Hills to no end

Friday, May 30 (Day 14)

Distance: 66 miles

Average: 11.1 mph

Max: 30.5 mph

Total: 867 miles

I started out pretty late at 8:30 and rode without really stopping for a few hours. I don't really remember much about those hours, I was just counting down in my head and calculating distances and times.

I finally stopped at a roadside park for a snack and a picture and there was a man sitting at a picnic table with a laptop. He didn't look up at all, so I didn't think much about it and sat down for a look at my map. 

A few minutes later, he got up to leave and asked me how far I had gone. I said 800 miles, and he walked away to his van. I was quickly reabsorbed in counting miles and memorizing streets on my map when I heard him come back.

"I train, so I have extras," and he presented me with a box of granola bars and two waters! :)

Soon it was all about the hills. I'm ashamed to admit I walked my bike a bit up the first one, as I was completely unprepared for it and it was definitely at an 85 degree angle. I was terrified to encounter another equally horrible hill just after, and adopted a new strategy that worked very well for the rest of the day: stare at the ground and pedal until it's all over. 

I arrived in Traverse City at 3, and was very happy to see bicycles everywhere. I spent an hour and a half leisurely riding around and I went to a really great co op, where I found yummy things and talked to nice people. This place really reminds me of Ithaca, and I like it very much.

It's right on Traverse Bay and has a nice beach. They are just starting to get nice weather (part of the reason I'm not meeting more touring cyclists) so lots of people were out sunbathing and general sports-ing.

I went to Bob and Laura's house afterwards (Bob is out of town) and had a very nice time talking to Laura before she went to her book club, and a while later her (incredibly nice) daughter Claire came by and we went for a walk downtown.

Today was a really great day! I've decided to spend tomorrow here as well and finally take a day off. It's going to be very strange to get up without needing to get going.

I think going so fast has sort of made riding every day a chore, and I'm not sure I'll continue at this pace because I have lots of time and I'd like to really enjoy it!