 miles, stop for gas and a protein bar, and repeat the pattern until I’ve arrived at my destination. However, when temperatures are in the 90’s or higher, I’ve found it prudent to add an extra stop between each fill up to hydrate and re-wet my cooling vest. It’s a fine balance, though, because I don’t want to stop so often that I drive more than necessary in the dark at the end of the ride.
Since the temperatures were still in the 80’s when I left this morning, I was able to make it to Crossville Tennessee for lunch in record time. I decided to splurge and eat a sit-down meal at the local Waffle House as I knew that would be my only chance to do so for the day. I enjoyed getting my regular meal, chatting with the waitresses, cooling down, and filling up both my hydro flasks with ice and water.
As I continued down the road, the longer riding day gave me ample time to sing, pray, and think thoughts of gratitude. I also noted places I’ve been before and remembered the positive experiences associated with them. Today I passed close by the Tail of the Dragon, good friends in Chattanooga, the head of the Natchez Trace Parkway, and both the Tennessee and Mississippi Rivers.
As the sun started going down the temperatures dropped a little and the further west I got, the more rural the landscape became. Although it was still relatively humid the heat was more manageable, and I was able to enjoy the views of the fields and rolling hills.
I am super excited about tomorrow as there are so many fun things on the agenda – riding the Pig Trail, eating at my favorite food cart in the country, seeing a good friend, and having dinner at a great steak house in Texas. Woohoo!
