May 19, 2024
The Automatic Water Salesman
A Godsend in our hour of need
WE'RE IN CHILLHOWEE. We're here because it is a convenient distance from our starting point in the Arrowhead Stadium parking lot, and because the good citizens of this tiny hamlet have graciously provided two campsites across from the town park, for use by people such as ourselves.
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_American_box_turtle
6 months ago
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_snapping_turtle
6 months ago
The Turtle, by Ogden Nash
The turtle lives 'twixt plated decks,
Which practically conceal its sex.
I think it clever of the turtle
In such a fxi, to be so fertile.
6 months ago
The campsites are as basic as it gets: fire ring, picnic table, and a flat spot for your tent. No water, shower, potty, electricity, etc. But they're provided free of charge. No complaints from me on the price.
Given the lack of obvious water supply, we are concerned about having to ration what remains in our bottles to make it last through dinner, breakfast, and maybe a bit of personal hygiene activity. I'm not enthusiastic about the situation.
Our problems are solved when Wil asks the lady across the street from our campsite about water. She directs us to the town water towers, which stand a block down the street. Outside the fence is an unassuming little structure consisting of a rudimentary shelter, a pipe, a shower head, a bucket, a short length of four inch flexible hose, and a silver control box labeled "Automatic Water Salesman".
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Put a dollar or more in the slot and a moment later the contraption disgorges an absolute torrent from the end of the flexible hose. How much you get depends on how much money you put in. It's really intended to supply large amounts of water quickly into tanks on trailers or in trucks, but any port in a storm.
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6 months ago
We fill our bottles and a couple small cooking pots, more than covering our needs for the duration of our stay. Then I step, fully dressed, into the blast.
I'm instantly wet from head to toe. The water's refreshingly cool, and washes away all the dust, sweat, and salt stuck to my skin. It also does a number on my riding clothes, rinsing them thoroughly.
WOW what an experience!
Today's ride: 55 miles (89 km)
Total: 57 miles (92 km)
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4 months ago