Day 26 - Livingston to Greenville

It rained for the third day in a row today. This time it came as a welcome break. We managed to avoid it for the first 95 miles and then 3 or 4 miles before the next rest stop, it got really dark, really windy and then really wet. Apart from getting wet socks and shoes (again) it felt really good to cool off as it had been really humid. The only sucky thing was that it meant I would have to clean my bike again tonight. Oh well.

This morning started out nice and mellow. Jeanine has relatives that lived in Livingston and work in a pastry shop. As soon as she told me this, I was up for an impromptu stop. It surprised me that no one else wanted to come with us. That was their loss. So we stopped at the pastry shop and looking at the size of the pastries, decided to split a cinnamon roll. This thing was the size of a baby and it was only a dollar. Good times. The only bad thing about it was that we spent most of the day chasing to catch up to everyone else. It was definitely worth it though.

Apart from the food excitement... burritos for lunch, it was a pretty quiet day. Hot and humid but probably still better than Portland. Dinner is delayed tonight as another storm rolled in and it got really dark just before the heavens opened. I have no desire to get drowned on my way to dinner.

So instead of talking about the rest of the ride, here's a list of the small pleasures that make us happy on our trip. Older hotels (or motels) are better than newer ones. Most motels have the rooms facing right onto the parking lot. This is great for when you wash your bike clothes in the shower or sink as you can leave them outside to dry. Well, maybe not tonight as it's pissing down.

Warm food for lunch on a wet day is fantastic. I almost cried two days ago in Mississippi when I got to lunch (dirty and drenched) and we were getting Mac and cheese.

On a hot day, which seems like every day, a cold beer at the end of the ride is perfection. Who needs recovery drinks when you can have a cold beer instead?

I've also given up using Heed or Clif bars or Power gels at the rest stops. I'm fueling my cross country trip with Salt n Vinegar Pringles and shortbread. Don't knock it until you've tried it. Just the right mix of salt, sugar and butter. Yum.

Ok, enough for now. I'm going to risk the thunderstrom and go for dinner.

Pictures are here