August 17, 2023
🎹🎹🎹🎹🎼Alone Again.Naturally 🎼🎹🎹🎹🎹
I bet you sang That title too!!!! You’re so gullible.
So Bruce continued on and I am alone again. Some of my sleeping gear got wet so I took time this morning to dry stuff in the sun. Didn’t get on the trail til around 9 am. The GAP trail up north is a bit wet and it looks like they used clay as a base. Most of the crushed lime stone is imbedded in the clay and no longer provides traction. It is very slippery in places and I almost went down yesterday. I did a little body English to stay upright and twisted my right knee a bit. Clunk was not happy this morning and was a bit effused…..that’s swoll in shore talk. I took 50 mg of indocin which helped a great deal. Usually indocin does not bother me but sometimes it makes me feel dizzy and generally blah. That’s how I felt for most of the day today so even though I only did 59 some miles it felt like a hundred.
The GAP trail follows old abandoned rail ways most of which were originally built to service the coal and steel industries. But since the steel industry was mailed to china and coal ran out in these here hills, the rails and all the associated buildings have long since been disassembled and the forrest has taken over. You can still see places that are flat and surly must have been sites for industrial buildings. Many now have homes on them, right along the river. And there are relics of the past here and there like old coke ovens and railway fixtures. Some old warehouses also remain. And many of the small towns the trail passes through have identical houses all in a row which were built as company housing back in the day.
The rivers I've be been following have been really muddy and high past few days,- due to recent rains. Today the water seems lower and is definitely clearer. I always wonder where all that sediment gets to eventually! I mean it’s gotta clog up the works somewhere. I guess that’s why they invented dredges. The way I think of it is that eventually all the high spots on earth will erode away and fill up all the low spots. Then the whole globe will be level. Flat as a pancake everywhere. Are we messing with Mother Nature by dredging? ………..Am I the only one who thinks about this stuff? I get sad knowing I won’t be around to see the end product!!! It’s kinda like wishing I was around to see how all this stuff started to begin with.
So tonight im camping down river from a dam and hoping it doesn’t fail and drown me. But it’s been here for 75 years so im probably ok. Tomorrow I’ll head to Cumberland, the Queens City. I can’t remember why it’s called that. I’ll have to look it up again. I’ve got a reservation at the Ramada. I’ve stayed there twice before on other tours. For those cycling this route the Ramada is cheaper than the Hampton down on the trail and only a few blocks away. They cater to cyclists and though it is an older motel, it’s clean and rooms are generally well maintained. Besides I have points to use. If you have not spent any time in Cumberland you should go and take a look. Lots of history here!!! Oh, that reminds me. This campground is federal and would usually cost $16 bucks for a hiker/biker site. Outrageous!! But my wonderful wife gave me a senior lifetime national parks pass so I’m camping for half price. Thanks dear!!! It got me into Yellowstone free too.
So I gotta go to bed. It’s f-ing 930 hours m and some idiot is cutting grass near here so n the dark. Give me a break!!!
I’ll try some pics but cell service is poor.
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Today's ride: 55 miles (89 km)
Total: 3,429 miles (5,518 km)
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