It took me a couple of tries to find my comfort in my hammock.
I actually didnt sleep quite well a couple of times in it, but during the pisgah weekend, everything went all right. I found my groove I broke it in.
If I was to read the manufacturers specs on the Hammock I probably am violating proper sleep arrangements but its working.
That Saturday morning as I finally opened my eyes I could see Rob was already up.
I wondered if he heard me snoring. Also thought of good cyborg jokes. If you dont know its a running joke that Rob is Half Human Half Machine and thus lacks emotions. LOL. I tell you folks, not true, ROB HAS EMOTIONS. But that didnt stop me from thinking of Cyborg jokes.
For example.
You know whats good about having a best friend thats a Cyborg. Since he doesnt sleep you dont got to worry about anything during the night.
Not that good of a Joke, I thought of more as we pedaled off.
I actually thought I packed up quick and after I ate my rice and my cherries, we were off.
The Singletrack rolled well, the forest road was going good, but then there were some sandy spots, and once again I used my leg speed to get me through it. I tell you, next time you ride something sandy, spin to win. Spin like your trying to scrape Kah KaH of your toes. You float right over the sand, amazing.
Since we did ride some HORZ CATEGORZ sand on the trip so far I had wondered if thats how it was to ride on loose powder and if I would use the same spinny technique. Why in God's Name am I thinking of Snow bikes with Fat Tires? I am not that crazy.
Anyhow, the foul weather of wind and rain storms never came. I was prepared. Never happened, instead it was a blessing of pure beauty.
Once we got to Forest Road 595, I took my Bandanna off the bars, soaked it in water and put up under my helmet desert fox style. I remember something Bear Grylls said and decided to try it. It seemed counter productive, but it actually acted like a shade and the wind from me riding encouraged the rag to dry and it created a cooling effect. Amazing.
We Broke out of the Forest without incident and I told Rob I wanted to stop at the church, grab some water and eat. Was already hungry. I sat and refueled, I think Rob Changed his derailleur hanger and we were off again.
Marshall Swamp was beautiful, and before we knew it, we were in Duncan Grabbing Latte's and hiding from the Sun. I was marveling at our pace.
I looked at the numbers last night. Our ride time, our actual bike moving time was only 16 hours, we really killed it and all we did was cruize and have fun.
It also said 5400 feet or so of climbing. So ya, for Florida its a challenge for sure.
Before we knew it we rolled into Greenway to find it empty. Sure there was a person working the Store, but No DanO, no Jessica and no Donnie.
The guy at the store told us they were doing and Clinic and off we went.
Donnie's face lit up when he saw us. Well, maybe its always lit up.
But we watched the clinic, I scored a free shirt, and we hit the showers and did some much needed laundry. We got dipped in our civilian attire and made our way back to the shop to lay out our gear and keep a sideways eye on the dark clouds looming from the west.
We did our best to Party and work at the same time. I ate till I hurt. Drank three beers, caught a ridiculous buzz and fell asleep on the chair. All the while making new friends and eating great food. The Folks at Greenway are doing it right. They are creating a culture out of that shop and I DIGG IT!
I wanted to hear what Rob had to say. I took a nap mainly cause I carb crashed and mainly cause i had only slept 5 hours in the last 120 miles.
But I wanted to hear what Rob said we should do. We kept our options open, but once again we were in Tune. We were going to kill the Epic tonight. No sense in waiting for the morning, we had work to do then. I figured we kill the epic, tomorrow is a short day.
My only condition was coffee. But truth be told, I just wanted Coffee. The Epic was marvelous, and it was all over before I knew it. I found myself alone, not knowing exactly what had happened, but was sure something had. Found out once we met up at the 484 spot that Donnie had lost his light. What a trooper, the Wild Solo American Is REAL!!!!
We parted ways. His energy is intense and I DIGG it. A very good guy, tons of fun, if he gets into self supported racing I think he could be dangerous.
We finished off the trail, once again I marveled at how quick we were moving. And headed to wal mart. I bought a gallon of water a pack of three musketeers, some cokes and some doritos. Ate everything but the musketeers. I used Google Maps satellite view on the phone to confirm that we could stealth camp across the street making for an easy breakfast run in the morning. I call it the "sleep by the river" technique. As I clamoured to find two trees to make my home with, It took several tries before I scored the sweet spot. Tied my hammock, took a gallon of water shower, all the while staring at the sky the clarity of the moon. It was beautiful. Took time just to sit on the earth as I strolled barefoot once again around my camp.
I laid to sleep and drifted fast. Once again feeling great and satisfied and blessed to be traveling by bike through the jungles of this land.
Part 3 tomorrow...
Take Care,
The NaKeD InDiaN
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